The Eternal One created this natural universe and the unique planet we call earth, as a place to birth, grow, teach and develop His offspring. (a) [see end notes for all Scriptures] This would allow for a growth and maturing process for each person and for all of humanity as His collective family. (b)
Longing to see enlarged illustrations of His way of life in responsive children, God appeals to us as gathering people. (c) God even establishes the vision for nationhood, for “the sake of His people.” (d) So, what was God’s first vision for a nation?
God’s Delivering Invitation
God’s first call for “a people of faith” to gather and function as a nation under His guidance, came to Abraham’s descendants and all who were living under Egyptian slavery. God selected Moses, with all of his faults, mistakes, and shortcomings to function as His instrument, a visible savior.
There were many miraculous events to verify God’s delivering invitation was real. Most of the slaves in Egypt gravitated to the vision of a life where they could be free to live and prosper. All who chose to believe in the promise of the God of Abraham and applied the blood of a lamb to their doorpost, were saved from the death messenger and became part of the people of faith.
Despite a common perception, the call was not just to the physical offspring of Abraham. Think about it – the Exodus was 400 years after Abraham first entered the land of Cannon (e) and four generations after Abraham’s household of 70 people joined Joseph in Egypt. (f) In the Exodus, there were over 600,000 men of war age. (g) Counting one wife and just two children for each adult man, there were more than 2.5 million people responding to the call. Truly a mixed multitude!
The vision was for all people desiring to live free of the two-class system, under overlords. (h) Everyone responding to the call became God’s faith family, as offspring of Abraham. (i) God even called the mixed multitude delivered from slavery to live as a free nation, “My son, My firstborn.” (j)
Everyone responding to the call became God’s faith family, as offspring of Abraham.
Understanding New Freedom
The national vision obviously needed time to settle in. Their understanding of life as slaves under overlords who took care of them had to change. Their ingrained beliefs, desires, and attitudes would not allow them to responsibly function as free people. So God sent them on a two year journey. (k)
Fifty days after their deliverance (the first Pentecost), all the people heard God speak and invite them to personally interact with Him. (l) What a phenomenal event this must have been. Almost without exception, in disbelief, the delivered people said they did not want to experience this again. Rather than personally interact with God, they appointed Moses to be their go-between. (m)
During their journey, to verify they could trust this unseen God, He provided water out of a rock, bread-like manna in the morning, quail in the evening, and led them with a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. (n) He even showed them they could be successful in battle. (o)
Despite personally seeing and partaking of all the miracles and hearing God speak to them, the people apparently chose to see God as their new provider. Since their faith as a people remained so elementary, their journey toward the productive benefits of freedom took forty years, a generation.
Actually, the delivered generation 
failed to become responsible believers. It was the children that grasped the full concept of faith, believing in God and having the will to pursue where He leads. When they grasped the concept of responsibly pursuing the vision God gave, they were able to enter, take possession, and enjoy the productive benefits of the promises.
The territory was divided into 13 areas or states. Interestingly enough, they functioned without a ruling upper class for over 500 years by electing local elders and judges to mediate controversies.
While people refused to personally interact with God, they were still free of the stifling two-class system of servants with overlords. Much like today’s middle class, they were free to live, worship, and prosper under God’s oversight. The free nation flourished for several generations.
Although imperfect, the nation functioned and prospered as an illustration of a free society under God’s oversight. God even made it clear, they were to welcome strangers and count them as natives born in the land if they accepted and blended into the ways of the nation. (p)
The nation functioned and prospered as an illustration of a free society under God’s oversight.
Cycles Overlapping Cycles
When the free people decided to be like other nations and have a King, they invited the two-class system into the national experience. By choosing to submit to man’s system of rule, they strayed from God’s oversight and their freedoms began to slip away. (q) From that time on, the nation’s prosperity and times of distress largely depended on the action and attitude of the ruling class.
Scripture reports that during their wilderness journey ‘and’ after submitting to the two class system, “This people has a stubborn and rebellious heart.” (r) They continually failed to heed God’s caution, “If you will…I will.” (s) The biblical record relates how every third generation came under oppression because the previous one “failed to properly teach their children.” (t)
It was a vicious cycle. When an oppressed generation repented, they were delivered. Their children would grow up content and as comfortable people they failed to teach their own children about faith. The grandchildren grew up to be faithless and came under the oppression of neighboring people. When they cried out for deliverance, freedom was restored. Then the cycle would repeat.
As a nation, they continually strayed from God’s insightful guidance. When they forgot “God their Savior” (u) and His way of life, their prosperity stalled. (v) The nation continually failed to be God’s influencing witness to the world, an example that would draw others into His way of life. God’s firstborn nation eventually ceased to function and the people were dispersed. (w)
As we look at a short overview of cycles, keep in mind changes generally involve a process of beginnings and endings, with overlapping starts and stops. (x) Notice the 500 year cyclic responses to God’s call; it was 1500 years after the first deliverance that He called again:
2000 BC – Abram responds to God and becomes a father of faith.
1500 BC – God frees people to live under His guidance. Personal interaction is refused.
1000 BC – The people choose the two class system and begin to lose freedoms.
500 BC – The national experience ceases and people are dispersed.
00 AD – God-in-Christ calls people into a personal fellowship with God’s presence.
Our next blog will look at the promised New Covenant and view the history of God’s second call to live under His oversight. We will examine the overall response of those who accepted God’s vision of living natural lives as spiritually minded people.
When they cried out for deliverance, freedom was restored.
a) Genesis 1:1-30; b) Acts 17:22-25; 1 Timothy 4:10; c) Acts 17:26-29; Job 12:23; Daniel 2:21; d) 2 Samuel 5:12; e) Acts 7:6; Genesis 15:13; f) Exodus 1:5; g) Exodus 12:37-38; Numbers 1:44-46; h) Exodus 19:4-6; i) Romans 4:13-17; Galatians 3:6-9; j) Exodus 4:22-23; k) Exodus 13:17-18; l) Deuteronomy 4:10-12; 5:1-4; m) Deuteronomy 5: 22-27; Exodus 20:18-20; n) Exodus 17:6; 16:12-13; 31-35: 13:21-22; o) Exodus 17:8-13; p) Leviticus 19:33-34; q) 1 Samuel 8:6-8, 19-22;. r) Deuteronomy 9:6, 13; Jerimiah 5:23; s) Exodus 15:26; 19:4-6; t) Psalms 78:5-8; u) Psalm 106:21; v) Hebrews 8:9; w) Amos 9:8-9; x) Ezekiel 1:16; 10:10
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
Created To Relate author