Lesson 2: God Gave The Law - Birth Of Moses to the Judges
By Paul R. Blake
The children of Israel were enslaved in Egyptian bondage. A Pharaoh rose to power that did not remember Joseph and his good works for Egypt. Pharaoh was afraid that Israel would grow to the point where they became a threat to him; therefore, he forced the Israelites into hard labor with few resources. Yet still they prospered, so Pharaoh ordered something horrible; he demanded that the midwives cast all of the newborn Israelite boys into the River Nile as a means of controlling their population. (Exodus 1:8-22)
Moses parents preserved his life by placing him in a basket and hiding him among the rushes in the Nile, where he was found and raised by Pharaoh’s own daughter. (Exodus 2:1-7) As an adult, Moses defended an Israelite slave by killing his Egyptian master and fled the country in self-imposed exile. (Exodus 2:11-15) In the wilderness, God spoke to him from a bush that was on fire, but did not burn up. He instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the children of Israel. (Exodus 3:1-10) Pharaoh refused, and God brought ten plagues on his people that forced him to release the Israelites (water into blood, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn). (Exodus 7 - 12)
Under Moses’ leadership, the children of Israel left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on the dry seabed, as God destroyed the pursuing Egyptian military. (Exodus 14) Moses led them through the wilderness while God sustained them miraculously with manna, quails, and water that flowed from rocks in the desert regions. (Exodus 15 - 17) When they arrived at Mount Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain alone and was given the first ten of 613 commandments from God that would come to be known as the Law of Moses. The first ten are as follows:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
Honor thy father and thy mother
Thou shalt not murder
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not covet (Exodus 19:17 - 20:17)
The Israelites were to obey all 613 commandments, not just the first ten. These laws were given to govern their relationship with God as well as their relationships with all human beings. The Law of Moses was based on two fundamental commands of God. Jesus said: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Unfortunately, the Israelites frequently disobeyed the Law of Moses, a law that did not provide a means for forgiveness of their sins. (Hebrews 3:7-19) Instead, it contained a system of animal sacrifices that were to be offered as a form of atonement for their sins, but the offerings did not have the power to remove sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4) Forgiveness would have to wait for the perfect covenant to be established by Jesus Christ, validated by His perfect sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. (Hebrews 10:12-14) At the same time, the Law of Moses would teach humankind about their sins and the need for grace, mercy, and forgiveness from God. It prepared them by teaching them to eagerly anticipate the coming of the Son of God and the Gospel of salvation. (Galatians 3:19-29)
When the Israelites came near to the Promised Land, they sent in spies to prepare for the conquest of what would become their homeland. However, most of the spies returned with a report that frightened the people, who in turn murmured against Moses and God, insisting that they should have remained in Egypt. God was angry with them and forbid their entry into the “land flowing with milk and honey” for forty years. They wandered about in the wilderness for all of those long years until that generation passed away. (Numbers 13:26 - 14:35) It was not until Moses died and Joshua was given leadership of Israel that they were permitted to begin the conquest of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 34:4-9; Joshua 1:1-11)
While God promised to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, He did not promise them that it would be without effort on their part. He required that they work and fight for the fulfillment of the promise. They engaged in a series of battles with the occupants of the land, and with the help of God were successful in their campaign to occupy the land God promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. This illustrates a Bible principle; that is, all of God’s promises are conditional. In other words, His promises form one part of the covenant He makes with those who would be His people. What is expected of His people in return for His promises is that they keep their part of the covenant. God said through Moses, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). Jesus said something similar in the New Testament: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Joshua’s leadership was exemplary. He led Israel to victory at Jericho, the most fortified city in the region. With the help of God, the walls of the city fell down, allowing Israel to take the city easily. With few exceptions, the children of Israel were able to drive out the idolatrous occupants of the land; and God, Who was with them in every battle, manifested His power and protection until they were settled in the land. Joshua demonstrated the effectiveness of his leadership when he challenged Israel to follow the Lord, and they kept their word to do so as long as anyone remained alive who remembered Joshua’s leadership. (Joshua 24:15-31)
Afterward, Israel slipped into a rapid moral decline. They repeated a cycle multiple times over the next several generations. They would drift into sin and idolatry, and God would abandon them to their choice to do evil. This left them vulnerable to invaders who would exploit them. Life would become so unpleasant for the Israelites that they would remember God and repent of their sins, calling out to Him for deliverance from their oppressors. God would raise up a Judge or deliverer who would lead them to victory over their enemies. For some time afterward there would be peace and prosperity, and then Israel would once again fall into sin and idolatry, and the cycle would begin again. There were fourteen judges beginning with Othniel and ending with Samuel, including several well-known judges, like Deborah the only judge who was a woman, Gideon the judge who was an exceptional military leader, and Samson the judge who had greater than natural strength. Eventually, Israel rejected God’s leadership through the judges, and in Samuel’s day they demanded a king to be like neighboring nations. (1Samuel 8:1-10)
The age of God’s oversight of Israel through His chosen leaders came to an end with Samuel. God would give them the king they demanded. While there were a few good kings, most of them were a source of sorrow, leading God’s nation into even deeper levels sin and idolatry. This will be considered in lesson three.
While God promised to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, He did not promise them that it would be without effort on their part. He required that they work and fight for the fulfillment of the promise. They engaged in a series of battles with the occupants of the land, and with the help of God were successful in their campaign to occupy the land God promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. This illustrates a Bible principle; that is, all of God’s promises are conditional. In other words, His promises form one part of the covenant He makes with those who would be His people. What is expected of His people in return for His promises is that they keep their part of the covenant. God said through Moses, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). Jesus said something similar in the New Testament: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Joshua’s leadership was exemplary. He led Israel to victory at Jericho, the most fortified city in the region. With the help of God, the walls of the city fell down, allowing Israel to take the city easily. With few exceptions, the children of Israel were able to drive out the idolatrous occupants of the land; and God, Who was with them in every battle, manifested His power and protection until they were settled in the land. Joshua demonstrated the effectiveness of his leadership when he challenged Israel to follow the Lord, and they kept their word to do so as long as anyone remained alive who remembered Joshua’s leadership. (Joshua 24:15-31)
Afterward, Israel slipped into a rapid moral decline. They repeated a cycle multiple times over the next several generations. They would drift into sin and idolatry, and God would abandon them to their choice to do evil. This left them vulnerable to invaders who would exploit them. Life would become so unpleasant for the Israelites that they would remember God and repent of their sins, calling out to Him for deliverance from their oppressors. God would raise up a Judge or deliverer who would lead them to victory over their enemies. For some time afterward there would be peace and prosperity, and then Israel would once again fall into sin and idolatry, and the cycle would begin again. There were fourteen judges beginning with Othniel and ending with Samuel, including several well-known judges, like Deborah the only judge who was a woman, Gideon the judge who was an exceptional military leader, and Samson the judge who had greater than natural strength. Eventually, Israel rejected God’s leadership through the judges, and in Samuel’s day they demanded a king to be like neighboring nations. (1Samuel 8:1-10)
The age of God’s oversight of Israel through His chosen leaders came to an end with Samuel. God would give them the king they demanded. While there were a few good kings, most of them were a source of sorrow, leading God’s nation into even deeper levels sin and idolatry. This will be considered in lesson three.
Scriptures Used In Text
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