Life of Moses (12)

May 6, 2018

We all have our lists of sins that we think are really bad, going down to those that we tend to shrug off as hardly sins at all. We’d all agree that killing innocent people or even murdering an enemy are really bad sins. Raping women and molesting little children are really bad. Robbery or burglary are bad, but not as bad as murder or rape, assuming that no one gets hurt.

And so we work our way down the list. We’re usually careful not to put any of our own sins very high on the list. We think, “Sure, I have my faults, but I’d never commit any of those really bad sins!” I might admit that I have a tendency to grumble now and then, but I’d dismiss that as a relatively minor fault. In fact, I might not call it a sin at all—until, that is, I read God’s Word!

God had just miraculously delivered Israel from Pharaoh’s pursuing army by parting the Red Sea for Israel’s escape and then bringing the sea back over the Egyptian army. Then Israel had a joyful time of worship, singing to the Lord (Exod. 15:1-21). Next, we read that Israel went three days into the wilderness and found no water. Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but it was bitter and undrinkable. But rather than trusting in the Lord, who had led and provided for them thus far, Israel grumbled.

It’s easy for me to sit in my comfortable house, shake my head, and think, “What’s wrong with those people, anyway? Didn’t they know that the God who miraculously delivered them from Egypt could easily provide water? Why didn’t they just trust the Lord?” And yet, when I encounter minor trials, I’m often quick to grumble rather than thankfully to trust in the Lord who has graciously saved me from Satan’s domain of darkness!

The Spirit of God inspired Moses to put together the jubilant song of Moses followed immediately by the grumbling of the people at Marah. I could have separated these stories by preaching different sermons on each one. But I think there’s a lesson from looking at both of these incidents together:

If God has saved you, joyfully sing His praises, but avoid the terrible sin of grumbling.

First, let’s look at the song; then, the sin:

1. If God has saved you, joyfully sing His praises.

Scholars suggest different ways of analyzing this song, but I think the easiest is to see verses 1-12 as rejoicing in what God had done in delivering Israel from Egypt, while verses 13-18 rejoice by faith in what God is going to do when He gives Israel the land of Canaan. Verses 13-15 use the past tense; verse 16 uses the present, while verses 17 & 18 are in the future tense. But it all describes by faith how God will fulfill His promise to Abraham to give his descendants the land. Verse 19 recaps the great deliverance described in chapter 14, while verses 20 & 21 tell how Miriam led the women in singing this song and dancing. There are three main lessons:

A. Singing about God’s salvation should be joyful.

This is the first recorded song in the Bible and its mood is decidedly joyful, as seen in the women playing the timbrel (like a tambourine) and dancing. You get the impression that these people were happy about something! The singing was both congregational (v. 1, “Moses and the sons of Israel”) and personal (v. 1, “I will sing to the Lord”). Worship should be both: if God has saved you, you should joyfully sing because you personally have experienced His great salvation. But, also, you should join with others who have experienced His salvation so that the corporate singing magnifies your experience by a factor of how many hundreds or thousands of saved people are combining their voices in praise.

Note also that there is not a word in this song (except for the title, which is mentioned in Rev. 15:3, not here) about what Moses did to lead Israel out of slavery, but only about what God did. There is no mention of the people’s faith in putting the blood on their doorposts. Everything is about the Lord and directed to Him. They “sang this song to the Lord, and said, ‘I will sing to the Lord …” (Exod. 15:1, emphasis mine). There is a proper place for teaching and admonishing one another through corporate singing, but even then we should sing to the Lord (Col. 3:16, emphasis mine): “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Israel, of course, was joyful over God’s delivering them from hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt and from Pharaoh’s threatening army. But the exodus is the greatest picture in the Old Testament of God saving His chosen people from bondage to Satan and sin. And that is something worth getting excited about over and over again! Don’t ever allow yourself to get bored over the wonderful, eternally joyous truth that God has saved you by His grace! That’s why Jesus told us to celebrate His supper often in remembrance of Him. We tend to get busy with other less important things and forget what He did for us on the cross and where we’d be at if He hadn’t done that. So think often about God’s saving you. And if it doesn’t move your heart to think about what the Savior did for you on the cross, then confess it and ask Him to help you recover your first love for Him (Rev. 2:4-5).

John Stott (Christianity Today [6/12/81], p. 19) told about a Salvation Army drummer who was beating his drum so hard that the band leader had to tell him to tone it down a bit. In his cockney accent the drummer replied, “God bless you, sire, since oi’ve been converted, oi’m so ’appy, oi could bust the bloomin’ drum!”

