The LORD brought the Israelites to freedom from Egyptian slavery. But there was a long road ahead to remove the Egyptian pagan culture from the Israelites. The LORD defeated all the major pagan gods of Egypt through the plagues. As the LORD settled the Israelites between Egypt and Canaan, He began the process of setting apart the Israelites as His own people. The commandments established a covenant between the LORD and the Israelites. The laws emanating from those commandments further separated the Israelites from the pagans. Herein, laws on body markings, clothing, haircuts, etc., were part of a holiness code to set apart God’s children from the world. The concept remains today.
In Exodus 18:1-20:23, Moses’s father in law Jethro heard about how the LORD had delivered the Israelites from Egypt, and came to meet Moses in the land of Refidim. Moses told Jethro all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh, and Jethro proclaimed that He was greater than all of the gods, and he made sacrifices to ADONAI. Then Jethro ate a meal before the LORD with Moses, Aaron, and the 70 elders appointed according to Jethro’s instructions to Moses. After that Jethro returned to his country. Midrash, Jewish tradition, says that Jethro became a convert of the LORD. Then Moses and the Israelite people left Refidim, and set up camp at Sinai—the very place that Moses was commissioned by the LORD at the burning bush.
In Exodus 19:4-6, God called to Moses from the mountain and said, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples…and you will be a kingdom of priests forever, a nation set apart.” Moses had the people prepare to meet the LORD on the third day, 49 days after Passover. Tradition says that was on the sixth day of Sivan, which is later commemorated as Shavuot—Feast of Weeks. This was the Revelation of the LORD to the nation of Israel, as they would witness Him speaking to Moses from Mount Sinai, and establishing His Torah—Word to a nation set apart. Fast forward to the days of Christ, and the establishment of the church at Pentecost.
Jesus is a greater level of revelation as the Word of God, as written in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He does not replace Torah, but fulfills and explains it. And although Jesus’ followers don’t replace Israel, we also according to 1 Peter 2:9 are, “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” As is written in 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Perhaps haircuts, clothing and body marks are considered these days outdated for followers of Christ, but the concept is the same. Christ said in John 15:19, “…you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world…” As Christ followers, we are to be set apart from the world, holy unto the LORD. Something to think about, right?
