The Character Of God

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The Law Of Seduction
• II. The Law Of False Worship

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 22:16-20. As we have mentioned in our previous messages, that through Moses, God had given to the children of Israel all these laws so that they would learn how to live and function as a covenant community. When reading all these laws, some people will find it very tedious and some may even think that, since these laws were meant for the children of Israel at that time, therefore they are not relevant to us who are living in modern times.

Although these laws were meant for the children of Israel at that time, however we can still draw spiritual principles and lessons to apply into our lives today. There are many reasons why we ought to study the Old Testament laws. For example, it teaches us what God expects, it guides us onto godliness, it exposes our sins, and shows us our need for the gospel. But there is something else very important why we ought to study the Old Testament law, and that is it reveals God's character. That is why the Old Testament laws are so different from any courts of laws in this world.

When you and I study God's law, we begin to understand His character, and when we apply these principles into our lives we are conforming to his character. So as we study this section of the law, we want to learn about the character of God; how each law reveals to us his character. The title of our message is "The Character of God."

I. The Law Of Seduction

Firstly, we want to learn about the Law of Seduction, beginning with verse 16 of Exodus chapter 22: "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife." This law is often misunderstood because people do not understand the context. This was not a case of rape. If it was rape, then the man who committed the crime would be put to death. This was a consensual sexual relationship before marriage. The word "entice" means to seduce. The man has seduced the woman, and the woman was not without fault. She was receptive to his advances. In other words, the man had persuaded the woman and she had consented. Both of them had committed the sin of a premarital sexual relationship.

To endow her to be his wife means to pay the marriage endowment or the dowry payment for the marriage. This payment was made to the woman as a guarantee of support in the event that something happened to the man or to their proposed marriage. There was an example in Genesis 24 where Rebecca received silver and gold from Isaac as a marriage endowment.

This law was given for the protection of women. There were always men who would take advantage of the women, to entice them into having sexual relationships without the responsibility of marriage. This is very typical in our modern society as well, even more so. Often times, when a young couple is dating and they are engaged in a sexual relationship, the girl would say, ‘But he said he loved me, he said he would marry me, and now he left me.’ Well, marriage is the last thing in the boy's mind. All he wants is to satisfy his sexual desires, and after he receives it, he is nowhere to be found.

This law was given to God's people to remind them that the sexual relationship was only permitted within the confines of marriage and only to be reserved for marriage. So within the covenant community, the children of God, the young people were taught at a very young age that they should keep themselves pure. If there was a situation in which the man had seduced a girl and she had consented and the act of a sexual relationship was committed, then the man had to do the right thing, which was to marry her.

Sadly, today there is no such law in our society to teach the people to live in purity or to protect the women. That is why we see so many single mothers and babies born out of wedlock, and there were tragic cases where young girls had taken their lives when they realised that they had been cheated of their virginity. How sad. But the situation was different in those days. They had the laws of God to teach the people to live in purity and to protect the women from men who refused to take responsibility. Today, we also have the word of God to teach us to live in purity and to protect us from all these pains, heartaches, and miseries.

But there was one exception: the father of the girl could refuse to allow the man to marry his daughter. Look at verse 17: "If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins." In other words, the premarital sexual relationship did not constitute or establish a marriage, especially in the eyes of God. They were not considered married. If they were to be married, they had to be married properly, which included the father's blessings. God had given the girl parents, and they had a say in her marriage. Obviously, the man had already proven himself to be spiritually immature by enticing his daughter, and if the father found out, after careful observation of the man's character, that he was truly not suitable for his daughter, he had the right to refuse.

The Hebrew word for "utterly" is the same Hebrew word for "refuse," so you see a repetition which indicates a strong rejection. Knowing that the man was not suitable for his daughter, the father would strongly reject the marriage, that is what it means. If the father refused the marriage, the man still had to pay the dowry of virgins because he had robbed the girl of her virginity, which made it harder for her to get married. The money would at least provide some means of support for her if she could not find a suitable husband in the future or made it easier for another man to marry her because he would not have to pay more money for the wedding.

What lessons can we learn from here? People in those days placed a very high regard for their purity and virginity, unlike today. I read in a recent article that students in our high schools would make fun of their classmates because they are still virgins. Can you imagine that? Dear friend, we are living in such a morally degenerate environment. We must never let our children be influenced by this worldly mentality. We must teach our children to have a high regard for their purity and virginity. The only way to do that is to teach them the laws of God.

This law is especially relevant to us today. Why? Because often times, most parents would rush their children into marriage when they realised that they had already engaged in a sexual relationship, partly to protect their daughter's reputation or the family's reputation, whichever it may be. Even when they know that the man is not suitable or his character is undesirable, the attitude is, ‘What to do? We have no choice but to agree to the wedding.’