I’m not talking about pumping up your emotions or having our worship teams play songs that pump up everyone’s emotions. Rather, I’m saying, “Think about what God has done in saving you and then joyfully sing His praises in response!” In Jesus’ words, worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

B. Our joyful singing should exalt the Lord who has saved us from a terrible past and promised us a glorious future.

1) The Lord has saved us from a terrible past.

That first generation of Israelites remembered all too well their horrible past. Some of the older ones remembered how Pharaoh had commanded them to kill their baby boys. They remembered the meaningless daily grind of making bricks from sunrise to sunset in the hot Egyptian sun. Many remembered the lashes of the cruel taskmasters when they couldn’t produce their quotas. In verse 9, they rehearse Pharaoh’s more recent evil intent:

The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be gratified against them;

I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.”

The problem was, subsequent generations may not remember the terrible past of that first generation that God delivered through the exodus. And that can be a problem if you’re a second or third generation Christian. You may think, “I was raised in the church. I don’t have a terrible past to be saved from.”

But that’s not true! I used to have a friend named Glenn who was saved while he was in prison for drug dealing. He would boldly witness to every stranger he met, handing them a tract with his testimony as he said, “I was in prison when God saved me. Here’s my story.” He often told me, “I was forgiven much, so I love Jesus much!” But I used to think, where does that leave me? I was raised in the church. I’ve never been drunk or used illegal drugs. I’ve never been arrested. So how can I say, “I was forgiven much, so I love Jesus much”?

But then I was meditating on the story in Luke 7 where Jesus uses that phrase to describe the sinful woman who anointed His feet with perfume and her tears. The point of that story is that Simon, the proud Pharisee, who wondered how Jesus could allow this sinful woman to touch him, needed to be forgiven just as much, if not more, than this woman. But his self-righteousness blinded him to his sinful pride. And all of us, including us who may outwardly be pretty good people, needed to be forgiven much. If the Lord had not intervened to save me, I’d be heading for God’s righteous judgment. So when we think about our terrible past when we were slaves in Satan’s domain of darkness, we should exalt the Lord who saved us. But also ...

2) The Lord has promised us a glorious future.

In verses 13-17, Moses looks ahead to what God will do and describes this glorious future as if it’s a done deal. God would bring His people to His holy habitation. He would cause the inhabitants of the land to tremble in fear and anguish. He would plant His people in the mountain of His inheritance, where He would dwell in His sanctuary. All of this looked beyond the next 40 years in the wilderness and the battles to conquer the land under Joshua’s leadership. But by faith Moses views it as done. Verse 18 states the reason he could do this: “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

While the Bible plainly and repeatedly describes the many trials and hardships that the Lord’s people will go through (Acts 14:22; Rom. 8:35-36; 2 Tim. 3:12), it also promises that Jesus will return and we will be with Him forever in a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no crying, pain, or death (John 14:1-3; Rev. 21:4)! As we think on the many gracious promises that the Lord has given to us about our eternal future, we should exalt Him with joyful singing.

C. Our joyful singing should exalt the Lord for His attributes and His actions.

1) Exalt the Lord for His awesome attributes.

This song is filled with God’s attributes: He is highly exalted (v. 1). He is Yahweh (11 times in the song), the self-existent, eternal One, as He revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush. He is the only God (v. 11). He is powerful (vv. 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10); holy (v. 11); loving (v. 13); and, sovereign over all (v. 18). God’s inspired Word is our only source for knowing His awesome attributes. Don’t just read your favorite passages, but read the whole Bible to get a balanced view of who God is.

2) Exalt the Lord for His almighty actions.

He has become our salvation (v. 2). He is the covenant-keeping God of Abraham (v. 2). He is a warrior, who hurled Pharaoh’s mighty warriors and their horses into the sea (v. 1, 3). His burning anger consumes rebellious sinners who are enemies of His people (vv. 7, 14-16). He works wonders (v. 11). He guides the people whom He has redeemed to His holy habitation (vv. 13, 16). He gives them an inheritance (v. 17). He dwells with His people (v. 17). He reigns forever (v. 18)!

