Decree

DEVOTION

EXODUS

DECREE

Ex 15:25-27

There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

NIV

Having their fill of the sweet water the LORD provided from the bitter waters of Marah, it was time for God to set some ground rules for their future behavior. Remembering they had grumbled about the bitter waters, after also grumbling about it being better to have been left in Egypt rather than die at on the shore of the Red Sea, it would be good to have a few ground rules. So the LORD made a decree and a law for them. This was a test to see if they were really willing to follow him, to obey him. Although we have to know he already knew they would fail the test. But the test wasn’t about their passing our failing, it was to show them they would always fail and were in need of the Messiah, the Savior. Man will always fail the test. Man cannot fully obey God perfectly. Yet God made this decree and law for them. If they listened carefully to his voice, and do what is right in his eyes, if they pay attention to commands, and keep all his decrees then no sickness, no illness, none of the diseases he brought upon the Egyptians would ever be upon them. Can we claim that promise? How can we if we will always fail the test? First we have to ask, do we listen carefully to his voice? Secondly, do we do what is right in his eyes? Thirdly, do we pay close attention to his commands and keep all his decrees? We know they failed, we know we fail. So how can we pass this test? It seems almost too simple, too easy. All we have to do is accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He has fully passed all the tests. This is ultimately what is right in the sight of the LORD. If we listen carefully to his voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sin. We repent, we accept Jesus, doing what is right in his sight, if we pay attention to this decree. We have to jump way ahead in the scriptures in the narrative of these peoples. They, or rather their children are about to cross over into the land flowing with milk and honey and this is what is told them;

Deut 6:20-25

20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" 21 tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders — great and terrible — upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

NIV

Seeing that final word, righteousness, brings us right back to Jesus. He is our righteousness. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is really the only thing we can truly do that is right in the eyes of God. If we want to prosper and be kept alive, that is eternal life, we need to obey this law of the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that Christ will be our righteousness. All the law has been to bring mankind to Jesus. If we think we can actually fulfill all the commands of God, we deceive ourselves and call God a lair.

1 John 1:8-10

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

NIV

Some would say this applies to those before salvation, that once we are saved, we can live without ever sinning again. But how phony this that? Who have they been listening to? Surely not God. Our only hope, our only salvation is in Christ. He is the only perfection, the true righteousness. Nevertheless that does not permit us to live anyway we desire, to just go in sinning without ever a thought about God. No, we are to make every effort to live a righteous life, to keep ourselves as free from sin as we possibly can. But knowing we will fail, we also know we need Jesus. That is what God has been showing them all along, we need his righteousness. He is the spring of water we can rest by, he is where we can be planted like a palm tree, that brings forth its fruit in season and whose leaves will never wilt. This is his decree.