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Patriarchs and Prophets
(
Exodus 29:45, 43
), was the assurance given to Moses. As the symbol
of God’s authority and the embodiment of His will, there was deliv-
ered to Moses a copy of the Decalogue engraved by the finger of God
Himself upon two tables of stone (
Deuteronomy 9:10
;
Exodus 32:15,
16
), to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary, which, when made, was
to be the visible center of the nation’s worship.
From a race of slaves the Israelites had been exalted above all
peoples to be the peculiar treasure of the King of kings. God had
separated them from the world, that He might commit to them a sacred
trust. He had made them the depositaries of His law, and He purposed,
through them, to preserve among men the knowledge of Himself. Thus
the light of heaven was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness,
and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from their
idolatry to serve the living God. If the Israelites would be true to their
trust, they would become a power in the world. God would be their
defense, and He would exalt them above all other nations. His light
and truth would be revealed through them, and they would stand forth
under His wise and holy rule as an example of the superiority of His
worship over every form of idolatry.
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