When you consider all of the reasons we have to exalt and praise our gracious God, the grumbling of the next section is jarring! It teaches us:

2. If God has saved you, avoid the terrible sin of grumbling.

God’s Spirit put verses 22-27 here to show how prone we are to go from the heights of praise to the depths of self-pity and grumbling. You may think, “The text here never calls grumbling a terrible sin.” But there are over a dozen passages in the Pentateuch where Israel grumbled against the Lord (R. Alan Cole, Exodus [IVP], p. 128). Psalm 95:8-11 brings up Israel’s grumbling as the reason God swore in His anger that this generation would not enter His rest. Hebrews 3:7-11 cites Psalm 95 and then applies it (Heb. 3:12): “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” Paul (1 Cor. 10:5-10) says that Israel’s experiences in the wilderness are an example for our instruction. He warns us not to grumble as some of them did, incurring God’s judgment. Note four things:

A. Experiencing God’s salvation in the past is no guarantee that we won’t fall into grumbling in the future.

Not all of the Jews who came out of Egypt with Moses were born again spiritually (Rom. 9:6-8; Gal. 3:7). Many perished because of their unbelief (1 Cor. 10:5-10). But corporately they were God’s people, who “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:2). And yet, in spite of experiencing God’s gracious deliverance from slavery in Egypt, they immediately and repeatedly fell into this sin of grumbling. Thus after relating Israel’s wilderness experience, Paul warns us (1 Cor. 10:12), “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”

B. Grumbling stems from false expectations about God’s gracious salvation.

I think that most of the Jews thought that being freed from slavery in Egypt would result in a direct route to the Promised Land, where God would quickly subdue their enemies and give them all the blessings He had promised to Abraham. But, as we’ve seen, God took them on “the scenic route” to the Promised Land. And now Moses led them three days into this barren wilderness, where first they found no water, and then the water they found was bitter. It wasn’t the program they thought they had signed up for!

Sometimes new believers naively think that once they’re saved, everything will go smoothly from there on out. After all, now they’re under God’s loving care! But God led His people He had delivered through the wilderness first to no water, and then to bitter water. He disciplines us as His children “for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Heb. 12:10). Paul instructed new converts (Acts 14:22), “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Don’t expect a trouble-free life so that you don’t fall into grumbling!

C. Grumbling impugns God’s loving, faithful character.

The people grumbled against Moses (Exod. 15:24), but their complaint implicitly was against God, who had led them by the cloud to this barren wilderness. C. H. Spurgeon (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications], 17:234) observed that usually we aren’t honest enough to grumble directly against God, so we aim it at others. We grumble about people who irritate us or about our circumstances. But since God is sovereign over every hair that falls from our heads, He has ordained all of the difficult people and circumstances in our lives for our ultimate good.

Grumbling implies that God doesn’t care about us and that we know better than God what would be right for us. There is a proper way submissively to bring our complaints to God (as in the Psalms), but grumblers don’t come to God submissively, trusting in His goodness and love. Rather, they malign Him, while at the same time they reveal their own bitterness. Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], p. 265) pointed out that God easily could have led Israel straight to fresh water, but instead, He led them to bitter water to reveal the bitterness in their hearts. Moses says that God did this to test them (Exod. 15:25).

God also gave them bitter water to teach them that if they would trust Him and call upon Him, He can make bitter water sweet. Moses cried out to the Lord, who showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, it became sweet. There were no miraculous powers in the tree itself; the power was from God. But in this case, He chose to use the means of this tree, just as Jesus sometimes used means to effect His miraculous cures (Mark 7:33; John 9:6). He wants us to learn that He has sufficient resources to meet our every need if we will trust in Him.

In the Garden of Eden, there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was forbidden, and the tree of life, which God barred the couple from eating of once they had sinned (Gen. 2:17; 3:22). But in the New Jerusalem, there will be a tree of life for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:2). Eating of that tree, which symbolizes Christ and the cross, turns the bitterness of sin into the sweet water of eternal life.

D. Grumbling hinders us from enjoying God’s abundant blessings.

Note Exodus 15:26-27:

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Obedience is not the means of salvation—God had already delivered Israel from Egypt. But it is the means of experiencing His blessings after we’re saved. Disobedience, including the sin of grumbling, brings His corrective discipline to our lives. This was not a promise to heal everyone in Israel from all diseases if they would obey Him. Even the obedient in Israel got sick and died, as we all do. Rather, it was a promise that if Israel obeyed, God would not bring on them the plagues which He had brought on Egypt. And, it points to the truth that God is able to heal our diseases when it is His will to do so.

The fact that Jesus went around preaching the gospel and healing people reveals Him to be the Savior. He can heal our bodies when it is His will to do so. But even more importantly, He can heal our souls from the eternally deadly consequences of sin. When He brings us to the place of bitter waters, He wants us to learn His sufficiency for our every need, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual.

The final verse of the chapter illustrates God’s abundant grace, even for those who have grumbled against Him. He led Israel from Marah to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water (one for each tribe) and seventy date palms (one for each of Israel’s elders, Exod. 24:9). There wasn’t any grumbling there, although I wonder if some grumbled when they set out from Elim and went again into the wilderness (Exod. 16:1-2).

