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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Mark Quion

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

Thank you to our musicians this morning for bringing us into the presence of God.

How many of you have been to the Welcome Back Bash here at Loma Linda?

You're a student, I know you've been there before.

You got to get your flu vaccine, you got to get the boba that's there, and then if you've ever been there before and you go to the Advent Hope booth, there is a photo opportunity.

It's this big picture of Moses carrying the 10 Commandments.

I think it's from the movie, the 10 Commandments by Cecil B.

DeMille, great film, and you can you can stand up in there and you can put your face in and so guys like me can think 1 day I'll have a beard like that.

But what if that picture of Moses going up to get the 10 Commandments was never supposed to happen?

If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Exodus 20 verses 18 to 21.

Exodus 20 verses 18 to 21, the back end of Exodus.

Now just kind of a recap, God has brought the people of Israel out of the house of bondage, they have had water from a rock, they have defeated the Amalekites, they have had Jethro using the Word of the Lord, institute camp-wide elections, so this freed people are now able to have their own leaders that they get to choose.

And then in Exodus 19, God wants to meet with his people and so he sets up this plan in Exodus 19 and it would seem as if everything went according to plan.

If you grew up, you know the 10 Commandments.

Your grandparents had it plastered on the kitchen or somewhere in the house and maybe an aunt and uncle had a little cutout on the bumper sticker, remember the Sabbath day, you know the 10 Commandments.

But the verses that come after the 10 commandments or the verses after the verse are the ones that are often forgotten and passed over because they live in the shadow of these great big important verses and that's Exodus 20 18 to 21.

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountains smoking, the people were afraid and trembled And they stood far off and said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die.

Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you.

The fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.

And the people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Before we begin, let's have a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, we're so grateful to have the opportunity to worship here in Advent Hope.

You know that many come in with a week full of exams and tests and busy schedules, time in the hospital, and here we have an opportunity to rest.

But in our rest we also look to you because in this opportunity we have to cease from labor we know you continue the labor in our hearts so may whatever is spoken from this pulpit whatever music touches our hearts draw us nearer to you and a clearer picture of you guided by your Holy Spirit in the Word of God Let's continue to walk with us through this message.

Today I would like to make the case for the following.

God wanted all of Israel to ascend the mountain before the 10 Commandments or the 10 Words were given.

God wanted all of Israel to ascend the mountain before giving the 10 Commandments.

Now again I know when you read the text naturally, Exodus 19 to 20, it seems as if everything goes right to plan.

But give me a moment to present potentially a different view.

Jethro has spoken to them, they're coming to the mount, God gives them this plan for how he wants to meet them.

Lord said to Moses, go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day.

For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people and you shall set limits for the people all around, taking take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it.

Whoever touches the edge shall be put to death.

No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot.

When the trumpet sounds, a loud blast, they shall come up to the mountain.

Now you may be saying, Mark that's exactly what happened, it seems like everything went to plan.

But when we look at the original languages, there is actually no difference between the action they're supposed to do to the mountain in verse 12, then in verse 13.

So up until the third day, don't go Allah Bahar.

When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall Allah Bahar.

Now you'd be wondering, well Mark, you know Hebrew words, maybe there's a little bit of a difference there and it could go either way, but if you look at this, you compare it to verse 17, which is what actually happens, it's taktihar.

The preposition used for 12 and 13 are the same, and yet they're translated differently.

What actually happens is to the base of the mountain.

Now, you may be saying, well hang on a minute, I don't know about that.

NRSV, interestingly enough, this translation is the truest to the original languages, and it reads as follows.

You kind of have gotten up to the point, we'll go to verse 13.

No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows, whether animals or human beings, they shall not live.

When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.

Now okay, maybe Hebrew preposition and just the NRSV isn't quite enough.

Let's look at an argument from a parallel verse, a retelling of the story in Deuteronomy 5 verses 4 to 5.

The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I, Moses, stood between the Lord and you at that time to declare to you the word of the Lord.

For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.

And if you're wondering, the Hebrew there is the exact same, Allah Bahar.

If you're interested, back end of Hebrews 12 tells the same story and it makes it very clear something was supposed to happen that didn't.

They could not stand the voice of God as the wording that Hebrews uses.

These are some supporting sources if you'd like.

I'm happy to share those afterwards as well.

The question you may be wondering, and it's a fair question, is well then why is it placed after the 10 Commandments if it really happened before?

And then why in Deuteronomy is it before and not after?

Bible authors often use this type of literary structure called resumptive exposition, which essentially means take something, repeat it, and expand upon it.

If you've ever read the Genesis account, this is a great example.

The story of how man is created, Genesis 127, talks about Sabbath and then he talks about creating man again.

Or is he just repeating and expanding upon a very important part of creation.

The entire book of Daniel, Israelite Exposition, starts with the metal man.

And then each prophetic chapter takes a piece of that and digs in just a little bit deeper, just a little bit deeper, Just a little bit deeper.

So something that's interesting is with resumptive exposition, with the repeat and expand model, typically when it's utilized, it's because something is important.

And it's because the 10 Commandments, very important to us as a people, ought to be looked at through the lens of a different, a mistake.

So let's recap just 1 more time to make sure everyone's kind of following with where we are.

For those of you who are following in the text, you're looking at Exodus 19, you're trying to figure out, wait, wait, where does this exactly go?

If you go to verse 18 to 21 of 20, that's what we looked at initially, I am suggesting that those actually belong between verses 19 and 20 of chapter 19.

Now, that was a lot of words, but essentially that little set of verses that I read before belong where the trumpet sounds.

You can see it in verse in chapter 19 verses 19 and 20.

That same trumpet sounds and it's very interesting.

It's as if they're waiting for something and then nothing happens.

So then Moses goes up and then God says now they can't come up to the mountain anymore.

Because it's odd if you read the story initially.

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Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

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