Moses received God’s Law on Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus. The Israelites promptly agreed to keep it and receive God’s blessing. This was a big mistake on the part of the Israelites. God used it as a teaching opportunity and blessing for all of mankind. The Israelites already had a Grace Relationship with God. They should have pleaded to keep that arrangement. God had chosen Abraham from all the people in the world, not because Abraham was especially devout or godly, but by his divine sovereignty he chose Abraham by grace. He proceeded to promise Abraham that his descendants would form a holy nation who would have a special relationship with God and would provide blessing to all mankind. Many generations later after the nation had been formed in Egypt, God miraculously redeemed them from the bondage of Pharaoh. The first thing after that was the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
The Law is the Ministry of Death
God’s law is perfect; mankind is not perfect. Therefore, when man tries to keep God’s law, death will result. There is no way mankind can achieve perfection or become righteous apart from God’s help. As a race, we didn’t understand that concept at the time of Moses. Actually, many false religions are still based on the premise that we must strive on our own to become as perfect as we can. The goal of these false religions is that we become more good than bad and gain an appropriate reward in the afterlife for our best efforts. God doesn’t work that way. He used the ministry of the Law, aka the ministry of death, to communicate that truth to us as a race. Once that concept is comprehended, the Gospel seems very attractive.
“Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?”
2 Corinthians 3:7-8
Much of the story of the Israelites records death as divine judgment for failing to follow God’s law. The first and second commandments make clear that we should have no other Gods before him and that there should be no idol worship. While they were still camped at Mount Sinai, Aaron and the others fashioned and worshipped a golden calf. This was a flagrant violation of God’s law and it resulted in the death of 3,000 of their number by the sword of the Levites. Death was the result of failing to keep God’s law.
“Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him.
“Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.”
Exodus 32:25-28
Later, once the Tabernacle furnishings were completed, two of Aaron’s sons who were priests offered incense in a way that was not authorized by God. As a result, these two men were consumed by fire. Death was the result of failing to keep God’s law.
“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:
‘Among those who approach me
I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.’
Aaron remained silent.”
Leviticus 10:1-3
Korah’s Rebellion
Korah was a Levite who resented that he and others could not perform priestly duties. He mustered a following of over 250 men who also desired to perform priestly duties. Moses and Aaron met with them and told them the Lord would prove his will. In the end, Korah and the main leaders, their families and all their possessions were swallowed by the earth (Numbers 16:28-33). Then fire consumed the 250 men who were aligned with them. The following day, many of the Israelites were still grumbling and resentful to Moses about what happened. The Lord sent a plague to wipe out the entire camp but Moses had Aaron intercede on behalf of the grumbling people and the plague was stopped, but not before 14,700 were killed by the plague. Death was the result of challenging God’s law and his established leadership.
Death Instead of Entering the Promised Land
Joshua and Caleb were two of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land for reconnaissance. They gave a favorable report and had confidence in the Lord to provide victory against their enemies. The other ten warned of the danger and convinced the assembly to not advance. Collectively, they desired to return to Egypt. For this unbelief, God sent them wandering in the desert for years until everyone from that generation died (except for Joshua and Caleb). Only the children of the original generation were allowed to inherit the Promised Land. Death was the result of failing to follow God’s instruction.
Animal Sacrifices
God’s Law received through Moses incorporated several types of animal sacrifices as part of their ritual worship. Death and blood were constant reminders of failing to keep God’s Law. It also established the efficacy of substitutionary sacrifice. This is a necessary concept in the acceptance of the Gospel through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christ Paid the Ultimate Penalty of the Law
The penalty of God’s Law is death. We first learned of that concept in the garden of Eden when Adam was told that he would certainly die if he broke God’s command to not eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:15-17). Death became a theme of the punishment for failing to keep God’s law as we’ve just reviewed some highlights of death in the Old Testament times. Christ was God’s son and not a son of Adam. He was the only sinless man in the history of our race. He was sent to become an atoning sacrifice for the sin of mankind. God was propitiated by the sacrifice of Christ and that fact is proven by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. He is now exalted and is seated at God’s right hand. He will return and reign over this fallen creation for 1,000 years and then the present heavens and earth will be destroyed in the Great White Throne Judgment. This will be the final death blow to our creation and our race. It will be the ultimate death for failing to keep God’s law. God’s law has been and always will be the ministry of death (see Galatians 3:10-14).
Death represents separation. For human beings, it is a separation of body and spirit. In eternity it will be the separation of the spirits of non-believing humans from the presence of God. Instead of enjoying the blessings and communion of God in heaven, they will be consigned to the lake of fire. For those of us who have believed in God’s provision, the sacrifice of Christ, we will spend our eternity in the presence of God with satisfaction and fulfillment from our heavenly duties which have been prepared for us since before the beginning of time. It is all possible because God revealed perfection to us in the form of his perfect law which required perfect fulfillment. Christ was the one man who kept God’s law perfectly in his life and death and has redeemed our race. God’s law proves the perfection of Christ our Savior. Those who believe have no fear of death. We have been saved by grace via Christ’s keeping of the Law and his fulfilling the penalty of God’s Law, death. He was an innocent substitute who died on our behalf. We embrace our life in Christ and know our death means we will be found in his presence. God’s law is forever to be admired. The ministry of death has led to eternal life.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.’
“So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.
“The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.’ Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
“The Israelites said to Moses, ‘We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?’”
Numbers 17:1-12
God is able to take death and bring forth life! He did it with Aaron’s staff and later he did it with the death and resurrection of Christ our Savior. Those who believe have a path to eternal life through faith in Christ; those who rely on attempting to keep the law are following a dead end. Thanks be to God for his perfect law which will endure forever and for the perfection displayed in his Son, Jesus Christ.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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