Family Resemblance from Exodus 23 (Monday Morning Faith)

Yesterday I talked about how different the picture on the menu is from what actually shows up at your table. This happens all the time. You see the advertisement, and everything looks perfect. The burger is stacked beautifully. The cheese is melted just right. The fries are overflowing. Then your food arrives, and you think, “Wait a minute… this is not what I expected.” There is a name for that: the expectation versus reality gap.

The picture created an expectation, but the reality did not match.

Sometimes the same thing happens spiritually. We know what God desires His people to look like. We know we are called to be people of truth, compassion, and trust. But then we look at our own lives, our own words, and our own reactions, and we realize there is a gap between what God has called us to be and how we actually live. When God rescued Israel from Egypt, He did not simply set them free and say, “Now try harder.” He was forming them into a people who would reflect Him. The same is true for us. God does not simply forgive us and leave us unchanged. He forms us into people who reflect His character. In Exodus 23, God shows Israel what this looks like in everyday life.

First, God forms us to speak truthfully. It is interesting that before God talks about sacrifices, worship practices, or religious traditions, He talks about words. He tells His people not to spread false rumors, twist justice, or follow the crowd when it leads toward what is wrong. Why start there? Because our words reveal our hearts. Words may seem small, but God knows they carry great weight. In Israel’s world, false testimony could destroy someone’s reputation, property, or even their life. God was teaching His people that truth matters because people matter. The God who created people cares how we talk about people.

We often convince ourselves that words are not a big deal…

“I was just venting.”
“I was only telling the truth.”
“Everyone already knows that.”
“I didn’t say it to their face.”

But Exodus 23 reminds us that God cares not only whether our words are technically true. He cares whether our words honor the dignity of people made in His image. We can worship God on Sunday and dishonor people made in His image on Monday. God is forming us into people whose words bring life.

Second, God forms us to show compassion. One of the most surprising commands in Exodus 23 is that if your enemy’s animal wanders away, you should return it. If your enemy’s donkey collapses under its load, you should stop and help. God does not say, “Help the people who are kind to you.” He says, “Show compassion even when it is inconvenient.” Why?

Because Israel knew what it felt like to be powerless. They knew what it felt like to be outsiders. They knew what it felt like to need someone else’s mercy. God reminds them: “Remember who you were, and remember who I am.” That is the foundation of biblical compassion. Compassion begins when we remember that we are recipients before we are rescuers. The gospel changes the way we see people because the gospel changed the way God saw us. Jesus did not love us because we were lovable. Romans 5:8 reminds us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We do not show compassion because everyone deserves it. We show compassion because we have received it.

A beautiful picture of this is found in grafting. We talked about a couple of examples yesterday…the pomato tree and the fruit salad tree. I’d love to see one of these in person one day! How in the world does this happen?? Gardeners can take branches from different fruit trees and attach them to one healthy root system. Over time, those branches produce fruit they could never produce on their own because they are receiving life from the same source.

That is what God does in us. The gospel does not simply make us nicer people. It connects us to the life of Christ. And when we receive the compassion of God, we begin producing compassion toward others.

Third, God forms us to trust His provision. God commanded Israel to let the land rest every seventh year. For farmers, this was not just an agricultural practice. It was an act of faith.

Imagine the questions running through their minds…

“What if we do not have enough?”
“What if we fall behind?”
“What if this costs us?”

God was teaching them something important: “You are not sustained by your effort alone. I am your provider.” The Sabbath was a reminder that they were human and God was God. The world continues because God holds it together—not because we never stop working. Many of us live as though everything depends on us…

“If I do not answer the email, something bad will happen.”
“If I stop working, I will fall behind.”
“If I do not provide everything my family needs, I have failed.”

But God never asked us to carry the weight of being God. Rest is not laziness. Rest is an act of trust. It is saying, “God, I believe You are working even when I am not.” God did not create us to run endlessly on our own strength. He wants more than exhausted workers. He wants formed sons and daughters who trust Him.

A fascinating detail from my study in the last few weeks is that the Hebrew word often translated “holy” carries the idea of being set apart for a special purpose. God was not simply making Israel different from other nations so they could be separate. He was forming them to represent Him. Their lives were meant to show the world what their God was like. That is still true for us today. Following Jesus is not simply about being forgiven. It is about being formed. God is shaping us into people who reflect Him. The question is not whether we are being shaped. Something is always shaping us.

The question is: Will we allow the God who rescued us to shape us into people who look like Him?
God rescues us to make us new people who reflect His character in the way we speak, love, and trust Him.

He didn't rescue Israel simply to get them out of Egypt. He rescued them so that, over time, when the nations looked at Israel, they would catch a glimpse of what their God is like. A God who speaks truth. A God who shows compassion. A God who can be trusted. The same is true for us.

Jesus didn't save us merely so we could go to heaven one day.
He saved us so that every day we would begin to look more and more like our Father.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for rescuing me and making me Your child. Forgive me for the ways I have allowed the world to shape my words, my attitudes, and my priorities more than You. Shape me to reflect Your character. Help me speak truthfully, show compassion, and trust Your provision instead of trying to carry everything on my own. Continue forming me into someone who looks more like Jesus every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.