Exodus 24
Leaders called up mountainverses 1-2
And HE said to Moses
Come up to the LORD – you – Aaron – Nadab – Abihu
and seventy of the elders of Israel
and worship ye afar off
And Moses alone shall come near the LORD
but they shall not come nigh
neither shall the people go up with him
Moses confirms the covenant in bloodverses 3-8
And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD
and all the judgments all the people answered with one voice
and said
All the words which the LORD has said will we do
And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD
and rose up early in the morning
and builded an altar under the hill – and twelve pillars
according to the twelve tribes of Israel
And he sent young men of the children of Israel
which offered burnt offerings
and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD
And Moses took half of the blood – and put it in basins
and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar
And he took the book of the covenant
and read in the audience of the people – and they said
All that the LORD has said will we do
and be OBEDIENT
And Moses took the blood – and sprinkled it on the people and said
BEHOLD – the blood of the covenant which the LORD
has made with you concerning all these words
Seventy four men meet the LORDverses 9-11
Then went up Moses – Aaron – Nadab – Abihu
and seventy of the elders of Israel
and they saw the God of Israel
and there was under HIS feet as it were a paved work of a
sapphire stone – and as it were the body of heaven
in HIS clearness
And on the nobles of the children of Israel HE laid not HIS hand
also they saw God – and did eat and drink
Moses meets with the LORDverses 12-18
And the LORD said to Moses
Come up to ME into the mount – and be there
and I will give you TABLES of STONE
and a LAW
and COMMENDMENTS which I have written
that you may teach them
And Moses rose up – and his minister Joshua
and Moses went up into the mount of God
And he said to the elders
Tarry you here for us – until we come again to you
and behold – Aaron and Hur are with you
IF any man have any matters to do
let him come to them
And Moses went up into the mount
and a CLOUD covered the mount
And the GLORY of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai
and the CLOUD covered it six days
and the seventh day HE called to Moses
out of the midst of the CLOUD
And the sight of the GLORY of the LORD was like
DEVOURING FIRE on the top of the mount
in the eyes of the children of Israel
And Moses went into the midst of the CLOUD
and gat him up into the mount
and Moses was in the mount FORTY DAYS
and FORTY NIGHTS
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And he said to Moses, Come up to the LORD, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship you afar off. (7812 “worship” [shachah] means bow, bow down, obeisance, reverence, prostrate oneself, homage, or submit oneself)
DEVOTION: God is starting with the leaders of Israel. HE wants them to understand their responsibility to HIM and the rest of the children of Israel. HE calls them first to come and understand HIS standard for their living.
Aaron and his two sons are called to serve the LORD. We will find that the two sons had this special session with the LORD but still offered strange fire to the LORD in a drunken stupor. They were killed by the LORD for their actions.
So we have chosen leaders meeting with the LORD to understand the Ten Commandments that they were to teach all the other people. The LORD wants them to bow down to HIM. The LORD wants them to show HIM reverence. The LORD starts with just seventy four leaders to train over a million people. HE expected them to do their job.
Was God being unrealistic when HE told them to train the rest of the people? No, HE knew it was possible if the leaders were obeying the standard HE set the rest of the people could follow their example.
God knows the hearts of each individual in our world. HE knew the hearts of the men HE called up to the mountain. They did not trust HIM fully even though they promised to follow HIM. They were double minded. They still had their own preferences and didn’t want to change some of them for the LORD.
The LORD wanted total commitment and they only wanted to give partial commitment. This is true of some of us today. It is true of even some of the leaders of the churches that preach Biblical messages each Sunday.
CHALLENGE: Leaders are chosen because they have been with the LORD some time and the people look up to them. Are your leaders giving reverence to the LORD each day of the week? Are you giving reverence to the LORD each day of your week?)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments, and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LROD has said we will do. (6030 “answered” [anah] means testify, witness, respond to, to react verbally, to lift up the voice, declare, or to give evidence)
DEVOTION: Once we say yes to the LORD regarding our salvation we are promising HIM that we will study HIS word and obey it. That is why the Christian life is different from any other group. We want to obey the LORD because of the gift of salvation.
