Friday: Further Thought – Covenant at Sinai
Daily Lesson for Friday 22nd of August 2025
Further Thought:
Read Ellen G. White, “The Law Given to Israel,” Pages 303–310, and “Satan’s Enmity Against the Law,” Pages 331–342, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“God purposed to make the occasion of speaking His law a scene of awful grandeur, in keeping with its exalted character. The people were to be impressed that everything connected with the service of God must be regarded with the greatest reverence.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 303.
This principle of reverence is valid today. It springs from an understanding of God’s greatness, transcendence, and majesty. Seeing God’s glory creates gratitude in our hearts and humbles our pride. The closer we see God’s holiness, the more imperfections we will discern in our lives, leading us to thirst even more for His transforming Presence and to desire to be more like Him.
And, too, knowing what we are in contrast to Him and to His holy law makes us totally dependent upon Christ’s substitutionary death for us.
At the same time, Jesus made it clear that, if we humbly accept God as our Lord and King, His commands are not difficult to obey (Matthew 11:28-30). Christ made it plain that the divine law has permanent validity (Matthew 5:17-20). When we keep God’s laws out of love and gratitude to Him because of the salvation that He has freely bestowed upon us, we can experience the fullness of a saving relationship with Him. While enjoying the great advantages of keeping the law (after all, look at the pain and hardship that violating it brings), we also can enjoy the assurance of knowing that our salvation is found in Jesus, not in our law-keeping.
Discussion Questions
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When God called the israelites to meet him Moses entered the tent of meeting. God’s presence was revealed in the pillar of cloud for all the people to see (Exodus 33:9–10), a clear indicator that only God Himself can open hearts and reveal His glory to us. Since Moses was leading others to God we learn to direct people toward Him by our example as the Lord draws people to Himself (John 6:44). He promises that if we call, He will answer and show us great things (Jeremiah 33:3); if we knock, He will open (Matthew 7:7–8). Sometimes His response comes quickly, and sometimes He waits, and sometimes He redirects according to His perfect will (1 John 5:14–15). Yet in every case, God is faithful to reveal Himself in His own timing, and when He does, it becomes the most life-changing and glorious moment for those who encounter Him.
There is a danger that we think of the Ten Commandments as church property. It was given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai on tablets of stone, and because we believe we are spiritual Israel, we have inherited them. We like to argue that all other moral codes have descended from the Ten Commandments, and sometimes we look to our atheist friends as though we believe we are the ones who stand on high moral ground. I don't think some of us appreciate how arrogant that sounds to others.
I like the emphasis of C S Lewis in Mere Christianity who asserts that we all have a sense of sense of morality. The fact that there is a sense of right and wrong at all is rather surprising. Why should selfishness be deemed wrong? One of his main arguments for the existence of God is based on the existence of morality. (The first few chapters of "Mere Christianity" make compelling reading for those of us who deal with Atheist and Agnostic friends.)
There are, of course, those who believe that morality is simply baggage we carry from our Judeo-Christian heritage, but, interestingly, even they have a surprising sense of outrage when someone does something to them they don't like.
I recently took part in an environmental ethics workshop where the participants were a mix of Christians, Atheists and a few non-descripts. What was interesting in the discussions that we had was the respect that each participant had for the others, irrespective of what they considered the source of their ethics. Although each participant used a different language to support the actions we should take in ethical environmental care, there was a commonality of action. It was a reminder to me that sometimes arguing our position is better than others should be tempered with the notion that loving one another should come first. Tolerance does not mean compromise.
Here is some Sabbath viewing for you. I have been watching the activities of an Osprey family - enjoy: Osprey Slide Show
Thank you Maurice for sharing the amazing photos of the Osprey. They show the amazing complexity and design of God's creation.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mr. Ashton for the nature loving slideshow. What a great God we serve!
Thank you so much for sharing these brother Maurice! Glory to God. Speaking about reverence and awe for God-these pictures should inspire these qualities.
Thank you for the beautiful bright spot in my day. I always enjoy your
photography, particularly the birds because you have so many more
varieties than are here in AZ.
I will be their God and they shall be my people,” how because we love the Lord with all our heart. We put our trust in Him. We allow God to write His laws on our heart. These characteristics take us away from legalism of the Law, setting us free from sin. Now that does not mean I go out and sin just because I am free, far from it. Paul made that clear in the 1st part of Romans chapter 6. I am so free that I need Christ in my life every hour of every day, His working through me keeps my paths straight.
Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.(Our pastor recently said, don’t over think God).
Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6. MSG
We need the Lord every hour. God is so wonderful that He always wants us near! Although He longs for us, we are the ones who need Him most. Lord, help us to please You constantly.
John 3:16 - ”For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Our eternal, heavenly Father provided every evidence man could possibly need or request, but it is still left up to us to open our heart, humble ourself, and accept that we have been made from the dust of the ground, endowed with the Spirit of our Maker and ‘commune’ with Him to have 'life'.
All the laws and the prophets, all the instructions for life given to man avail nothing if man does not learn to love His Maker, allowing Him to draw us to Himself - the One who made us and established the Way in which man experiences being ‘alife’.
Life is maintained by/in His Spirit; it is revealed in His Law as it shows the inablility of the flesh to have life through its own efforts. The same SpiritAccepting our Maker, learning to love Him is learning to love Life in Him. Everything is in His hands and made available through trust and surrender – Job 12:10; Psalm 37:5; Isaiah 41:10.
Thank you Brigitte for your comments.
According to Scripture, the Law cannot give life. Therefor righteousness cannot be derived from Law (Gal 3:21). The righteousness of law or associated with law is the subject’s obedience to the law - their own righteousness (Dt 6:24,25; Phil 3:3-11; Rom 9:30-33; Rom 10:1-4). That was the righteousness required of the Israelites under the Old Covenant, the Law.
The righteousness of the New Covenant, of the Kingdom of Heaven, is God’s Righteousness alone (Isa 46:13; 51:5,6; Rom 1:17; 3:21; 9:30; 10:3; Phil 3:9; 1 Cor 1:30). This righteousness is acquired only through Faith in Christ - the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
When we confidently boast of our relationship to the Law, the very words of the Old Covenant, what are we really saying? The law has only shadows of the true, the good things to come (Heb 10:1). Are we still so enamored with shadows, so attached, that we think our righteousness must find a place together with God’s Righteousness?