Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice. (v.12)

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

Verse 12 teach us that we cannot see God. In the world, people judge everything by what they see. It is clear that most churches have gone astray because they put much emphasis on appearances. They build large church buildings and ministers and priests wear specially made robes on Sundays. Churches have choirs and sing men-made songs. It is all about how they look and hear. Christians are not interested in hearing God’s words. They are delighted when they hear lies about God. They seek after anything that can please their eyes and ears. They make images of God from their imagination.

Numerous miracles were shown to the Israelites. But they did not know God. Did God fail to make Himself known? No. This was God’s plan. What does Israel’s history teach us?

Or has a god ventured to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, just as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him. (vv. 34-35)

The Bible says that the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. However, we see that the Israelites faced a new form of slavery because of the law given by God after the exodus. Most of them died in the wilderness because of disobedience. Israel’s history is written for us to understand why God gave them the law. The law brings slavery. Blessings rooted in obedience brings slavery because they are taken away when one disobeys. In the old covenant, we must obey first to receive blessings from God. But the new covenant teaches that we receive blessings first just as what happened between Abraham and Melchizedek.

And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has handed over your enemies to you.” And he gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:19-20)

In the father-son relationship, a father loves his son and gives all he needs first and his son obeys his father because of his love for him. Likewise, our relationship with God is not something we earn by works. We cannot earn grace by works.

From the beginning, only those who trusted God wholeheartedly were saved. This rule was applied to Adam and Eve because their rebellion was rooted in disbelief. They were unfaithful. Faith requires knowing the person whom we trust. Faith and knowledge of God are inseparable. This knowledge of God requires us to be one with God. In other words, we must have His Spirit and become His children. The only way to be His children is through His only begotten Son. That is the whole reason of all creation. God wanted to create a bride, a lifelong partner and friend who loves and trusts in Him.

But as for My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring him into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. (Numbers 14:24)

Christians think that children will obey God better if they are taught the Ten Commandments in youth. It is important that children are taught about God and His words. But churches use the Ten Commandments to make them blindly obey the church authorities. I have met people who are in their 60s and are still struggling with the guilt of not following the Ten Commandments perfectly and experiencing difficulty in understanding freedom and grace. Hypocrites in churches do not judge themselves but judge others because their job is to enslave people. They also promote sinning as Balaam did. I see that Christians are back in the wilderness or even in Egypt. The law teaches about God and makes us realize our sinful nature. Every day we praise God for sending His Son to die for us and make us children of God. We carry our own cross to follow Him. We are already living eternal life because of the blood of Christ.

With this in mind, it is very absurd to say that Christ kept the law perfectly all His life for us to gain eternal life. We must not think that our righteousness is rooted in the perfect keeping of the law, which 17th-century reformers taught. The Westminster Confession of Faith, The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, and the Savoy Declaration of 1658 are erroneous and even dangerous. These documents lead people to think that our life is from the perfect keeping of the law. The history of the world after the 17th century proves that churches have gone astray from truth.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)