This is the Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, February 19, 2023
The Bible readings this week are those set for February 19 in the interdenominational scheme used by many diverse churches and chapels. They are:
Psalm 99
Exodus 24:12-18 — God summons Moses to wait for Him on Mount Sinai
Matthew 17:1-9 — God’s voice is heard as Jesus is transfigured
2 Peter 1:16-21 — Jesus will surely come again as Scripture tells us
Theme: Mountain-top encounters are a powerfully testimony to others
Psalm 99
1 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
2-3 Great is the Lord in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise Your great and awesome name — He is holy.
4 The King is mighty, He loves justice — you have established equity in Jacob; you have done what is just and right.
5 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy.
6-7 Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the Lord and He answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.
8 Lord our God, You answered them; You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
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Exodus 24:12-18 — God summons Moses to wait for Him on Mount Sinai
After six days’ wait he hears God call him to enter the cloud and remain
12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
“Come up to Me” — only Moses could draw near to God at this time of establishing the first covenant.
For further study: through Jesus and the new covenant, we can all draw near to God, see Matthew 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:4-16, Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:22, James 4:8.
“I will give you the tablets” — first mention of the divine directives inscribed on stone. In ancient Near Eastern treaties, each party deposited a copy in the other’s temple, which might explain the two tablets. In this case both God’s copy (tablet) and man’s would be kept in the Ark of the Covenant.
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.
“Joshua his aide” — first mention of Joshua in this significant role. It appears that Joshua helped Moses on the climb up Mount Sinai but was not ‘cleared’ to come right into the presence of the Lord.
14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
“Hur” — previously mentioned in the battle with Amalek when Hur helped Aaron hold up Moses’ hands in praise as the battle below them on the plain proceeded.
15-16 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
“Six days… seventh” — a possible allusion to creation. Moses and Joshua waited on God in faithful worship, in the tradition of Abraham’s faithfulness. By contrast, the Israelites did not wait as instructed, but broke their vigil and began to worship a golden calf, Exodus 32.
17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
“Glory of the Lord” — a plainly visible and brilliant presence. Moses had seen such a fire in the burning bush, Exodus 3:2.
18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
“Moses entered” — and Joshua stayed outside the cloud while Moses stayed “forty days”, a term meaning a long time rather than an exact duration.
Reflection
SUMMARY In one of the best-known stories of the Old Testament, Moses is summoned by God to come up Mount Sinai to meet with Him, and receive the tablets of the law that God had written. Accompanied by Joshua, who was not allowed to enter the cloud of glory, Moses stayed for a long time, receiving the instruction that went with the 10 words.
APPLICATION Moses was unique in being invited to come into God’s presence like this. However, under the new covenant in Jesus, every believer is invited to draw close to God, with the promise that He will draw close to them — the experience of intimate worship.
QUESTION Can you recall times when you have been close to God and He has spoken to you?
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Matthew 17:1-9 — God’s voice is heard as Jesus is transfigured
Jesus named as God’s Son gave the disciples confidence about God’s plan
1 After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
“After six days” — following Peter’s breakthrough declaration of Jesus being the Christ (or Messiah), Matt. 16:16-17 (Luke counts the time as eight days). Matthew, writing for mainly Jewish readers, makes the allusion to Moses waiting six days on Mt. Sinai.
2 There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
“He was transfigured” — a dramatic change in appearance. “His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.” (The Message).
“His face shone” — recalling how Moses was transformed as he encountered God’s glory, Exodus 34:29-30, 35.
3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
“There appeared… Moses and Elijah” — with similarities to Moses’ experience on the mountain, now clearly showing Jesus to be unique and superior to these renowned historic figures who represent the law and the prophets respectively.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
“Three shelters” — shelters as memorials (NLT) or tabernacles, as in the feast of tabernacles. All Jewish men were used to constructing such tents. Peter’s impulse was to preserve and commemorate the moment.
5 While He was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
“A bright cloud” — following the appearance of Moses and Elijah, the presence and the shekinah, visible glory of God, covers them. As in Moses’ encounter, Exodus 24:16, the voice of God comes from the cloud. They hear His voice pronounce the same words as at Jesus’ baptism, Matt. 3:17, with the addition of the command to listen to Him.
