#7 - That Old-Time Religion Ain't Good Enough For Me - Part 3
In my previous article, we looked at God’s first and best plan for humanity’s interaction with Him, as modeled by His relationship with Adam and Eve in Eden before the Fall. From the very beginning, God’s desire has been to have personal, intimate communion with His greatest creation, the human race. There was no “religion” in Paradise; it was just God and mankind in perfect harmony—until sin entered the picture.
But as we continue to examine the Biblical record, we find that Adam’s sin did not deter God from pursuing intimacy with individuals over the proceeding centuries and millennia. Consider these examples:
Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. - Genesis 5:23-24, NLT
But Noah found favor with the Lord…Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. - Genesis 6:8-9, NLT
Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed My servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” - Job 1:8, NLT
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:1-3, NLT
“I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” - Genesis 28:13-15, NLT
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did…But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love…The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. - Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23, NLT
“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.” - Exodus 3:10-12, NLT
When God had indeed delivered the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, and led them to Mt. Sinai, and appeared to them in lightning, thunder, and cloud, this is what He told Moses to tell the people:
“Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” - Exodus 19-3-6, NLT
Here we see unmistakable evidence that it was God’s desire to have a unique, intimate relationship with His people, unlike all the other, pagan religions of that day. Notice that God called the entire nation of Israel His “special treasure” and His “kingdom of priests.” This tells us that the Lord wanted to have an intimate relationship with every one of the people of Israel. Can you imagine what that would have been like, how blessed and peaceful life would have been for God’s chosen people?
But it was not to be. Instead of embracing this incredible invitation from the Almighty God of the universe, this is how the people responded:
When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” - Exodus 20:18-19, NLT
We must remember that all of this was taking place after the Israelites had seen the miraculous hand of God moving on their behalf over and over and over again, from the time He delivered them out of slavery in Egypt. How could they doubt His care for them, and why would they not want to have sweet communion with such a loving Father? But by rejecting His gracious offer, God’s people missed out on a opportunity that no other nation in the world could hope for. Instead of each person having a personal relationship with God, they instead ended up with a religion, a system of priests and rituals and moral codes, just like all the other nations of the world—one which inevitably became a burden rather than the blessing the Lord wanted to give them!
But before we judge the Israelites harshly, we would do well to ask ourselves how often have we done the very same thing? Have we not, perhaps unknowingly, turned up our noses at God’s offer of intimate communion and instead settled for formal, impersonal, distant religious ritual? Is there not, somewhere deep inside of us, a hunger and thirst for something more, something real, something life-changing?
I hope you’ll join me for the next stop on our journey of discovery, as we see how Jesus Christ came to break the chains of spiritual bondage, not to exchange one religion for another.
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