“13 He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Commandments, which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. ”
One of the more difficult but necessary conversation in life is what is known as the DTR. DTR stands for “define the relationship.” This is the conversation that marks the transition from ‘hanging out’ to ‘dating.’
People who don’t have the DTR can wind up hurt because they don’t know the shape of their relationship. Perhaps you’ve been hurt this way. Perhaps you thought that you two were going on dates while he thought you two were just hanging out. Or perhaps you’ve inadvertently missed out by not having the DTR. You thought you two were heading for something serious and she had no idea what your intentions were so she started dating someone else. The relationship must be defined.
If you are going to navigate any relationship well, you must know the shape of that relationship. That is true in dating. That is true in marriage. So many marital conflicts arise because the shape of marriage is disrespected. That is true in business partnerships. That is true with God.
There is a certain shape to the relationship with God.
Many people are quite confused about this relationship. They consider their relationship with God to be quid pro quo—‘I scratch Your back, You scratch mine’; ‘I do these religious acts that, for whatever reason, You seem to like and You take care of me.’ Or they consider their relationship with God akin to that of a coach and his athlete; ‘I’m pushing you to be the best you that you can be.’ Or they consider their relationship with God similar to that of an advocate and a client— ‘I’m here to celebrate your goals and advance them.’ People envision all sorts of shapes to their relationship with God.
There is an actual shape to a man’s relationship with God and God has set it. This shape is called a covenant. It is very possible that God is planning on having a DTR with you this morning. It is very possible that you have come here this morning because God Almighty wants to define your relationship. Maybe you are already whole-heartedly committed to Him and He wants you to better understand the shape of the relationship you have. Maybe you have a misinformed view of your relationship and He wants to correct it. Maybe you have no relationship with Him and He, wants you to know what such a relationship would look like.
Take this as a kindness from God. We all appreciate the partner who starts the DTR. It is an act of wisdom and integrity and so we shouldn’t be surprised that God begins it. He begins it by detailing it in His word.
God doesn’t invite people into just any relationship. He invites people into a covenant relationship. That is the claim of this sermon: God doesn’t invite people into just any relationship. He invites people into a covenant relationship.
We see this covenantal relationship in two points. First: the ten words and two stone tablets. Second: the one authorized interpreter. We see the ten words and two stone tablets in verse 13. We see the one authorized interpreter in verse 14.
First: the ten words and two stone tablets. We are still hearing words from the fire. Last week we stood with Israel at the edge of the Promised Land as Moses reminded the people of Sinai. He reminded them of the shock and awe of that experience and of the need for reverence when dealing with God. He reminded them that they saw no form at Sinai but instead heard words coming out of the fire.
We now come to the words which they heard. They heard, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” They heard what is commonly called the Ten Commandments. Now first words matter. Why start with the Ten Commandments?
God started with these words because they are the shape of His relationship with Israel. These are the words of the covenant. Most Hebrew and Old Testament scholars call these “the Ten Words” instead of “the Ten Commandments” to remind themselves that these aren’t simply moral rules to be kept; rather this is a sign of relationship – a covenant relationship.
Now we see the wisdom of these scholars because we regularly use the phrase Ten Commandments without ever thinking about this relationship. We do it all the time. We talk about these ten as moral rules which everyone should follow simply because they are right. We talk as if these commandments are elevated above the others – as if God were serious about, “you shall not kill,” but rather indifferent about, “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”
Now these ten are certainly to be kept. That is obvious even if you translate verse 13 as “Ten Words”, “He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Words, which He commanded you to follow.” These ten are to be obeyed, and they are rightly read and rightly kept, but if you consider them only as commands then you are missing the point. You are left with only legalism and you miss the grace of relationship.
The ten begin with grace. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” That salvation came before the commandments. God didn’t save Israel because they kept the commandments; He saved them from Egypt and then gave the commandments.
This is the grace that begins the covenant relationship. You see that God has this grace-initiated relationship in mind because He calls the Ten Words “His covenant”. Look at verse 13, “He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Commandments [or Ten Words], which He commanded you to follow.” Those two are in apposition; “He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Words” – same thing.
God brought Israel to Sinai to define their relationship and He defined it as a covenant. Now covenants were common in the ancient near east. They were usually formed as political treaties. Let’s say that you are a powerful king and I am a relatively weak king. My kingdom is about to be invaded by barbarians and I send my ambassador to you asking for his help. You will help but at a cost. I must now pay him a certain amount in tribute each year. You promise to protect my borders. I promise to pay annual tribute into your coffers. You and I hold a covenant ceremony at which animals are slaughtered and the blood sprinkled on representatives from both sides to drive home the point that failing to keep the covenant is serious business. We then share a meal together as a sign that we are now in allegiance with one another. The covenant relationship is detailed in writing which begins with a preamble which sounds something like this, “I am the king who saved you from the barbarians. You shall pay me annual tribute.”
