17:1-7 They left the Desert of Sin and traveled around from place to place "as the Lord commanded." At Rephidim they quarreled with Moses because there was no water. Again they questioned why they were brought out of Egypt only die of thirst in the desert. Moses went to the Lord and told Him that the people were ready to stone him. The Lord told him to walk on ahead with the elders and strike a rock with his staff. When he did this water flowed from the rock. Moses named the place Massah and Meribah, meaning "testing" and "quarreling." The people were not just complaining about being thirsty, they were asking, "Is the Lord among us or not?" The main problem was their lack of faith in the Lord despite all that He continued to do for them.

v. 8-15 Also at Rephidim, the Amalekites (descendants of Esau) attacked the Israelites. The Amalekites were likely a nomadic people who grazed their flocks in that region and were merely defending their homeland. Joshua led a small army against them on Moses' orders while Moses, Aaron and Hur watched from the top of hill. When Moses held his hands up the Israelites were winning but when he lowered them then the Amalekites were winning. When his hands were tired Aaron and Hur gave him a rock to sit on and they held his hands up until sunset. Joshua won the battle. The Lord told Moses to write this down on a scroll. He would one day "completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Much later, King David destroyed the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30). Moses built an altar called "The Lord is My Banner" because his "hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord."

18:1 Moses' father-in-law heard how the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt. He decided to bring Moses' wife and sons back to him. Moses had sent them home to Midian sometime prior to the exodus. Jethro was "the priest of Midian," meaning he served as priest for one or more of the Midianite gods. Moses told him about everything the Lord had done to the Egyptians and how He saved them. "Jethro was delighted" to hear this and said "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for He did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." This is quite an amazing statement because Jethro is saying that the Lord is greater than his own Midianite gods. Jethro knew that his gods had never done anything like this, nor had he heard of any other gods doing this. To honor the Lord, Jethro offered sacrifices to Him and ate a special meal with Moses, Aaron and the elders.

v. 13-27 The next day when Jethro saw how Moses sat judging the people's disputes all day he proposed a solution. Moses should teach the people the decrees and laws of the Lord and select honest men to be officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They can handle the simple cases and bring the more difficult ones to Moses. "Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said." Then Jethro returned home to Midian. The text doesn't say for certain, but most likely Zipporah and her sons stayed with Moses.

19:1-6 In the third month, "on the very day," the Israelites came to the Desert of Sinai. We saw that on the 15th day of the first month they left Egypt; on the 15th day of the second month they were in the Desert of Sin and started eating manna; and now on the 15th day of the third month they came to Sinai. It's only been 60 days since they left Egypt and now they're camped in front of Mount Sinai. Moses went up the mountain where the Lord spoke to him saying He was the one who carried them "on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." In class we talked about the significance of this statement. The Lord not only rescued them from their oppressors but He brought them to Himself. He wanted them to be with Him. This is not just about an inheritance but about being with the Lord. He wanted them to be His "treasured possession," a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. But it was conditional- they must obey Him fully and keep His covenant.

v. 7-8 Moses went to the people and told them what the Lord said. They responded by saying, "We will do everything the Lord has said." Then Moses brought their answer to the Lord. So we see that there was a bilateral agreement made. The people promised to obey the Lord fully and He promised to reward them for their obedience. In class we talked about how the Israelites were just one nation out of many. Why did the Lord make this agreement with them and not with every nation? Why would He destroy other nations in order to bless the Israelites? This doesn't seem fair. The Israelites weren't better than other people...

v. 9-15 The Lord told Moses to have the people consecrate themselves, wash their clothes, and be ready on the third day because He was going to come down and speak to them. They were not allowed to go up on the mountain. Any man or animal who even touched the foot of it would be put to death by stoning or be shot with arrows. They must stay back until the ram's horn sounds a long blast. So the people prepared themselves. Moses told them to abstain from sexual relations.

v. 16-25 On the morning of the third day the people were very frightened by the thunder and lightning. Smoke billowed out of the mountain, it shook violently, and the trumpet grew louder and louder. "Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him." The Lord called him to the top of the mountain. Moses went up and the Lord warned him that He would break out against the people if they tried to approach Him. Moses assured Him that the people understood that they were not to draw near. The Lord told him to go down and bring Aaron up with him, but not the priests or the people. So Moses did as he was told.

20:1-17 "And God spoke all these words" when He gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. He said He is the one who brought them out of slavery, therefore they are not to have any other gods. They must not make or worship any idols. The Lord is a jealous God and will punish "the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate" Him. But He shows love to 1,000 generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. The Israelites must not misuse the name of the Lord. They must keep the Sabbath holy and do no work on it because the Lord Himself rested from His work of creation on the seventh day. He blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. They must honor their parents so that they as a nation may live a long time in the Promised Land. They must not murder, commit adultery, steal or give false testimony against their neighbor. Finally, the Israelites must not covet anything that belongs to their neighbor.

v. 18-21 The people were frightened by the display of thunder, lightning, smoke and trumpet blasts. They stayed far away and told Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Moses tried to reassure them by saying that God was only testing them so that they would fear God and not sin. Moses then walked into the thick darkness where God was.

v. 22-26 The Lord again told Moses to tell the Israelites to avoid idolatry. Moses was to make an altar out of earth on which to offer animal sacrifices. The Lord said, "Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you." They were going to be traveling around for the next 40 years and the Lord would cause His name to be honored in many different places along the way. He was very specific that if Moses made an altar of stones they must not be "dressed," that is, shaped with tools. Also, there were to be no steps leading up to the altar "lest your nakedness be exposed on it."

Next time we will read more of the instructions that were given along with the Ten Commandments.