1. Abraham – Founding His People
2. Moses – Redeeming His People
3. The Law – Leading His People

One of the books that I have on my shelf is a secular leadership book written by Seth Godin, entitled, Tribes.^[1] The book is for leaders of organizations, designed to help them view those they lead, not as a group of people to be managed, but as a tribe to be led. When Godin talks about a "tribe," he's talking about those with shared interests, passions or beliefs. In the book, he encourages leaders to cast a vision for those in the tribe to create a culture that will energize people to make a difference in this world. He says, "Great leaders don't try to please everyone. Great leaders don't water down their message in order to make the tribe a bit bigger. Instead, they realize that a motivated, connected tribe in the midst of a movement is far more powerful than a larger group could ever be."^[2]

The book reads like a running blog, with each section being a few paragraphs on a theme, that meanders through this topic of leading a tribe. There are no chapters in this book. Only thoughts on what it means to lead a tribe. He fills the book with example after example after example of those who have made a difference in the world: like Steve Jobs, who worked hard to focus Apple to bring forth only the best products, keeping them in utmost secrecy until their public launch, which has helped to create a following (pp. 52, 83); like Greg Glassman, who developed the training methodology of CrossFit, where fitness fanatics across the nation pushed themselves to follow his posted exercise routine (p. 60); like Jerry Garcia, leader of the Grateful Dead, who didn't succeed by selling records (only one of their records made the top 40), but by creating a culture of those who would come to hear their music together in a public event (p. 21).

Now, obviously, in lifting up the Grateful Dead, this is not a Christian book. In fact, Godin holds that "human beings invented religion." Yet, there are some ideas in the book worthy of thought, especially as it has to do with pastoring and leading a church, as we are a people with a shared interest in the Lord, with a shared passion for the Lord, and with shared beliefs in the Lord. When you think about Apple and CrossFit and the Grateful Dead, people are filled with passion at following them, almost "religiously." Have you encountered them? The whole "Mac" or "PC" debate is like a battle of which religion is the best. Many will evangelize on behalf of their local CrossFit gym. People followed the Grateful Dead wherever they showed up in concert.

In the book, Godin describes the importance for leaders to take the initiative (p. 112), to be generous in all their ways (p. 73), to have great care for those you lead (pp. 125-126), to show great commitment to the cause (p. 126), to have genuine faith in your mission (p. 49). He describes the aim of leaders: to build a culture of those who are going to unite over shared interests, passions or beliefs. These groups of people, Godin calls, "Tribes."

When you think about the Biblical story, in the grandest of terms, I do believe that you can think about it in terms of God leading and developing his own tribe of followers. Think about it: God began his tribe with Abraham, calling him from Ur of the Chaldees to make him the "father" of his tribe. God worked through Moses, to rescue his tribe from slavery. When things were messed up, and the people were exiled to Babylon, God promised through Jeremiah to renew his tribe, saying,

Jeremiah 31:31-33
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

From this promise of the New Covenant, I get the title of our sermon series during this Christmas season: "I will be Your God; You will be My People." Because, this is the Christmas story: God coming to redeem his tribe. In Matthew, chapter 1, we read the story of the angel appearing to Joseph, explaining how the child that she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Then the angel says to Joseph, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

This is the Christmas story in a nutshell. A miraculous child would be born. He would be named Jesus, which means "Savior." He would be true to his name, he would save his people (his tribe) from their sins. This is what we celebrate at Christmastime. We celebrate Jesus, who came to save us, by dying upon the cross in our place for our sins.

What began that Christmas morning in a manger was only the beginning. Jesus would live among us as a perfect man, "going about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil" (Acts 10:38), "teaching [the crowds] as one who had authority" (Matthew 7:28), bringing life and hope to many. Yet, Jesus was hated by the religious leaders, as he was a threat to their religious system. They put him to death. But his death on the cross proved to be the very means by which he saved us from our sins, because he bore the penalty that we deserved! This is the Christmas story, the baby born in a manger, who died upon the cross, became the savior by saving us from our sins, just like Matthew 1:21 says, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Now, this Christmas season, I want for us to focus upon two words in this verse: "His people." "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). God has "his people." They are the ones that he came to save. This idea of God having a people shows up throughout the Bible. It shows up at the beginning of the nation of Israel, when God called Abraham. It shows up when God redeems Israel from slavery in Egypt. It shows up when God promises the New Covenant to Israel. It shows up here in the New Testament. It shows up in the epistles: both Paul and Peter mention this idea, that God has his people, his tribe. It shows up in the book of Revelation, in that great chapter of the new heaven and the new earth, it all culminates with these words: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God'" (Revelation 21:3).

What we celebrate at Christmas, Jesus dwelling with us, is only a picture of the ultimate day when God will dwell with us in the new heavens and the new earth, when God will be our God, when we will be his people! Throughout the Bible, God is working to create a people for himself, his tribe. This morning, I would like to focus our attention upon God doing this in the Pentateuch. The title of my message this morning is, "I will be your God; You will be My People: Part 1 The Pentateuch." Next week, Peter Held is planning to preach part 2 of this Christmas series, looking at this idea in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where God promises this same thing in the New Covenant. Then, the Sunday before Christmas, we will look at this idea from the New Testament. Finally, on Christmas Eve, we will see it in the book of Revelation. The reason why we are looking at this theme is that it brings the big picture to the Christmas story. God has his people, and he sent his son to save his people.

