I love how God reveals new things to you every time you read the Bible. I have read through Exodus several times over the years. Sometimes I am reading a redemption story, sometimes I am struck by how God provides all of our needs, sometimes I see myself (and I cringe)as I watch Israel repeatedly doubt God, and sometimes I am amazed that God chooses such people to be His children. This time when I read through Exodus, I got something different.
I was struck by how God kept his people set apart from the culture around them. He brought them to a wilderness where there were no others in order to give them their instructions on how to live, how to build His temple and how to worship Him. He gave them instructions to not mingle with the tribes in their new home. Israel was not to let them live in the land because they would cause God's people to sin against him because the worship of their gods would be a snare. God is deadly serious about His people being holy and set apart for Him. Israel was different than any other tribe of the time. The people of Israel stood out from everyone else. Others in the area learned to fear the God of Israel.
I wonder why it is the church of today has decided that things should be different now. Why does the church in America seek to be like the culture around them? Why are we so afraid to stand out as unusual? Why don't we want our churches and our lives set apart as holy unto the Lord? Don't we want others to see who God really is? Don't we want them to know Him and tremble if they do not bow the knee? It seems that the church today is just like those long ago Israelites. We don't want to stand out from the crowd. We want to be just like those around us. Maybe we should continue reading the story. Conforming to the surrounding culture never did Israel much good. I doubt it will be any different today.
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