Why didn’t Israel just settle in Elim, where there seemed to be plenty? Because God had something better for them in Canaan. We can enjoy the comforts that God gives us here, but keep in mind that all of His gracious blessings here are only a foretaste of the blessings He has stored up for us in heaven (Rev. 22:1-5).

Conclusion

I remember how God convicted me of grumbling 48 years ago. I was in seminary in Dallas and it was hot and humid. I was taking a bath one day and grumbling to myself because my apartment didn’t have air conditioning or a shower. It only had a bathtub. I didn’t hear a voice from God, but the Lord impressed on me that the Vietnam War was going on, and I could be over there in a sweltering jungle with bullets flying at me! I quickly repented! But I still have to fight grumbling all the time!

Thankfulness is the antidote to grumbling. Paul commands us (1 Thess. 5:18), “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” To obey that command, you must be able to say of the Lord Jesus what Moses said (Exod. 15:2), “This is my God, and I will praise Him.” You must enter into a personal relationship with Christ through faith in His sacrifice for you on the cross. Then you can begin practicing for heaven, where we all will sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:3), “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!”

Application Questions

1. God commands our joy (Ps. 100:1-2). If you don’t feel joyful, how can you be joyful? Wouldn’t that be hypocritical?
2. What should you do if you feel depressed, not joyful? Is depression always a sin? Why/why not?
3. The psalmists sometimes express their complaints to the Lord. Were they sinning? Why/why not?
4. Read Philippians, which Paul wrote while wrongfully imprisoned and maligned, noting the emphasis on joy. Is rejoicing and not grumbling a choice?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2018, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

How can Jesus say that His burden is light when living the Christian life is not easy?

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NASB).

The context is very important here. Jesus has some very condemning words for that generation of Jews. They wanted Jesus and John the Baptist to “dance to their tune” (11:16-17). Jesus said greater judgment would come upon the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum than upon the Gentile cites of Tyre and Sidon because they had received greater revelation concerning Jesus, but had rejected it (11:20-24). Jesus then praised the Father for revealing Himself to little children, while the wise and understanding simply didn’t get it (11:25-27).

Jesus then invited all who were weary to come to Him in faith and He would give them rest. He promised that His yoke was easy and His burden was light (11:29-30). And yet elsewhere Jesus made it clear that following Him was not the path of least resistance:

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57-62).

Paul’s words were similar to new believers:

21 After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:21-22).

How, then, can Jesus speak of His “burden” as light and yet warn that following Him is not easy? In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus is speaking of salvation and how it is obtained, in contrast with the legalism of Judaism, which lays heavy burdens of men, which do not lead to salvation:

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger” (Matthew 23:1-4).

When Jesus spoke of His burden being light, He was speaking of the fact that we don’t have to work to attain enough righteousness to be saved. We’ll never make it if that is what we are trying to do. This is why Israel failed to trust in Jesus as the Messiah. They sought to earn salvation by law-keeping, and the Gentiles attained salvation without working for it, but merely trusting in Jesus by faith:

19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:19-26).

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 9:30-10:4).

The burden of working for one’s salvation is heavy, while trusting in Christ and His work at Calvary is light (for us). For our Lord the load was extremely heavy, but He bore our load by dying for our sins, and rising from the dead so that we could be declared righteous in God’s sight.

When the Jews asked Jesus what work they must perform to attain salvation, Jesus told them that their only “work” was to believe:

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:28-29).

While we cannot labor to earn our salvation, we must “fight the good fight” and wrestle against sin, in reliance upon His Word, His grace, and His Spirit:

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin (Romans 7:24-25).

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

In this, we are not to be passive, but to strive in the power of His Spirit:

10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers (1 Timothy 4:10).

Bob Deffinbaugh

The prevailing consensus among religious pundits seems to be that there is an unbridgeable chasm between Judaism and Christianity. To be sure there are definite differences in the practice of the two religious systems, but they do have a significant number of common features. Christians worship the Messiah who was a practicing Jew during His life. All of the authors of the New Testament, with one exception, were practicing Jews. The Old Testament, which Christians revere as the inscripturated Word of God, is a distinctly Jewish writing. If this is the case, and God, Jehovah, never changes, then the plan of salvation, reestablishing fellowship between sinful persons and God should be the same.

