Sanctification Guaranteed

"And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
Exodus 20:6.

Same title? Nope! Yesterday's focus was on God's provision & how He is more than able and willing to supply all our needs, satisfaction guaranteed. But today is about the other end of the relationship: Sanctification to God. Remember, the Israelites were having difficulty trusting God & His law, but God still came through for them every time. So now, we will see how sanctification satisfies God. Relationships are a two-way street!

God spoke to Moses: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

Exodus 19:5‭-‬6. A peculiar people! A kingdom of priests! A holy nation! And it all comes down to being sensitive to God's voice & being sanctified (set apart) unto Him through His covenant.

So wait, all the Israelites had to do was follow some rules & guidelines, and God would be that trusted Provider? That doesn't seem too hard! We do it on the job right? We do it when we are reading instructions for a new product too! But remember, this is a RELATIONSHIP. It wasn't just about getting a job completed or using a new product. There was a love factor. A willingness factor. Reference our opening Scripture: "those that LOVE Me & keep my commandments." God provides for us out of love, so must follow His Word out of love. Otherwise, more murmuring will take place just like the Israelites did in previous chapters!

And take a look at this! This covenant extends to us too: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" 1 Peter 2:9. Old Testament. New Testament. In the here & now: sanctification guaranteed!

Everyone desires to have a handbook to life, right? One that helps us live better, love better and please God would be great! That's what the Bible is! That's what the 10 Commandments are! So God came down in a cloudy storm upon mount Sinai in order to give His precious Truth to the people. But they were not to come close to the mountain & touch it, or they'd be put to death. Approaching God was a very serious thing, and He was already coming down in a miraculous way:

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai." Exodus 19:10‭-‬11.

The Lord then gave the 10 Commandments to the people in Exodus 20:

1. Only one God, no strange gods.

2. No worshipping graven images.

3. Do not take the Name of The Lord in vain.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (no work that day).

5. Honor your father & mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, wife, or anything else.

When The Lord spoke these things, mighty thunder was taking place, and the people trembled. But Moses said, "...Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not." Exodus 20:20. God was proving them again! Speaking in this powerful way should surely prove to the people that God is in control, and the Israelites should serve Him instead of a life of sin.

God called Moses personally to go unto Him. He was asked to build an altar unto God, but one out of earth instead of fancy gold or silver (Exodus 20:24). Also, he was to use stones, but not "altered" stones. This is kind of the same with us, right? We can be fancy, made-up stones & forget that we are simple altars of earth, ready for use in the natural way God made us. Let us never forget where we came from!

There are more helpful laws listed concerning what to do in specific situations in Exodus 21, but the important thing to remember in what causes sanctification...it's obedience to God's Truth. It's serving Him out of love. God has more love for us than we could ever have for Him. The best thing we can do is follow His Word, and watch our lives flourish now and in eternity! Satisfaction (and sanctification) guaranteed!