So, open your Bibles if you will, to the book of Genesis, the first book of the Pentateuch. The others are the next four books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. We first see this idea of God having his people with Abraham. That's my first point this morning:

1. Abraham – Founding His People

So let's begin where the story begins with Abraham in Genesis, chapter 12. The first three verses of this chapter are "The call of Abraham." (His name was Abram at this time).

Genesis 12:1-3
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Now, this doesn't use the phrase, "My people," but the idea of God developing his tribe of followers is certainly present. God promises that from this one man, Abram, would come a great nation, and God's favor would be upon this nation, blessing and protecting this nation, and this nation would be so great, that "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" through this nation. But this is the tribe at its very beginning. This is Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the garage, building their first computer in Los Altos, California. This is Greg Glassman, considering the thought of a single, daily workout routine for everyone who wanted to be in great shape. At this point in the history of the Bible, it was only Abram. But God was promising to build his tribe, his people.

The promise was staggering. Turn over to chapter 15. Beginning in verse 1,

Genesis 15:1-5
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

What a great promise! Not all tribes have such a great promise given to them, that their numbers would be greater than the stars of the heavens! There are many who establish their tribes, only hoping, someday, that they would have a huge following. Many bands begin in garages with great hopes. Many businesses begin in the marketplace with great hopes. Many churches begin in homes with great hopes. But here is the establishing of God's tribe. Not with mere hopes, but with divine promises from God that this would come to pass! God is powerful enough to bring it to pass. The story of the Bible is the story of God bringing it to pass, creating a great nation, through which the Messiah comes as a blessing to "all the families of the earth," even those in the Rockford area, some 4,000 years after this promise was made.

Don't miss Abram's response: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). This is the gospel! That we believe the promises of God. God considers our faith as righteousness, so that we stand right with God, not because we are righteous, but because God counts our faith and trust in Jesus as righteousness. At this point, all that Abram has is faith in God. He has no child. He is old. Before he is given a child, God gives him one more promise. Turn over to Genesis 17. Let's begin reading in verse 1,

Genesis 17:1-8
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly." Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

Note that last phrase in verse 8, "I will be their God." God is founding his tribe, his people, "I will be their God." God goes on to establish the covenant of circumcision, that all of his people would be marked with this sign, as "an everlasting covenant" (verse 13). This was the beginning vision of the people of Israel! That God would have his people. "I will be Your God; You will be My People."

So, during Christmas, we celebrate Jesus coming to save "his people" from their sins (Matthew 1:21). "His people" began with Abraham, and the founding of the nation of Israel through him. Jesus came to save the sons of Abraham! The good news is that by faith, we can become part of this tribe. In Galatians 3, Paul writes, "Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7). "So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith" (Galatians 3:9). Jesus came to save "his people" from their sins. Back 4,000 years, "His people" began with Abraham.

Here's my second point:

2. Moses – Redeeming His People

Turn over to Exodus, chapter 3. Exodus is the second book in the Bible, right after Genesis. Chapter 3 begins with the story of the burning bush.

Exodus 3:1-6
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

There's lots to tell here, as Moses sees this phenomenal site, a bush that is burning, but not being burned. It was all a ruse to attract the attention of Moses. God brings up his relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He says, "I am their God." "I am the God of your father, [I am] the God of Abraham, [I am] the God of Isaac, and [I am] the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6). This is God's tribe, those of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then consider what God says next:

Exodus 3:7-8
Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites."

Look carefully at the language that God uses to describe the people of Israel. He describes them as "my people." God sees their afflictions. He knows their sufferings. According to Exodus 2:24, God "heard their groaning." You can't help but to feel God's compassion for his people at this point. His people are suffering, and God knows it well. As the leader of his tribe, he is going to step in to help them. This is my second point: 2. Moses – Redeeming the Tribe. This is what God will do with his people. He will redeem them from slavery through the power of his ten plagues. That's the story that the book of Exodus will tell.

Chapter 6 gives a good summary of what God was intending to do. Turn over there.

Exodus 6:1-7
But the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land." God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD [or, better translated, by the name of Yahweh] I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.'"

Again, notice the language here in verse 7. "I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God." "I will be Your God; You will be My People." This is how God viewed the people of Israel. He viewed them as "My people." They are "my tribe." Do you remember what Moses said when he came in to meet with Pharaoh? He would often say something like this: "The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, 'Let my people go, that they may serve me'" (Exodus 7:16; see also Exodus 8:1, 20, 22; 9:1, 13; 10:3-4). I counted some eight times in the account of Moses coming before Pharaoh and quoting the LORD, calling the Hebrews, "my people."