This plan of salvation was formulated even before the creation of the material universe (1 Peter 1:20. “He (the Lamb of God, Christ) was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake”).¹ While the manifestation was not given to those of Old Testament times, the principle, meaning, and efficacy of the plan of salvation were clearly known. As Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10:11. “These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” While the examples referred to are manifestations of God’s wrath on Israel when they disobeyed or strayed from God, the remedy, a blood sacrifice, was experienced at the altar (1 Cor. 10:18). Of course in the Old Testament only one person, the high priest, was permitted access to the Ark of the Covenant and then only once a year during Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This would lead one to believe that those not of the priestly class would not fully understand what was occurring during this sacrifice. However, it is reasonably clear from the Old Testament Scriptures that enough was understood about the character and nature of God to know His attitude about sin and the requirements to remedy the separation that sin imposed between the sinner and God. Even before the establishment of the nation Israel the need for a blood sacrifice was understood. Abel’s offering of the “firstlings” of his flocks met this stipulation. This is clearly implied if not specifically stated in the New Testament. In John 5:39. we read, “You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me;” The testimony was certainly more than just the coming of the Messiah, it included His sacrificial death. In Luke 24:27. it is stated “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures.” Since the statement includes all the scriptures, it, too, must include the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Again Luke states in Acts 17:11. referring to the Berean believers, “These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica; for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so.” For Paul the “things” always included the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah.

There are over fifty references to the “scriptures” in the New Testament. Since these writings are not referring to themselves, they must be referring to the Old Testament. The single exception to this is II Peter 3:15,16. “15, And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him, 16, speaking of these things in all his letters. Some things in these letters are hard to understand, things the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.” The remainder of the New Testament references to the “scriptures” refer to the Old Testament Hebrew text.

The following examination of the Old Testament Scriptures will illustrate the plan of salvation, as recorded there, to those who may only be familiar with New Testament Scriptures and also to those who only use the Old Testament Scriptures.

The first thing that must be understood when considering the plan of salvation is the relationship between humans and the infinite, sovereign God. In Psalms, 11:7. we read, “For the Lord (Jehovah) is righteous, He loveth righteousness; The upright shall behold His face.”² We might add “only” the upright shall behold His face. Who can claim to be “righteous” and “upright?” Consider what the prophet Isaiah, said in chapter 64:5. “And we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Take us away from what? From the presence and fellowship of God. Even those things, which appear to us as “good” or “righteous” works, cannot bring us into His presence. Ezekiel 33:12b. continues with the admonition that “The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression.” The context suggests that we cannot “build up” good works that will suffice to please God when we ignore or disregard His moral absolutes.

If we are trusting in good works to please God, we are in trouble indeed! Should we be reduced to a point of despair? Is there no way to please God? How can we be declared righteous in God’s sight? We must have a righteousness that He sees as righteous. Two things are required for this righteousness, faith on our part, and an atonement on God’s part. First, faith or belief in what God can do, has done, and will do. Genesis 15:6. very clearly states how this affects God. “And he (Abram) believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.” This thought is continued in Habakkuk 2:4b. “But the righteous shall live by his faith.” This is a comprehensive, general standard for all time, applicable even today.

What is this faith? Isaiah gives the answer in chapter 26:3; “The mind stayed on Thee Thou keepest in perfect peace; Because it trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever, for the LORD is GOD, an everlasting Rock.” Faith is trust, trust in the actions and desires of the LORD. Many people would declare that they have “faith”, but when pressed to explain “faith” in what, it usually boils down to their own works, beliefs and actions. According to Isaiah this would be misplaced faith. Our faith cannot, indeed must not, be in ourselves. It would appear then that the basic issue in salvation is redemption or atonement. If there is no way that we can achieve this, what then must happen?

The cost of salvation is much too high for man to purchase for himself. The psalmist wrote in Psalms 49:8,9; “No man can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—For too costly is the redemption of their soul, and must be let alone for ever…” These could be verses of despair, but there is hope as verse 16 states, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the nether world; for He shall receive me.” God will do it! God will make atonement for our sin! The object of our faith is in God and His redemptive plan. That this plan was not hidden in Old Testament times is clearly seen in the Passover (slain lamb’s blood), the Day of Atonement, when the people’s sin is confessed over a pure animal and then the animal is slain. God declares in Leviticus 17:11; “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.” A curious exchange took place when the animal’s innocent life was transferred to the people, and the people’s impure lives were transferred to the animal. This is known as the “exchanged life” principle. This was necessary because of God’s justice and sense of righteousness. According to Ezekiel 18:4; “Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” That God should choose to accept a substitution to die in our place is not only a matter of fact, but also a matter of faith. The sacrifice, made on our behalf, should cause us to detest our sin and have hearts full of repentance. This attitude is necessary to satisfy God. As much as some do not like the concept of bloody sacrifices, God even more so. In Psalm 51:18,19, we read “For Thou delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.”

