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Chapter 3: An Appropriate Response
Exodus 24:1-8

And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, And he rose up early in the morning,
and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 24:4

Ill never forget the time when, as a senior in high school, I walked onto school campus only to see everyone crying all around me. Yearbook in hand, wondering what in the world had happened, with absolutely no tact, I blurted out, “What! Did somebody die or something?” Actually, Mr. Averdesian, my chemistry teacher, was the one who had died. He was my favorite teacher. At that moment I could have crawled out of there like a bug on the ground. That is a great example of an inappropriate response.

Or how about the time at home group, leading worship, the Lord’s presence had come among us and there was a great sense of quiet and peace. I was playing a slow, intimate song when all of a sudden I couldn’t see a thing. My entire chord chart was white. In shock, in surprise, with inexperience on my side, I stopped playing and shouted “OH man! I need contacts.” My girlfriend who had been singing with me whispered under her breath, “quench!” Yes, I had definitely quenched the Spirit. How do you continue after that? I didn’t.

I am sure that you also, can think of at least one time when you (or someone like me) interrupted a quiet moment with boisterous noise, jubilant laughter, or emphatic shock. Becoming aware of the situation and circumstances around us allows us to discern the moment and respond accordingly. Just as social events require an appropriate response, the Lord requires the same.

he Ten Commandments and the law were given by the Lord directly to Moses in Chapters 20-23 of Exodus. God’s Word, His command, requires a response just as any good lesson requires application. This is the nature of the Lord; He is relational. He speaks to us and waits for our response.

Any relationship, especially a love relationship, requires excellent communication from both parties. It is a reciprocal and appropriate response requiring honed listening skills. An inappropriate response to your spouse, often caused by inattentiveness, would possibly create strife, bickering, and even bitterness. How much more should we make an effort to be attentive to God’s speaking? How much more should we respond appropriately to the Lord?

Worship, essentially, is an appropriate response of a created being to his Creator and takes many forms. Again, the key in this lesson is the appropriateness of the response. We should offer a form of worship appropriate to the word spoken to us-the time, the place, the emotion, and the intent of the command. If the Lord commanded the Israelites to put on sackcloth and ashes, it would hardly be appropriate for them to dance and hold a great joyous feast. When the Lord commands us to sing joyfully and fast another time, it would not be appropriate to be in solemnity and solitude.

Please notice that there are various forms of worship. Remembering that our essential definition of worship is an appropriate response, worship is not solely defined as a genre of music. Rather, it is vastly more complex: it is our very calling, our total lifestyle. This principle is beautifully demonstrated in the text of Exodus 24:1-8. Moses’ response to the Word of the Lord resulted in rising early in the morning, building an altar, and erecting twelve pillars. Notice that this act of worship did not include any singing or music of any kind.

The concept and symbol of spending time on the mountain becomes more clear as we put it into practice. Moses arose early in the morning-before others were awake and in the quiet and newness of the day. Even in my drive to work which lasts about one hour, I look forward to the opportunity to spend with the Lord in sweet fellowship. It is a time that is free from distractions from people and their needs.

Moses, as the leader of Israel with a large ministry, practiced spending time with the Lord on a regular basis. He realized it was vital to his effectiveness as a leader.

The second component of this response to the Lord’s command was to build an altar at the base of the mountain. An altar is a place of sacrifice. In the old covenant lives of bulls, goats, lambs, rams, and turtledoves were given as a requirement of fellowship with the Lord. In the new covenant, the everlasting sacrifice of Christ was given on the cross. All that is asked of believers today is to recognize the fact that our bodies, essentially our lives, no longer belong to us. Rather, the atoning sacrifice (1 John 4:10) of Jesus Christ purchased us.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

Oh Saint! Oh Believer in God! Oh Worshipper! When you give to the Lord what was His to begin with, you will find out what is a pleasing and acceptable offering to the Lord. When you consider the blood of Christ and all that He has done, how can you but give your very life and being to Him?

Twelve pillars were then erected as the final aspect of Moses’ response. One pillar was erected for each tribe. Often in the stories of the Old Testament, you will see people setting up stones as a memorial or as a remembrance. One of the most vivid stories is found in Joshua 4:1-9 where the Lord commands Joshua and the leaders of the twelve tribes to set up stones to remember that the Lord had stopped the flow of the Jordan so that they might all cross into the good land. Another example is in the covenant between Jacob and Laban in Genesis 3:43-53. These stones in both cases served as a memorial, a witness, and a testimony. It is our testimony that inspires our outpouring of songs of worship, poems of praise, and beautiful exhortations to the brothers and sisters regarding the goodness of the Lord.

We could write 10,000 songs
And create new melodies of praise
We could stand before the congregation
With our arms outstretched and hands raised
If we have not completed primary acts of worship
If we have failed to give what the Lord truly requires
Then all has been in vain, those hours of practice
Fire the band and get rid of all your choirs
God desires something simple and beautiful
God desires something real and true
God wants your life, your time, your testimony
But mostly, God wants all of you