This is the language that the Old Testament often uses in describing God's relationship with Israel. God says that they are "my people." God says, "This is my tribe." So, when we come to Christmas, and celebrate how Jesus came to save "his people" from their sins, know that there is a world of Biblical Theology behind those two words. It's the covenant relationship that God has with those who follow after him. He claims us in Christ! He claims us as "his people." He claims us as "his tribe," even from the formation of Israel.

Here's my third point:

3. The Law – Leading His People

By leading his people, I mean guiding them in the way that they should live. Now, when you think about standards of living, the Ten Commandments often come to mind. Rightly so. So, let's turn to the Ten Commandments. They are found in Exodus, chapter 20. These commandments should be familiar to you. If you don't know them, I would encourage you to memorize them. It's not so difficult:

1. Do not worship any other gods.
2. Do not make any idols.
3. Do not misuse the name of God.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not lie.
10. Do not covet anything.

Notice how the Ten Commandments are introduced. Look at Exodus 20:1-2,

Exodus 20:1-2
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

This is almost identical to the title of my message this morning, only the tenses have changed. In Exodus 20:2 God says: "I am the LORD your God." My title reads this way: "I will be Your God; You will be My People." I would contend that this preface should precede every commandment.

Exodus 20:3-17
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

This is the LORD, leading his people in the way that they ought to live. He led them through the law. His people ought to love the LORD their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength (the first half of the commandments). His people ought to love their neighbor as themselves (the second half of the commandments). Know that it is all predicated upon God's relationship with his people. "I am the LORD your God, you shall." "I am," "you shall."

Of course, if you know the history of the people of Israel, you know that they failed miserably. That's because the law was never intended to be the way of salvation. Instead, as Romans 3:20 says, "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Isaiah 53:6 states it plainly: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." This is why Christmas came. It came so that Jesus could save his people from their sins. He did it by bearing our iniquity. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). This is the saving plan of God, which began at Christmas, when God came to save his people from their sins.

Turn to Leviticus, chapter 26. Leviticus is the third book in the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. In this chapter, the LORD lays out the consequences of following the law, or of failing to follow the law. The one brings blessing. The other brings a curse.

Leviticus 26:1-13
"You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect."

What a beautiful passage of God leading his tribe into blessings. Did you see the blessings? You will have rain (verse 4). The land will yield its increase (verse 4). The trees will yield their fruit (verse 4). Your grape harvest will be plenty (verse 5). You shall eat your bread to the full (verse 5). You will dwell in your land securely (verse 5). You will have peace (verse 6). You will not fear (verse 6). Your enemies will fall before you (verse 7). You will be fruitful (verse 9). You will multiply (verse 9). You will not run out of grain, but will have to discard your old grain to make way for the new! (verse 10). God promised to dwell with Israel (verse 11). God promised that he would not be angry with Israel (verse 11). God promised to walk among them (verse 12), if they would but "walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them" (verse 3).

Finally, God says, "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people" (Leviticus 26:12). This is the idea that we are chasing this Christmas season. That God has his people. God laid out what would happen if Israel failed to follow after the LORD. Beginning at verse 14, you have the horror story of consequences.

Leviticus 26:14-16
"But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache."

We could go on, but you get the idea. The curses of disobedience are terrible. But even in the curses, God promises restoration if they will repent.

Leviticus 26:40-45
"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD."

This is precisely what Christmas is about. It's about God remembering his covenant that he made with his tribe. If they repent and turn back, God will remember his covenant with them and will restore them. "That I might be their God: I am the LORD" (Leviticus 26:45). God has always had an eye for his people. He has always wanted to be their God. When Jesus came to save his people from their sins, he did all that was needed to restore us to the Lord. We simply need to repent.

Have you repented? Or are you one who is receiving the curses of Leviticus 26? This weekend, some men will be going into the jail. There are many people in jail who have faced the terrible consequences of Leviticus 26, forsaking the Lord. They've been brought low as low can be. But there are some who have come to Christ in the time of despair. Those entering the jail will minister to those who've made professions of faith in Christ. We can only pray that their life will continue on with that. But why do you go to the jail? Because you care for those people. Why does God remember his covenant? Because he cares for us. He loves us.

Let's finish with a quote from Seth Godin again, because it's really good. Godin is talking about a leader of a tribe, who is in the center of the tribe. A key emotion of this leader is a caring heart.

Caring is the key emotion at the center of the tribe. Tribe members care what happens, to their goals and to one another. Many organizations are unable to answer the question "Who cares?" because in fact, no one really does. No one really cares if the menu changes or if the percentage of fund raising income used for overhead changes. No one really cares if the widget's color is changed or if the flight is staffed with a different crew. If no one cares, then you have no tribe. If you don't care—really and deeply care—then you can't possibly lead.^[3]

God cares for us. He loves us. He's not going to forsake his tribe. Even when his tribe is wayward. Still, that's when he sent his son. "God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He didn't wait for us to reform, to send Jesus. He sent Jesus when we were wayward, and he saved us. That's why he sent Jesus. He's leading his tribe with care and concern. He will save his people from their sins.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on December 8, 2024 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Seth Godin, Tribes (New York: Penguin Group, 2008).

[2] Ibid., 67.

[3] Ibid., 125-6.