Other groups that are just religious want to serve because they are trying to earn their salvation on their own. They have not fully trusted the LORD at all. They are trusting in their effort.
The children of Israel promised the LORD that they would do as HE commanded but when it came right down to it they didn’t obey the LORD regularly. They promised but didn’t keep their promise.
God give instructions to show both the Old Testament people of Israel and those who attend church what sin is. Each individual needs to realize that they can’t obey without the help of the LORD. There has to be a total dependence on the LORD.
The children of Israel had a problem with allowing the LORD to lead them in their relationship with HIM. Today we find that many young believers who don’t understand what it means to commit to the LORD. Some think it is just a simple prayer and they are OK with God. Others try to earn their salvation by works not understanding that once they trust Christ their works are only a thank offering to HIM. Works have nothing to do with salvation but show that salvation has occurred.
The commandments of the LORD are a standard that no one can meet. We have to depend on the LORD to help us keep our commitment to HIM. Our desire should never be to sin but to try to be obedient. When we sin we have to confess our sin to restore our fellowship with the LORD. Our salvation is sure because of Christ.
CHALLENGE: Obedience is the way we bring glory to the LORD in a sinful generation. Our actions show if we mean business with the LORD. HE knows our hearts.
: 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD has said will we do, and be obedient. (5612 “book” [ciphrah] means writing, evidence, letter, register or scroll)
DEVOTION: What a picture this chapter brings to us. Here is the LORD inviting Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders to come part way up the mountain to see the LORD. Remember that Nadab and Abihu are the sons of Aaron. Also we find that Hur and Joshua are there on the mountain. The rest of the people were not to come near the mountain.
Moses tells the people the words of the LORD and they tell him that they will do what the words say they are to do. That is quite a promise to the LORD.
Moses then establishes the beginnings of worship with a written account of the words of the LORD and an altar and twelve pillars. The young men are offering burnt and peace offerings to the LORD. Moses is sprinkling blood on the altar and saving the other half for the purpose of sprinkling it on the people.
Moses reads the scroll of the covenant. The people again promised to do all that is recorded on this scroll. They promise to be obedient to the LORD.
Here we have a scroll that contains the covenant of the LORD. Moses had written down the words that the LORD had spoken to the people. The last couple of chapters tell of the covenant that the LORD made with Israel. Moses was going to go up into the mount to receive the two stone tablets from the LORD with the Ten Commandments.
God had spoken the Ten Commandments and Moses had written them in the scroll of the covenant. Now God was going to give them to them in writing.
God had invited the group of seventy plus to come up the mountain and they were able to see God and eat and drink in HIS presence. Moses was invited to come up further in the mountain to receive the tables of stone. Why did he need the tablets of stone? The LORD wanted him to teach the people these commandments.
One of the things that we learn from preaching is that the people of the congregation hear the Word of God but when they see it too they learn better. Hearing and seeing the word of God make for better learners.
Are we preaching with a projector now? Are we preparing our messages on power point? It is important to use the tools that are available to us today. The world is using them to get their message across. The message is the same but the methods change in each new generation.
Some people say that if Paul didn’t use it they were not going to use it. That is a wrong attitude. Remember methods do change over time. The message should never change.
When God gives the Ten Commandments in writing, they will not be different from what HE spoke to them. Is the projector found in the Bible? No! Therefore we should not use it? NO! The key is obedience to the Word of God in our message. The children of Israel promised to obey the words of the book. We have the Bible and once we become a disciple of Christ we say that we will study and learn and obey the instructions to us from the Bible. Isn’t it great that the LORD gave us an instruction book for the Christian life!!