I know of some couples whose parents have rejected their wedding, and they went ahead to commit premarital sexual relationships in order to get pregnant because they knew that their parents would have no choice but to agree to their wedding. But the parents must understand which is more important: their daughter's life or their reputation. Having a sexual relationship before marriage does not make marriage automatic. As the saying goes, two wrongs do not make a right. It is better to avoid a bad marriage; otherwise, there will be very serious consequences. It can be a lifetime of misery and nightmares, and most likely, the marriage will end up in divorce.

A word of exhortation to all our young people: God has given you parents. Praise be to God if they are Christians and godly parents. If you want to get married, you should seek their permission and blessings. God wants you to be pure. If a man tries to entice you to have a sexual relationship with him, that is not love, no matter what he says. That is lust. A real man of God will not do that. A real man of God ought to be trusted to preserve his own purity as well as the purity of the one he professes to love. If he says he loves you, then he will do everything he can to preserve your purity, not to lead you into sin.

What can we learn about the character of God? God is pure and holy, and He wants His people to be pure and holy. Be holy as He is holy. This law was given to remind the people that the sexual relationship is only permitted within the confines of marriage and only to be reserved for marriage. This law was given to protect the women from men who refuse to take responsibility. God knows the temptation that the people will face in regards to premarital sex. He also knows the subsequent heartaches, pains, and miseries that will come as a result of it, and He does not want His people to experience that. As our heavenly Father who loves us and protects us, He has given to us His laws for our own good.

II. The Law Of False Worship

Our second point is the Law of False Worship. From the Law of Seduction, Moses moved on to speak about the Law of False Worship, and he gave three examples. All three of them demanded the death penalty.

Firstly, it was about witchcraft. Verse 18: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." The word "witch" can mean a sorceress, someone who tried to gain spiritual power through demonic influences, whether to cast magic spells, or tell the future, or communicate with the dead, or practice the rituals of the occult. All these were forbidden in the Bible. It was a direct violation of the first commandment, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me,’ as well as an indirect violation of the second to fourth commandments.

The reason why the Bible refers to the woman or "witch" was because, in those days, it was more prevalent for the women to be engaged in such practices. However, whether men or women, witchcraft was strictly forbidden. Today, there are some occult practices that make a distinction between black magic and white magic. Have you ever heard that? Some even call it good magic. They would say that some magic is used for good rather than evil. But there's no such thing as white or good magic. Magic is magic, whether black or white magic. They are the tool of the devil. Any attempt to employ demonic influences is evil. Any attempt to know God's will outside of the Bible is evil. It is contrary to His sovereign purposes and will. Witchcraft is a sin because God wants to be trusted and worshiped, not to be rejected and manipulated.

Secondly, Moses spoke about the law about bestiality. Look at verse 19: "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death." At first glance, this was a sexual sin. Obviously, having a sexual relationship with an animal was a horrendous sin, an abomination. But why do we call it a sin that had to do with false worship? Interestingly, if you notice, this sin was stuck in between two sins: sorcery and the next sin, sacrificing unto idols, which were clear violations of the commandments of God, which were about false worship. It is important for us to understand the historical context. In those days, the pagans worshiped deities that were represented by animals, and one of the perverted forms of pagan worship was to have sexual relationships with those animals as a sign of union between them and their gods.

For example, the Canaanites worshiped Baal, the bull god, and they would have pictures of Baal having a sexual relationship with a cow. This was absolutely forbidden in Israel. God did not want his people to be contaminated by the false or filthy practices of these pagans who worshiped false gods. Later on, God spoke through Moses in Leviticus 18:23-24. Let me read for you, this is what God said, "Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled" - referring to the Canaanite nations - "which I cast out before you." In other words, this was commonly practiced in those pagan nations, and God said you must not be like them. You must not engage yourself in these idolatrous practices.

Thirdly, it was about idolatry, the offering of sacrifices to a pagan god. Verse 20: "He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed." The Hebrew word for "destroyed" is interesting because it means the surrendering of something to God for the purpose of complete destruction. So it was as if God was saying, if you want to surrender your offerings to any gods, then I will make sure you surrender yourself to me for complete destruction, not only your life but everything you own, including your property as well.

God is jealous of His glory, and He refuses to share His worship with any other gods. We often look at the word jealous with a negative connotation, but there's a positive aspect in the biblical meaning of this word. For example, if a man is jealous of his wife's love, he will guard and protect it at all costs. That is a good thing. Likewise, God is jealous of His people in that He will guard and protect our love and worship of Him at all costs. And He has given us prior warning not to worship other gods, only the Lord Himself.