That is the shape of the covenant between God and Israel. It began with the preamble, “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’ Then it describes our responsibilities. It was solemnized with sacrifices on Sinai. Moses took the blood from those animals sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Then, “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise His hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.”
Now you and I would each receive an unchangeable documentation of our covenant agreement. This was often engraved. We would keep it in the temple of our respective gods because they were our witnesses. “May the gods deal with me be it ever so severely if I don’t keep this covenant.”
This is, most likely, the reason for the two stone tablets in verse 13, “He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Words, which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.” We tend to picture each of these the two stone tablets containing some of the words of the covenant, some of the commandments. In most of our drawings the first tablet has the first four commandments and the second tablet has the final six commandments. The first tablet is all about our relationship with God. “Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” The second tablet is all about our relationship with each other. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is certainly a helpful teaching tool, but scholarship has shown that this view of the two stone tablets is probably not accurate.
The two stone tablets on Sinai were most likely two identical copies of the covenant. God had His copy and Israel had their copy. They both kept their copies in their temple, which of course, was the same temple. They both kept their copies in the appropriately named ‘ark of the covenant’.
Now covenant documentation was to be reviewed to ensure that the words were being kept and God gave Israel ten words so that they might be easily reviewed. The fact that there are ten of them was most likely designed to help Israel memorize them. Scholars believe there was one command for each finger. Even the Israelites’ fingers were a reminder of their relationship with God. ‘I belong to God and this is how I live like I belong: have no other gods before the Lord. Don’t make any images of the Lord. Don’t take His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath Day…’
Now, you need to see that this covenant has a shape. The shape of the covenant begins with grace. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” It begins with salvation. ‘Before you belonged to Pharaoh. Now you belong to me.’ It continues with commandments, which are simply the sensible response to that grace. ‘God saved me from Egypt. I belong to Him. How do I belong to Him? These commandments show me how.’ There are consequences for keeping the covenant and for breaking the covenant, which we will study in future weeks. This covenantal outline is the shape of our relationship with God: God’s gracious acts of salvation in the past, our obedience in the present, the consequences in the future.
The same is true with the new covenant. The shape begins with grace. God loved the world this way: He sent His one and only Son. It begins with God sending His Son. It continues with commandments, which are the sensible response to that grace. ‘God sent His Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. I will believe in him.’ That is obedience. It has consequences for keeping and breaking the covenant—there is eternal life and there is perishing – to borrow Scott Hafemann’s arrangement of John 3:16.
Your relationship with God has this covenantal shape. That is true whether you knew it or not when you walked into the sanctuary this morning. Now that you know a bit more about the shape your relationship with God – or the relationship you need with God – how do you live it out?
First, you live out the covenant by recognizing that it began with grace. God didn’t say, ‘be holy and I will save you from Egypt.’ He saved Israel from Egypt and then called them to holiness. The covenant began with the words, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery.”
The same is true for the new covenant. God didn’t say, ‘be holy and I will send my Son.’ Rather, God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of His Son.”
Second, you live out the covenant by taking this relationship seriously. Covenants are serious. They were marked by blood to underline their gravity. That was true in the Sinai covenant and that is true in the new covenant. Jesus talked about his relationship with us in terms of a covenant sealed with blood, his blood. “This is the new covenant in my blood.”
Astoundingly, the innocent party took the penalty for breaking the covenant. That is unprecedented. If you long to avoid sin because Jesus bore the covenant curse on the cross, that is a sign that you are keeping the covenant. If you think that Jesus’ death frees up you to sin, that is a sign that you are breaking the covenant and you will find that his death has done nothing for you.
If you take your relationship with God lightly, you do not understand the shape of this relationship. It is a relationship that has been sealed with the blood of the Son of God. He takes this relationship incredibly seriously and calls you to do the same.
Third, you live out the covenant by recognizing that your relationship to God must be one of allegiance. Covenants created allegiance. They create loyalty to the other party.
If you have no sense of obligation to God, you do not understand the shape of this relationship. God is obliged to you. He has promised His allegiance, in other words love, to you, and calls for your allegiance, in other words your love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
God has showed His loyalty to you. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” He has showed loyalty to you. Show loyalty to Him.
We will express this loyalty in a meal. Covenant meals were signs of allegiance. You only ate your friends in the ancient near east. God invited Moses and the elders up the mountain to eat before Him as a sign of friendship. Jesus invites us to share this meal as a sign of friendship. You were urged to examine yourself last week to see if you were living in allegiance to God. You don’t want to partake of a meal of allegiance while living in opposition to your covenant partner. You certainly don’t want to partake of a meal of allegiance if you have no allegiance to your covenant partner.