CHALLENGE: Present the Word of God by whatever means are available to you, as long as, you don’t change the message. Adjust to the available tools. Power point is a great tool for learning, even better than flannel graph pictures of old.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 And the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to ME into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them.” (3384 “teach” [yarah] means to impart knowledge to, to instruct, to direct, to lay foundations, display, or show)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants HIS people to know the difference between right and wrong in HIS eyes. HE doesn’t want HIS followers to wonder about what is right and wrong but to KNOW what is right in HIS people.
There is no gray area with God. It is black and white. HE put the Ten Commandments on two stones to make sure that the people could have access to them at any time. We find many books in the Old Testament that repeat the Ten Commandments in one form or another.
Each generation has to learn what the LORD considers right. The older generation is to teach the younger generation the standard that the LORD expects them to keep. If they don’t keep it they have to confess their sins and more on with the help of the LORD.
Moses is to take all the instructions of the LORD to the people and teach the elders and the priests what they need to teach their families and the rest of the nation.
If our church is going to move forward it needs individuals who are living the Word of God on a regular basis. No one is going to be perfect but we can work on our areas of besetting sins and encourage others to fight in the areas of their besetting sins.
Victory is promised to those who are followers of Jesus Christ. It has to be a heart given over to HIM completely. HE knows our motives. HE knows our heart. Learn to follow by watching those who you can respect because of their lifestyle of Biblical obedience.
CHALLENGE: Remember we are always looking to Christ as our ultimate example.
:17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. (398 “devouring” [ʾakal] means 1 to eat, devour, burn up, feed. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to eat (human subject). 1a2 to eat, devour (of beasts and birds). 1a3 to devour, consume (of fire). 1a4 to devour, slay (of sword). 1a5 to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects—i.e., pestilence, drought). 1a6 to devour (of oppression). 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to be eaten (by men). 1b2 to be devoured, consumed (of fire). 1b3 to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh). 1c (Pual). 1c1 to cause to eat, feed with. 1c2 to cause to devour. 1d (Hiphil). 1d1 to feed. 1d2 to cause to eat. 1e (Piel). 1e1 consume. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: It must have been a very frightening sight. They were looking at a mountain on fire with a fire that was stronger than any they had seen before. It must have looked as though the fire would consume them. It was unlike the fire that Moses saw in the burning bush in the wilderness. It reflected the awesomeness of God’s holiness. God also describes Himself as a consuming fire when it comes to His holy jealousy over His people (Deuteronomy 4:24).
We are prone to forget the transcendence of God when Christianity today emphasizes the immanence of God. In other words, we talk about Jesus as being “my friend” and “my brother.” While these things are true, our God is not just a personal God that we can manipulate in order to make ourselves happy. We need to realize first of all that our God is an awesome and fearful God, and one that is rightfully deserving of our worship.
It was a lesson that the Israelites, too, would soon forget. Moses went onto Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, yet the people decided to make a golden calf to worship instead. They were tired of wondering and wandering in the wilderness, and so they were willing to compromise and do the second-best thing. This is what happens to us as well when we stop following God with our complete hearts and attention.
