Week 5: The God Who Speaks to His People
Intimate communication is central to the special relationship that Yahweh has with his people, Israel. The Lord wants his people to know him and to be faithful to his Word. God spoke. In an awesome scene, the Lord revealed himself to the people of Israel on the holy mountain called Sinai. Earlier in the Exodus, God spoke to Moses. Here, he is addressing his people.
At the heart of God’s self-disclosure are ten “words,” or commandments, that define the covenant boundaries of the relationship that Israel would have with him and with one another. These provided the foundational framework for the 613 laws found in the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Jesus is described by writers of the New Testament as the supreme and ultimate Word of God. The writer of Hebrews opens his letter with these words: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2a).