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Summary by Darrin Koehler

Continued from Epic 7…

After the exodus from Egypt, Moses lead his people into the wilderness where they wandered for many months. During this time, God provided for them miraculously. In the daytime, He provided them with bread from heaven (called Manna) and in the evening, Quail. God also protected them from invading peoples who attempt to destroy them. God said that He brought the Israelites to Himself “on eagles’ wings,” and said to them, “If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” It is through the Israelite people that God intended to spread the fame and the renown His own name.

God soon established the holiness of His name and His renown among the people of Israel when He came down on the Mount of Sinai. He commanded that no one was to approach the mountain, or else they would die. He appeared in great power – in lightning and fire and dense cloud – and gave the ten commandments to the whole people of Israel:

Adapted from Exodus 20:1-17

»No other gods – Anything can be your god. This includes your job, car, house, family, friends, relationships, etc.
»No carved images – God is separate from creation. He is the creator, this world is the creation. We are not to worship creation, but only the Creator.
»Do not misuse God’s name – God’s name is very holy, and should never be used as a flippant byword.
»Keep the Sabbath holy – The Sabbath is now celebrated on Sunday instead of Saturday because it is the day that Jesus raised from the grave.
»Honor your parents – This is for both children and adults, honoring your parents from beginning to end.
»No murder – This does not apply to war or social justice, but pre-meditated, hateful murder.
»No Adultery – This is when someone who is in a covenant marriage relationship with another desires to have intimacy with someone else.
»No stealing
»No false testimony
»No coveting

God also gave a much more extensive law system to the Israelites. This included the Moral, Civil, and Ritual law. As Christians, we must understand how these laws apply to us today. The law that God gave to the Israelites was a covenant He made with that nation; that covenant, or the “Old Testament,” is not our covenant. We are now in the new covenant, or the “New Testament,” established by Jesus, who fulfilled the old covenant. When Jesus established the new covenant, he renewed only part of it: the Moral law. The Ritual law is no longer necessary because Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice that is good once for all (see the letter of Hebrews). The Civil law was not renewed because Christians living in different nations will have their own Civil law; we are not citizens of the Israelite nation.

To be continued in Epic 9…

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CrossWay Church is a modern expression of the biblical community of faith, hope and love serving the cities of Debary, Orange City, Deltona, Deland, Sanford and the surrounding central Florida area. Our passion is for the glory and fame of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to effectively engage our contemporary culture with his timeless gospel. Our mission is to help people find and follow hard after him. Visit us on the web at crosswayflorida.com

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