Since God is immutable, His method of redemption never changes. Believers today are redeemed through exactly the same system that was given to Israel in the past, a substitutionary blood sacrifice using the exchanged life principle. The current system is best shown by selected verses from Isaiah 53: 4. “Smitten of God, and afflicted.” 5. “But he was wounded because of our transgressions...” 6. “All we like sheep did go astray...And the LORD hath made to light on him The iniquity of us all.” 7. “As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, And as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; Yea, he opened not his mouth.” 8. “For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due” (emphasis mine). 9,10. “Although he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to crush him...” 11. “And their iniquities he did bear.” 12. “Yet he bore the sin of many.” These references are about Israel’s Messiah who exchanged His life for theirs. Who is this Messiah? What is He like? What are His credentials for being an acceptable sacrifice? Micah 5:1. gives an answer, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days” (emphasis mine). The “ancient days” are from eternity past, without beginning, and the reference is to Deity Himself. Since the sacrifice had to be without spot or blemish, that is, perfect in regard to God’s moral absolutes, only God Himself would suffice.

In the New Testament Paul, a Jew fully conversant with the Old Testament scriptures, sums up the whole system in just one verse. In 2 Corinthians 5:21. he wrote, “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.” Christians, and Jewish people, the scattered tribes of Israel, should not view the plan of salvation in two distinct and separate ways. The Old Testament, just as clearly as the New Testament, presents the way of redemption and salvation. Israel was to look forward, in faith, to the coming, sacrificial Messiah, and the Christians look back, in faith, to the finished redemptive work of the Messiah. The single fact is clear; the Messiah of God, God Himself, came to earth to exchange His life for each one of us. We need only place our faith in Him to secure God’s forgiveness for our sin.

“...to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16b.) was not written to place a wall between the Jews and Gentiles. It only distinguished the sequence in which God chose to reveal His plan of salvation. Today Jehovah accepts both Jew and Gentile on the basis of their faith in the death and resurrection of His Messiah as a substitutionary sacrifice, suitable to completely pay the penalty due us for our sin.

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1 All New Testament Biblical quotations taken from: New English Translation (NET), The Biblical Studies Foundation, www.bible.org, Dallas, 1998, unless otherwise noted.

2 All Old Testament Biblical quotations taken from:The Holy Scriptures, according to the Masoretic Text, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1955.

Revelação (Apocalipse)

Introdução

Com o livro da Revelação, temos a conclusão e consumação da Bíblia enquanto revelação de Deus ao homem. Do mesmo modo que Génesis é o livro dos primórdios, Revelação é o livro da consumação, antecipando os eventos do fim dos tempos, o regresso do Senhor, o Seu reinado final e o estado eterno. Ao avançar-se na Bíblia, vai sendo introduzido e desenvolvido um conjunto de grandes temas, começando com Génesis e ideias como o céu e a terra; o pecado, sua maldição e a tristeza; o homem e sua salvação; Satanás, sua queda e condenação; Israel, sua eleição, bênção e disciplina; as nações, Babilónia e o babilonianismo; os reinos e o Reino. Porém, em última análise, todos estes encontram o seu cumprimento e resolução no Livro da Revelação. Os evangelhos e as epístolas começam a unir estes pontos, mas é apenas quando chegamos a Revelação que todos convergem numa grande consumação. Podemos esquematizar isto como se segue:

Autor e Título:

De acordo com o próprio livro, o nome do autor era João (1:4, 9; 22:8). Era um profeta (22:9) e líder, conhecido nas igrejas da Ásia Menor, a quem escreveu o livro da Revelação (1:4).

Tradicionalmente, este João tem sido identificado como o Apóstolo João, um dos discípulos de Nosso Senhor. A diferença de estilo relativamente ao Evangelho de João deve-se apenas à diferença na natureza deste livro, enquanto literatura apocalíptica.

Um pai da Igreja primitiva, Ireneu, afirma que João se instalou primeiro em Éfeso, sendo mais tarde preso e banido para a Ilha de Patmos, no Mar Egeu, para trabalhar nas minas, e que tal ocorreu durante o reinado do imperador romano Domiciano. Isto apoia a declaração do próprio autor quanto a escrever a partir de Patmos por causa do seu testemunho de Cristo (1:9).

Data: 90s d.C.

Domiciano reinou em Roma de 81 a 96 d.C.. Uma vez que Ireneu nos diz que João escreveu a partir de Patmos durante o reinado de Domiciano, e dado que tal é confirmado por outros escritores da Igreja primitiva, tais como Clemente de Alexandria e Eusébio, a maioria dos estudiosos conservadores acredita que o livro foi redigido entre 81-96 d.C.. Tal faria dele o último livro do Novo Testamento, logo após o Evangelho de João e suas epístolas (1, 2 e 3 João). Outros estudiosos conservadores crêem que foi escrito muito antes, por volta de 68, ou antes da destruição de Jerusalém.

