And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. Exodus 19:8
Can you name the seven dispensations of God’s dealings with the human race? You can, good. What is the fifth dispensation? Correct, it is the dispensation of Law. It was a big dispensation, and lasted a long time, involving many writings, ordinances, and sacrifices. And you just read the official introduction to this great dispensation in the words of today’s text: ‘All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do’. We know how that turned out.
In three days, the Israelites will experience the thunders and earthquakes of Mount Sinai. God will unfold to them over the next few months exactly what He requires of them. They will receive the tables of the Law, the instructions for the Tabernacle and its operation, details of the Levitical offerings and sacrifices, and more. But history would prove them both unwilling and unable to abide by all that the Law demanded. But God had a better dispensation in mind. ‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ’ – John 1:17.
As the Lord’s people gather today to worship, it is not the demands of the law that bring us to the table. It is rather the sweet invitation of our Saviour: ‘This do in remembrance of me’. Like the children of Israel, we could never keep the Law. Nor do we need to. The Lord Jesus came to fulfil the Law and to satisfy all of its demands. That includes exhausting the wrath of God that our disobedience caused.
So today we can sing: ‘Sweet feast of love divine! ‘Tis grace that makes us free To feed upon this bread and wine, In memory, Lord, of Thee. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/x5KlCH_OwJc