CHALLENGE: Take a few minutes today to ponder the awesomeness of God and worship Him.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Moses fasted forty days and nightverse 18
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
Moses in the mount with Godverse 18
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Eat and drinkverse 11
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Moses wrote all the words of the LORDverse 4
Book of the covenantverse 7
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Moses and seventy plus to come up mountainverse 1
Worshipverse 1
Moses built altarverse 4
Young men offered burnt and peace sacrificesverse 5
Moses read book of covenant to peopleverse 7
People promised to do and obey covenantverse 7
Moses sprinkled blood of covenant on peopleverse 8
Seventy plus eat & drank in presence of LORDverse 11
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Words of the LORDverses 3, 4
Judgments of the LORDverse 3
Book of the covenantverse 7
Tables of stoneverse 12
Lawverse 12
Commandmentsverse 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1-5, 7, 8, 12, 16, 17
God (Elohim)verses 10, 11, 13
God of Israel verse 10
Gave Moses tables of stoneverse 12
Mount of Godverse 13
Glory of the LORDverses 16, 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sinaiverse 16
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Promise to do what LORD saysverses 3, 7
Obedienceverse 7
Teachverse 12
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1-18
Told all the words of the LORD
Told all the judgments of the LORD
Wrote all the words of the LORD
Built an altar
Sprinkled blood
Read book of covenant to people
Sprinkled blood on people
LORD told to come up on the mount
Told to teach people from tables
Called of God on seventh day
Was in the mount forty days and nights
Aaronverses 1, 9, 14
Nadabverses 1, 9
Abihuverses 1, 9
Elders of Israelverses 1, 9, 14
Twelve tribes of Israelverse 4
Children of Israelverses 5, 17
Seventy eldersverse 9
Nobles of the children of Israelverse 11
Joshua – minister of Mosesverse 13
Hurverse 14
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
8 The blood by which the covenant was ratified and sealed was the basis for the union between Yahweh and the people. This phrase becomes most important in the NT in its reappearance in the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 9:20; 10:29; also Heb 12:24; 13:20; 1 Peter 1:2). (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 449). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
24:4b–8. Then Moses prepared the people for the ratifying of the Law. First Moses made an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai and erected 12 stone pillars to represent Israel’s 12 tribes. Since the Levitical priesthood had not yet been organized, young Israelite men (perhaps the dedicated firstborn, 13:1–16), and Moses served as priests and offered burnt offerings and … fellowship offerings to the Lord. In the ratification ceremony Moses sprinkled blood … on the altar (24:6) and on the people (v. 8) who had heard Moses read the Book of the Covenant and had promised once again to obey it (v. 7; cf. v. 3). This is the only time in the Old Testament when people were sprinkled with blood. Possibly the people were sprinkled in the sense that the stones which represented them (v. 4) were sprinkled. (On the relationship of obedience and sprinkling of blood see comments on 1 Peter 1:2.) The sprinkled blood, then, symbolized the legal transaction between God (represented by the altar, Ex. 24:6) and the people (represented by the stones). Israel was thus ceremonially set apart through blood (the blood of the covenant) as the people of the true God. Later the New Covenant, established by Jesus, was also ratified by blood, His own (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25–26). (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 145–146). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
Moses then read the Book of the Covenant to the people and they affirmed their willingness to obey. Moses took the rest of the blood in the basins and sprinkled both the Book and the people (24:8; Heb. 9:19–20), thus ratifying the covenant. Israel had to realize their responsibility to obey the laws of the Lord. The covenant was now ratified by blood, and God would hold them to their promises. After all, they expected God to keep His promises! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (p. 128). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
24:8 sprinkled it on the people. By this act, Moses, in response to the positive acceptance and assertion of obedience by the people after hearing the Book of the Covenant read to them, officially sealed the treaty with blood; a not uncommon custom (cf. Ge 15:9–13, 17). Half of the blood used had been sprinkled on the altar as part of the consecration ceremony. The representatives of Israel were thereby qualified to ascend the mountain and participate in the covenant meal with Yahweh (24:11; cf. Heb 9:20). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 24:8). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 8. And Moses took the blood, &c.] The other half of the blood which was in the basins: and sprinkled it on the people; not on the whole body of the people, who could not be brought nigh enough, and were too numerous to be all sprinkled with it; though the apostle so expresses it, a part being put for the whole, Heb. 9:19 either this was sprinkled on the young men that offered the sacrifices in the name of all the people; or on the seventy elders, as the heads of them, so Aben Ezra; or upon the 12 pillars, which answered to the 12 tribes, and represented them as the altar did the Lord: and said, behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words; being a ratification of the covenant on both sides, having been sprinkled both upon the altar, and upon the people. In allusion to which, the blood of Christ is sometimes called the blood of sprinkling, and which, sprinkled upon the mercy-seat, calls for pardon for men; and sprinkled on their consciences, speaks peace and pardon to them, and cleanses from all sin; and sometimes the blood of the everlasting covenant, the covenant of grace made with him, by which it is ratified and confirmed; and our Lord may have regard to this rite and mode of expression in Matt. 26:28. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 459). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
JONATHAN EDWARDS for Armchair Theologians by James P. Byrd
Most of all, Edwards worried that Arminian theology worked against revivalism. Where the latter relied completely on God’s transformation of the heart, the former built humans’ confidence in their own abilities. (p. 82)
Edwards’s Arminian opponents argued that we are only free if our wills are completely undetermined, totally unlimited, and open to any possibility. (p. 86)
At some point, Edwards concluded, the will, like every other form of reality, must have an external cause. The only exception he made to this rule was God. Only God is self-causing and self-creating – the only fully autonomous agent in the universe. (p. 95)
Joel 2
Judgment is coming for the sins of the people, but after repentance, they will be restored.