Tema e Propósito:

A compreensão que se faz do tema depende, em certo grau, do método de interpretação de Revelação (confira abaixo). Segundo a perspectiva futurista de interpretação, o tema proeminente do livro diz respeito ao conflito com o mal, sob a forma de personalidades humanas energizadas por Satanás e respectivo sistema mundial, bem como à vitória triunfante do Senhor, que derrubará estes inimigos de modo a estabelecer o Seu reino, tanto no Milénio (os 1,000 anos de Revelação 20) como na eternidade.

Tal é conseguido levando o leitor e os ouvintes (1:3) aos bastidores, através das visões dadas a João, de modo a demonstrar a natureza demoníaca e a fonte do mal terrível que existe no mundo. Porém, Revelação demonstra ainda o poder conquistador que repousa no Leão da tribo de Judá, a Raiz de David. Este Leão é também o Cordeiro de pé, como que imolado, mas vivo, zangado, trazendo o julgamento da imponente santidade de Deus contra um mundo rebelde e pecaminoso.

Contudo, no estudo deste livro, a verdadeira questão é a forma como a pessoa o interpreta. Ryrie sintetiza as quatro perspectivas principais quanto à interpretação de Revelação, escrevendo:

Existem quatro pontos de vista principais a respeito da interpretação deste livro: (1) preterista, que olha as profecias do livro como já cumpridas durante a história antiga da Igreja; (2) histórica, que entende o livro como retratando o panorama da história da Igreja, desde os dias de João até ao fim dos tempos; (3) idealista, que considera o livro como sendo uma revelação ilustrada de grandes princípios em conflito constante, sem referência a eventos concretos; e (4) futurista, vendo a maioria do livro (Rv. 4-22) como uma profecia a aguardar cumprimento. A perspectiva futurista é a que se utiliza nestas notas, com base no princípio de interpretação literal do texto.¹

Para mais acerca da interpretação deste livro e sua importância, consulte Studies in Revelation, disponível no website da Biblical Studies Foundation em www.bible.org.

Independentemente do método de interpretação, a maioria reconhece que foi redigido para assegurar os destinatários acerca do derradeiro triunfo de Cristo sobre todos os que se levantam contra Ele e o Seu povo.

Palavras-Chave:

Conforme declarado no título do livro, e uma vez que o mesmo revela a pessoa e obra de Cristo no Seu serviço à Igreja actual (capítulos 1-3) e futura (4-22), a palavra ou conceito-chave é a Revelação de Jesus Cristo.

Versículos-Chave:

• 1:7. Eis que vem com as nuvens, e todo o olho o verá, até os mesmos que o trespassaram; e todas as tribos da terra se lamentarão sobre ele. Sim. Ámen.
• 1:19-20. Escreve as coisas que tens visto, e as que são, e as que, depois destas, hão de acontecer: 1:20 o mistério das sete estrelas, que viste na minha dextra, e dos sete castiçais de ouro. As sete estrelas são os anjos das sete igrejas, e os sete castiçais, que viste, são as sete igrejas.
• 19:11-16. E vi o céu aberto, e eis um cavalo branco; e o que estava assentado sobre ele chama-se Fiel e Verdadeiro; e julga e peleja com justiça. 19:12 E os seus olhos eram como chama de fogo; e sobre a sua cabeça havia muitos diademas; e tinha um nome escrito, que ninguém sabia senão ele mesmo; 19:13 e estava vestido de uma veste salpicada de sangue; e o nome pelo qual se chama é a Palavra de Deus; 19:14 e seguiam-no os exércitos no céu, em cavalos brancos, e vestidos de linho fino, branco e puro; 19:15 e da sua boca saía uma aguda espada, para ferir com ela as nações; e ele as regerá com vara de ferro; e ele mesmo é o que pisa o lagar do vinho do furor e da ira do Deus Todo-Poderoso; 19:16 e no vestido e na sua coxa tem escrito este nome: Rei dos reis, e Senhor dos senhores.