Your relationship with God began by His grace. It is a profoundly serious matter and it calls for total allegiance. That is the nature of the covenant and that is the shape of your relationship with God.
God determines the shape of this relationship. Now given who God is and who we are that shouldn’t surprise us. It should, however, make us thankful because no one would have the audacity to ask for a better relationship than the one God offers. Would anyone here have the audacity to ask God to suffer the covenant curses that were due you for your disregard? Would anyone here the audacity to ask God for the cross if He hadn’t put it forward Himself? I hope not. Would anyone here have the audacity to ask God to put His Spirit in you to change you so you could and would keep the covenant? God gives us a far better relationship than we could ever imagine, and we would be wise to submit to that shape. We see that in our second point: the one authorized interpreter.
People who are married continue to talk about their marriages. They continue to come to terms with the shape of their relationship. It is the same with God and us. God made His covenant with Israel, but that wasn’t the end of it. He explained it. He is explained it through Moses. Verse 14, “the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
We don’t simply have Exodus 20 – the Ten Words of the covenant. We have Exodus 20 through Exodus 40 and all of Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. In all of those chapters Moses was discharging the duties of verse 14, “the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
God kept explaining His relationship with Israel to Israel. Take the rest of the Pentateuch, and take all of Scripture, as a sign of God’s desire for relationship in the same way that you would take a spouse who wants to work on a marriage as a sign of a desire for relationship.
Exodus 20 through the end of Deuteronomy and, in fact, the rest of Scripture are God’s explanation of our covenant relationship. He spoke through prophets. He spoke through apostles. He spoke through His Son.
If you want to understand your relationship with God, open this book and read. Listen to God’s word preached. Don’t settle for theological statements that are just cute and clever. They can’t do justice to what you have with God. Don’t settle for what you imagine or what you hope might be. Remember, you would never have hoped for a relationship as good as the one God offers so learn the shape of the relationship which God offers. If you have this relationship, you will be learning about it through all eternity. This relationship is explained now in Scripture and nowhere else.
The fact that God has spoken in Scripture matters. If you believe that God has revealed Himself and what a relationship with Him looks like in Scripture, you will take Scripture seriously and you will want your relationship to look like God expects it to look. If you think your relationship with God can look however you want it to look, then this book will, in the end, hold no authority for you. You will be fine with a minimal understanding of your relationship with God and when it comes to Scripture, you will accept what you find useful and you will ignore what you don’t because, apparently, it doesn’t matter.
The fact is that if this is the word of God, it is authoritative. Many people who have no problem with the Bible as a spiritual book have massive problems with the Bible as the authoritative word of God. They don’t have a problem with insights. They have a problem with authority.
But when God speaks, how could He not speak with authority? If you know anything about God, you know that He can’t help but speak with authority. How could someone who is all knowing speak anything but truth and if truth isn’t authoritative, then what is it authoritative?
When God speaks, authority follows. We see that in the charge He gave Moses. “The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” Daniel Block is right, [this] “reinforces Moses’ role as authorized interpreter of the covenant.”
There actually is a word from God and an authorized interpretation of what God meant. You can know what God thinks. The Bible isn’t a collection of our best thoughts about God. It is God’s word to us. Moses spoke it with authority. He interpreted man’s relationship with God with authority.
Jesus, of course, interpreted it with more authorial authority. After his Sermon on the Mount, which was largely an interpretation of The Ten Words of the covenant, we read, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” There is a difference between speaking about God as the teachers did, speaking for God as Moses did, and speaking as God as Jesus did.
Moses spoke for God. Jesus spoke as God. “No one has ever seen God but the only begotten Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made Him known.”
Jesus never said anything that contradicted anything Moses said, but he did say a good deal more than Moses said and he showed us a good deal more than Moses could. Moses spoke a good deal about the love of God. Jesus showed us the extent of the love of God each day of his life and most emphatically on the cross. Moses spoke a good deal about the holiness of God. Jesus showed us the cost to a holy God to live among sinful men. Moses spoke a good deal about the shape of our relationship with God. Jesus is the shape of our relationship with God.
If you want to know what relationship with God looks like, look at Jesus. If you want to know what covenant keeping looks like, look at Jesus.
If anyone thinks that a covenantal relationship with God is boring or repressive, look at Jesus. There is nothing boring or repressive about him or in him. He delights in his relationship with his Father. He invites you into relationship with his Father. That relationship has a shape. It is shaped like a covenant. It begins by grace. It is a serious matter. It is lived out in allegiance, or what the covenant calls love. This is the relationship that God offers. Is this your relationship with God? Amen.