Why did God give such a strict judgment against false worship, as in the death penalty? You see, the false worship will lead the people to the false gods, which could not offer them salvation. It had to do with their eternal souls. They would be eternally lost. They would be sent to the eternal lake of fire. That was why it was so serious. Contrary to all those people who say that God was hateful, He was loving. He loved them so much that He did not want them to be eternally lost. He did not want anyone to lead them into the path of eternal destruction. Therefore, He gave them this strict command that anyone who committed such sins should be put to death. So God was not only jealous of our love and worship of Him, but He was also concerned about our eternal souls.

Take a moment and consider this. Even with this warning of the death penalty, later on, many of the Israelites still fell into the sin of building the golden calf, which was essentially the sin of false worship. And if you study the history of the Israelites, you will see time and again they fell into the sin of false worship. Can you imagine if this warning of the death penalty was not given? The situation would be worse. And consider the number of souls that would perish in eternal damnation. By way of illustration, it would be like the death penalty for murder in our modern times. Even with this strict law, we still hear time and again of people committing the crime of murder, right? Can you imagine if there is no death penalty? What would happen to our society today? People would kill one another over petty arguments, quarrels, and differences. Is it not true?

Dear friend, are these three sins—witchcraft, bestiality, and idolatry—common in our times? Most certainly. Today, if you search the internet for advertisements for fortune tellers, psychics, astrologers, palm readers, Feng Shui, and so forth, there are hundreds, if not thousands, in Australia alone. And then you consider the number of people visiting those establishments. The number would be a staggering tens or hundreds of thousands. Even our children are not spared. At a very young age, they are exposed in schools to witchcraft. They would read books like Harry Potter. They will play games like Pokemon. Reading the zodiac signs is a common habit of many people. Can you fathom the number of souls that have been deceived and captivated by these demonic practices? How can our God, who loves, not be concerned?

Although most people would agree that bestiality is a horrendous sexual perversion, yet at the movies and even on television, it is increasingly common to hear jokes about people having sexual relationships with animals. People laugh at those jokes. People do not take those jokes seriously. It becomes so common. Obviously, we all know that the worship of idols is sinful. But there's more to idols than just the physical idols and statues we see. When we place something or someone in place of God in our lives, that becomes our idol. It can be our careers, our pursuits for material things or worldly aspirations, our houses, our cars, our children's education, etc.

In those days, Israel was theocratic, and God was their ruler. And as their ruler, He commanded all His people who indulged in such sins to be put to death. Today, as a church, we are not Israel. However, God is still our King. He is still our ruler, and our God gives grace to sinners who repent, no matter what they have done. But if they refuse to repent, though we do not have the right to put anyone to death—it is not our business to do that—but we need to exercise church discipline. We need to administer excommunication to all those who profess to be believers and yet refuse to repent of such sins.

So from these laws, we learn that our God is pure and holy, and He wants all of us to be pure and holy. In His wisdom, He knows what will happen to us if we engage in sexual sins outside of marriage. In this case, it will be premarital sex, and it will cause us to have heartaches, pains, shame, miseries, and he does not want us to experience that. He has blessed us with godly parents who will help us to discern the right life partners for us to marry. For those who do not have parents, well, you have spiritual parents, as in the leaders of the church. Praise be to God. He cares for our souls so much that He is not willing for any one of us to be influenced by those demonic forces in this evil world system that will affect our spiritual lives. We may be saved for all eternity. We may be saved, but if we still engage in those sins, it will affect us spiritually.

This is the God whom you and I believe in, and His laws are given to us for our good, so that when we obey His laws, He will bless us emotionally, physically, and most importantly, spiritually. So let us learn from His laws, understand this God whom we believe in, His characters, and by obeying these principles in our lives, we are conforming to His character. "Be ye holy; for I am holy," saith the Lord (1 Peter 1:16).

Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, indeed contrary to those people who say that Thy laws are so tedious, indeed Thy laws are given for our good and we are able to draw spiritual principles and lessons to apply into our lives. We know that when we obey Thy word, when we apply Thy truth into our lives, Thou wilt guide and lead us. Thou wilt bless us, not just emotionally and physically, but most importantly, spiritually.

Oh Lord, help us that we will always learn from thy laws, for it reveals to us what Thou would expect of us. It reveals to us and teaches us the paths of righteousness. It also exposes our sins and shows us our need for the gospel, our need for Thee, and it most importantly reveals Thy character.

As we study Thy laws, teach us, show to us who Thou Art. And we who believe in Thee, we want to conform our lives as Thou has said to us: "Be ye holy; as I am holy." Grant to us the empowerment of Thy spirit, that we will all live our lives to obey Thy laws.

We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23