Capítulos-Chave:

Decidir quais os capítulos-chave num livro como Revelação não é fácil, mas os capítulos 2-3, contendo as mensagens de promessas e avisos enviadas às sete igrejas, são certamente capítulos-chave. Adicionalmente, os capítulos 4-5, que preparam o leitor para o grande conflito revelado nos capítulos que se seguem, são também fundamentais. Neles vemos como apenas o Senhor Jesus, o Leão e o Cordeiro, é digno de abrir o livro dos selos, derramando o seu conteúdo sobre a terra. Por fim, os capítulos 19-22 são importantes na medida em que nos apresentam o fim da história, radicalmente diferente daquilo que vemos hoje em dia.

...Em Revelação 19-22, os planos de Deus para os últimos dias e para toda a eternidade são registados com termos explícitos. O estudo cuidadoso e a obediência aos mesmos trarão as bênçãos prometidas (1:3). As palavras de Jesus, "Eis que venho cedo", deverão ser guardadas no lugar mais alto da mente e no fundo do coração.²

Intervenientes-Chave:

Dado os papeis que desempenham, há um conjunto de intervenientes-chave neste livro. Tais são, antes de tudo, o Senhor Jesus, seguido de João, o autor, e também as duas testemunhas, a besta que sai do mar e o falso profeta. Finalmente, estas personagens formam um grupo importante em conjunto com a esposa que, no capítulo 19, regressa com o Senhor.

Como Cristo É Visto em Revelação:

Uma vez que Revelação é, de facto, "A Revelação de Jesus Cristo", demonstra a Sua glória, sabedoria e poder (1), retrata a Sua autoridade sobre a Igreja (2-3) e o Seu poder e direito de julgar o mundo (5-19). Enquanto revelação de Cristo, está carregada de títulos descritivos. Em particular, descreve Jesus Cristo (1:1) como a testemunha fiel, o primogénito de entre os mortos, o soberano dos reis da terra (1:5), o primeiro e o último (1:17), aquele que vive (1:18), o Filho de Deus (2:18), santo e verdadeiro (3:7), o Ámen, a Testemunha fiel e verdadeira, o Princípio da criação de Deus (3:14), o Leão da tribo de Judá, o Descendente de David (5:5), um Cordeiro (5:6), Fiel e Verdadeiro (19:11), o Verbo de Deus (19:13), Rei dos reis e Senhor dos senhores (19:16), Alfa e Ómega (22:13), a Estrela Radiosa da Manhã (22:16) e o Senhor Jesus Cristo (22:21).

Plano Geral:

I. Prólogo (1:1-8)

II. As Coisas Passadas (1:9-20)

III. As Coisas Presentes (2-3)

A. A Mensagem para Éfeso (2:1-7)

B. A Mensagem para Esmirna (2:8-11)

C. A Mensagem para Pérgamo (2:12-17)

D. A Mensagem para Tiatira (2:18-29)

E. A Mensagem para Sardes (3:1-6)

F. A Mensagem para Filadélfia (3:7-13)

G. A Mensagem para Laodiceia (3:14-22)

IV. As Coisas Preditas (4:1-22:5)

A. O Período de Tribulação (4:1-19:21)

1. O Trono no Céu (4:1-11)

2. O Livro Selado com Sete Selos e o Leão Que Também É um Cordeiro (5:1-14)

3. Os Juízos Selados (6:1-17)

4. Interlúdio: Os Redimidos da Tribulação (7:1-17)

5. Os Primeiros Quatro Juízos da Trombeta (8:1-13)

6. A Quinta e Sexta Trombetas e os Primeiros Dois Ais (9:1-20)

7. O Anjo e o Pequeno Livro (10:1-11)

8. O Templo, as Duas Testemunhas e a Sétima Trombeta (11:1-19)

9. O Conflito Angélico (12:1-17)

10. A Besta e o Falso Profeta (13:1-18)

11. Anúncios Especiais (14:1-20)

12. Prelúdio às Últimas Sete Pragas (15:1-8)

13. Os Juízos das Taças (16:1-21)

14. O Juízo da Babilónia Religiosa (17:1-18)

15. O Juízo da Babilónia Comercial (18:1-24)

16. A Segunda Vinda de Cristo (19:1-21)

B. O Reinado de Cristo (Milénio) e o Grande Trono Branco (20:1-15)

1. Satanás Aprisionado (20:1-3)

2. Santos Ressuscitados (20:4-6)

3. Pecadores em Rebelião (20:7-9)

4. Satanás Condenado (20:10)

5. Pecadores Julgados (20:11-15)

C. O Estado Eterno (21:1-22:5)

1. A Descida da Nova Jerusalém (21:1-8)

2. A Descrição da Nova Jerusalém (21:9-27)

3. As Alegrias da Nova Jerusalém (22:1-5)

D. Epílogo (22:6-21)

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¹ Ryrie, p. 2009.

² Wilkinson/Boa, p. 513.