Let's start again in our Bibles
to the book of Exodus. And tonight we've come to chapter
21, Exodus chapter 21. Now these are the judgments which
thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant,
six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out
free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he
shall go out by himself. If he were married, then his
wife shall go out with him. If his master hath given him
a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters, the wife and
her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly
say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go
out free. Then his master shall bring him
unto the judges. He shall also bring him to the
door, or unto the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear
through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. I mentioned last week that the
law, the covenant that God gave unto the nation of Israel, has
three parts. That is, part of it is is moral,
and part of it is ceremonial, and part of it is civil. The
moral part, we looked at some last time in chapter 20, where
we have the commandments of the Lord. The ceremonial, most of
it is found in the book of Leviticus. The reason being, the book of
Leviticus, of course, refers to the tribe of Levi, the priestly
tribe. and all of the sacrifices and
the offerings which pictured were ceremonial and pictured
salvation and pictured the Lord Jesus Christ and his work. We
have the great day of atonement. We have so many pictures there
in the book of Leviticus, but also We know that part of the
law concern civil judgments. You notice in this verse one
that we just read, now these are the judgments, not the commandments,
but the judgments which thou shalt set before them. It was
here at Mount Sinai, actually, that Israel was constituted as
a nation. Before that, before this time,
they had been a family. A family went down into Egypt,
and yes, they had multiplied greatly, but they certainly had
no central government or anything like that. But it is here at
Sinai that they are constituted into a nation, and nations have
laws. National governments have laws,
civil laws. You remember when Paul wrote
The letter of Ephesians in chapter two, he's speaking of Gentiles
and he tells them that they had been aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel. In other words, these Gentiles
had not been part of the commonwealth or the nation of Israel. Now, nations have laws. We have
a constitution in our nation, and there's many laws on the
books, civil laws. And in this covenant that God
made with Israel, again, and that's what it is. Remember,
it is a covenant. There's moral, there's ceremonial,
and there are civil parts of this covenant. Now the first
judgment we just read here in Exodus chapter 21 serves as a
beautiful type. And remember the scripture in
Romans 10 said, for Christ is the end or the goal of the law. And he was referring to the law
here that was given to Israel, no doubt, when he wrote that,
the apostle Paul. The law in Galatians, he said,
serves like a schoolmaster, but always to bring us to Christ,
always to point us to Christ, whether it tells us, shows us
by the moral commandments that we need a savior, that we've
broken God's law. And also in the ceremonial, the
pictures of Christ, I mentioned the great day of atonement, And
there's many more, of course, there. The peace offering, the
sin offering, the meat offering, all of those are given in the
book of Leviticus. Part of this law that was given
to Israel at Mount Sinai. And also this civil part. But all of it, in my opinion,
and I believe I'm right in this, all of it was given to picture,
to point somehow to Christ. And even in this, which is a
judgment, that's what the scripture says, now these are the judgments
which the Lord, which thou shalt set before them. This first judgment,
this first civil law concerned a Hebrew servant. And what we
see here, a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
is God's servant. I have four things I want to
mention to us tonight from these verses about the servant of the
Lord, God's amazing servant. First, the servant in these verses
was a Hebrew, to picture Christ. Notice what it says, if thou
by an Hebrew servant. This only concerned Hebrew servants. It didn't concern Gentile servants. It was a commandment, a judgment
concerning Hebrew servants. The first time that we have the
word Hebrew in the Bible is found in Genesis and it refers to Abraham. And I've read many times over
the years articles about where this name came from. And I don't
think there's any real clear understanding as to why the Israelites,
the Jews, came to be called Hebrews. Remember Paul and Philippians
said he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. But this is one of the names
that they were known by. They were Hebrews. And it really
doesn't matter why Abraham and his descendants were called Hebrews. They were. And remember, Joseph
was an Israelite. He was of the family of Jacob.