INSIGHT
Joel predicts a locust plague to come upon the land of Judah, which is both primary and secondary as a prophetic warning. The primary meaning is a literal locust plague. But the things Joel says about the locusts gradually transcend what could be true of mere bugs and could only be true of an invading army. In this way, the locust plague becomes symbolic of an invading army swarming over the land of Judah, stripping it of everything that has life. The warning of the plague comes because Judah is failing to serve the Lord. Joel holds out an escape: “Turn to Me with all your heart . . . rend your heart and not your garments” (vv. 12-13). Judah ignores the warning and the judgment eventually falls. Sin always has its consequences. (Quiet Walk)
ANGELIC REVELATIONS
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Hebrews 1:14
Another function of the angels is to reveal God’s purposes. It was through angels that God revealed to Abraham His purpose with regard to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18), and He revealed His will to Jacob more than once in the same way. Gideon also was told God’s purpose for him through an angel, and in the New Testament Zacharias was told about the birth of his son, who became known as John the Baptist, through an angel that appeared to him when he was in the Temple. It was an angel who told Joseph that he need not worry about the condition of his espoused wife Mary. It was an angel also who told him to flee to Egypt, and an angel who told him to come out of Egypt.
But I would say that the most comforting and the most wonderful aspect of this teaching is what we are told in the Scriptures of the way in which God uses angels to bless and to care for His own people: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). What is the greatest function of the angels? It is to minister to you and to me–to minister to the “heirs of salvation.”
It seems to me from this biblical teaching that I am entitled to say that the angels are used by God with respect to us and to our salvation. For example, in the account of the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10, we are told that as Cornelius was praying one day an angel suddenly appeared to him and began to give him a preview, as it were, of his own salvation and to tell him what he should do in order that his salvation might be realized.
A Thought to Ponder
God uses angels to bless and to care for His own people.
(From God the Father, God the Son, p. 111. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Fear of the Lord
“Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” (Psalm 34:11)
This psalm has been a source of great comfort and encouragement to many down through the years. The first section (vv. 1-7) of this acrostic hymn (the first letter of each verse begins with successive letters of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet) consists of the testimony of one who fears the Lord, and the last section (vv. 16-22) describes the deliverance promised those who do fear the Lord, contrasted with the destinies of those who don’t. In the center section, David explains what it means to fear the Lord and invites all who read to join him in fearing God.
Here, the “fear of the LORD” is not so much an attitude as it is a life commitment. “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?” (v. 12). A God-fearing man or woman desires a long life of ministry to others. “To die is gain” (Philippians 1:21), yes, but we should ask for lengthy opportunities to “see good.”
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile” (Psalm 34:13). We know that the tongue is capable of incredible harm. The one who fears the Lord should be characterized by a lifestyle of guarded speech.
Not only is our speech to be free from evil, but we are to “depart from evil, and do good” (v. 14) in every area of life as well. Our life’s motive should be to “seek peace, and pursue it.” Attaining peace may not be easy, but we should strive for it.