“Listen to Him!” — from Deuteronomy 18:15. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, has come to fulfil a messianic purpose in which He speaks for God. The disciples must hear this.
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
“Facedown… terrified” — the fear of God is awesome awareness of God’s presence. It’s a scene that would terrify anyone, but Jesus’ intention is to reveal… and encourage.
7-8 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
“They saw no one” — the experience was not to be prolonged.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
“Don’t tell” — the purpose of the visitation was to reveal Christ for who He was, but they could not explain what they did not fully understand. The meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection would come to them later.
Reflection
SUMMARY Although the disciples had now realised that Jesus was the Messiah, they had only just found the courage to declare it with Peter their spokesman. Remaining doubts for Peter, James and John were quickly dispelled in a terrifying encounter with God’s glory and voice, and a command to take Jesus at His word.
APPLICATION Those who have come to God, by trusting Jesus have the privilege of knowing they can come into His presence. We don’t live by experiences, but God may use them at points in our life to bring change in us.
QUESTION is God’s direction “Listen to Him!” also for us? How do we listen to Jesus in our busy lives?
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2 Peter 1:16-21 — Jesus will surely come again as Scripture tells us
An eyewitness reminds us to pay attention to the prophetic message
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
“Cleverly devised stories” — the false teachers derided the apostles’ faithful teaching and coming judgment of Jesus’ return as ‘invented myths’ . Peter relates his irrefutable firsthand experience and warns against this heresy, 2 Peter 3:3-4.
“Eyewitnesses of His majesty” — Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration, which revealed Jesus as the Son and gave a foretaste of His return as king of His eternal kingdom.
•For further study, compare Matt. 17:1-8 (above) and Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36.
17 He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
“The Majestic Glory” — Jews were anxious about using God’s name and ‘The Glory” was a form of words to overcome this; for Jews it would reinforce the connection between Jesus’ transfiguration and Moses’ encounter on Mt. Sinai.
18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.
“We ourselves heard this voice” — corrupt and deceiving church leadership was a problem the apostles constantly faced. They had staked their lives on the certainty of the gospel, and their eyewitness status added to their unique call by Jesus as the true authorities of His Church.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
“Also… the prophetic message” — the Hebrew Scriptures we call the Old Testament. Peter is saying that the Scriptures are even more authoritative than his having been with Jesus.
“Completely reliable” — Peter is saying that his first-hand experience of hearing God’s audible voice, something hard to dismiss, reinforces what the prophets had said about the Messiah coming as Lord of all, at the end time.
“Until the day dawns… the morning star rises” — Jesus’ kingly return. Peter’s point is to keep going back to the prophetic Scriptures until the Second Coming finally happens.
20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
“Prophets… spoke from God as… by the Holy Spirit” — Scripture was written by hand of someone anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore the understanding of Scripture is not (like the false teachers) human opinion but revelation by the Spirit-filled church as a whole.
Reflection
SUMMARY The background to Peter’s letter is the constant struggle the apostles had with unbelieving, unspiritual false teachers. To counter their human-centred opinions, he states his irrefutable first-hand experience of witnessing God’s glory and hearing His voice affirm Jesus at the Transfiguration.
APPLICATION Our testimony story about our experience of meeting with God is probably the most powerful means we have of making God real to someone else. There will always be those who assume a position to teach but without that first-hand experience. Our own story can be told in many ways and different situations, and God uses this.
QUESTION. What is your story about coming to trust God? Can you tell it really briefly to illustrate a point?
PRAYER Father God, we thank Yyou for revealing Yourself to Moses, showing Yourself to Jesus and the three disciples at the Transfiguration, and for the way You have become real in our lives and make Yourself known in all sorts of ways.
We’re sorry for the times that we have sided with the doubting and philosophising arguments, rather than simply telling our story of meeting You.
We thank You that we can come close to You and know Your closeness with us. We ask that You fill us with Your Spirit, put a little of Your glory in us and so equip us to show You to others. We pray this in Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen.
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