September 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

At Mount Sinai, God and his redeemed people have their most intimate meeting—the most intimate meeting until the Baby is born in Bethlehem.

God talked to the people: "I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession" (Ex. 19:4-5). God carried the people from Egypt, through water and wilderness. And now, here at Mount. Sinai, the covenant is officially ratified.

Moses, the mediator of the covenant, stands between God and the people. From the "Book of the Covenant" (v. 7) he reads God's will. That's the covenant contract, you might say. Then the people make their vow: "We will do everything the lord has said; we will obey."

The second part of the ceremony consists of blood-sprinkling. Half of the blood is thrown against the altar. (Whatever goes to the altar goes to God.) The second half is sprinkled on the people. "This is the blood of the covenant" (v. 8).

Now the two parties are wedded together by the blood of the covenant. God has elected Israel to be his own people, and the people have accepted God as their Lord. Now it's official: Israel is God's people.

God could have placed his people immediately in the land "flowing with milk and honey." Instead he wanted them to travel through the wilderness.

But they would not travel toward their destination alone. Just as many people go through their lives not as individuals but as couples bound together in a covenant of marriage, so God's people—whether single or married—travel with their covenant partner, God. God is the protector of his people. We can count on God. God has shown already that his love is equal to his power. God's people will trust and obey. The relationship between God and God's people is sealed with blood.

This makes us think of Jesus and of the bond that ties us to the Lord, for the God of the exodus will be fully revealed as the Father of Jesus.

REFLECTIONS

You are not walking alone but are traveling with God, your protector, on your spiritual journey. What does this mean to you?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.