The results of such a lifestyle should be reward enough, but our gracious Lord promises even more: “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” (v. 7).
“O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him” (Psalm 34:9). JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
When God is at work, even hopelessness may be the doorway to fresh starts and to new opportunities. (Alistair Begg)
In February of 1943, German university student Sophie Scholl was convicted of high treason against the Nazi regime and executed by guillotine. Last week, Germany announced it will honor this Christian martyr with a €20.00 sterling silver commemorative coin. Scheduled for circulation in time for her 100th birthday, which is in 2021, the coin will bear Sophie’s likeness with her words, “A feeling for what is just and unjust” along the edge.
Sophie Scholl was raised, along with her older brother Hans, in a nominal Lutheran household. Like most German children at the time, she was a member of the League of German Girls and her brother, a member of the Hitler Youth. However, as they grew up, they became more and more disillusioned by the Nazification of virtually every area of German life and Hitler’s tyrannical opposition to much they believed to be good, such as works of art and music considered to be non-Aryan.
As students at the University in Munich in the early 1940s, they began to seriously consider, partly due to the influence of Christian professors, what their faith was demanding of them. Finally, the slaughter of Polish Jews and Russian POWs pushed them to act against Nazi atrocities. Hans founded an underground resistance group called The White Rose and began, with a few friends, to write, publish, and distribute leaflets advocating passive resistance to Hitler’s policies and for the eventual overthrow of National Socialism.
When Sophie, having arrived at University after her brother, was introduced to his friends, she insisted on joining the group. They acquired a typewriter and a mimeograph machine to produce their leaflets and bought paper and stamps in small amounts from different sources so as not to arouse suspicion. They would mail them anonymously to nearby homes and distribute them secretly around their university campus.
While distributing their sixth group of leaflets at the university, Hans and Sophie, along with friend Christoph Probst, were discovered, arrested and charged with treason. Within four days, they had been accused, tried, condemned, and executed. Sophie was 21.
According to several witnesses, Sophie died as she had lived, with grace and courage, and without regret. As she was led to the guillotine, Sophie reportedly said, “Such a fine sunny day and I have to go …. What does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”
As Brett Kunkle and I wrote in our book A Practical Guide to Culture, Christians often talk about what we are saved from, things like sin and death and judgment. And that is good news indeed! But as Sophie and Hans Scholl grew in their faith, they we forced to wrestle with what they were saved for. God had called them to a particular moment in German history. The intersection of their dual citizenships, in heaven and in Germany, clarified for them their responsibility to love and act.
As Hans once wrote to a friend: “Should one go off and build a little house with flowers outside the windows and a garden outside the door and extol and thank God and turn one’s back on the world and its filth? Isn’t seclusion a form of treachery—of desertion? …. I’m weak and puny, but I want to do what is right.”
The Scholl siblings refused to flee from their culture, as we are tempted to do today, to seek safe shelter for ourselves and our children from the depravities around us. Safety, however, is never the goal of the Christ-follower. Faithfulness is. As the prophet Jeremiah described, faithfulness to God requires we seek the welfare of the city, of the nation to which we are called. If we are to be, what Paul called, ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), we have to figure out what it means to be in the world, but not “of” it.
Few, if any of us, will face a guillotine for our faith. We will, it seems, face lesser challenges and persecution. Like Sophie Scholl, we will need a courage and a commitment that only comes from understanding that we are called by God to this time and this place. We’ll have to know now only what we are saved from and what we are saved to, but what we are saved for. We’ll have to learn to speak the truth in love, not because it will necessarily “work” but because it is our Lord’s command. We’ll need to strive faithfully to educate and catechize our children, even as we seek to protect the most vulnerable among us, and proclaim God’s vision for human flourishing.
We may have to risk our friendships, our reputations, and even our careers but, to quote Sophie Scholl one more time, what does that matter, “if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”
(BreakPoint)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.