And that wife of Potiphar, when she accused Joseph of trying
to take advantage of her, she called him a Hebrew. Her husband,
Potiphar, had brought in a Hebrew. And so this is something that
we find in the Word of God, the nation of Israel, Israelites,
Jews, Hebrews, all referring to the same group of people.
And this type here, this picture, it only concerned a Hebrew servant,
didn't concern a Gentile servant, this law, this judgment. You
know the revelation in the Word of God of the coming Christ is
progressive, isn't it? It begins in Genesis chapter
3 as the seed of the woman, but then later in Genesis chapter
12 we've got, in Abraham shall all the nations of the earth
be blessed. And then we find Judah, Jacob,
in prophesying over his 12 sons. He tells us that the Savior would
come from Judah. And so it's progressive, the
teaching about the Savior. But the point I'm making is this
judgment concerned a Hebrew servant And the Lord Jesus Christ was
a Hebrew. He was a Hebrew. This pictured
Christ as a Hebrew. You say, well, where is he called
a Hebrew? Well, he's called an Israelite.
And I've already made the point that these are three designations
of that group of people, Jewish, Israelites, Hebrews. In Romans
chapter nine, In verses four and five, the apostle wrote,
Israelites, whose are the fathers and of whom as concerning the
flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. We know that he was born
of Mary, and Mary was of the house of David. And that is stated
for us ever so good, isn't it? In Romans chapter one, the apostle
speaking of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans chapter one. He says in verse one that he
was separated under the gospel of God, which he had promised
afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his
son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
and declared to be the son of God with power. made the seed
of David, that is, according to the flesh, he was a Hebrew. He was an Israelite, but we know
he was also the son of God. So that's the first way that
this Hebrew servant serves as a picture of Christ. He had to
be a Hebrew and the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill all of those
prophecies concerning the promised one, he had to be of the house
of David. The second point is, the servant
in these verses served freely to picture Christ. He served
freely. You notice in verse 2, It says,
if thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve, but
in the seventh year, he shall go out free for nothing. This servant pictures the Lord
Jesus Christ because this servant, he's going to serve freely. He was not compelled. After serving
six years, and six, of course, is the number of man. But after
serving six years in that seventh year, he's to go out free. But this servant, he doesn't
choose to go out free. He stays as a servant. But the
point is he freely, he freely makes himself a servant. And the same thing is true of
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know this passage, but look
with me in Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two and beginning
with verse five. Philippians two, verse five. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God. Now notice, but made himself. He made himself of no reputation. He took upon him the form of
a servant and was made in the likeness of man. He made himself
of no reputation. He took upon himself the form
of a servant. What he did, he did freely. He was not made to do this. And I asked this question, who
would ever choose to be a servant? Who would ever choose to be a
servant? But yet he said, for the son
of man came not to be ministered unto, to be served, but to minister
and to give his life a ransom for many. So the second picture
here is this servant serves freely. He freely chooses to be a servant. And if you will, turn with me
to Psalms chapter 40. In Psalms chapter 40, it becomes
ever so apparent that this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalms chapter 40. and beginning
with verse six, and our Lord spoke these words, and according
to Hebrews chapter 10, sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire,
mine ears hast thou opened. Now remember, in the passage
in Exodus, when this man chose to be a servant, what happened?
He had his ear bored through the hole, put in his ear to show
that he was a, he had chosen to be a servant and to serve
forever. And everyone knows that this
is referring to Christ here. Sacrifice and offering thou didst
not desire. Mine ears hast thou opened. Burn offering and sin offering
hast thou not required. Then said I, lo, I come, and
the volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do
thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. And the word I'm looking for
is the word volunteer. Volunteer. He volunteered. to be a servant. And that pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ. He was not coerced. He was not
forced in any way to be a servant. He became a servant freely, just
like this servant here in Exodus chapter 21. And I think of this like in the
Council of Peace. in the Council of Peace, that
is, when only God existed, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And in
the Council of Peace, when the everlasting covenant was agreed
upon, it was as though the Lord Jesus Christ, he volunteered
to come and to glorify his Father by honoring his justice. You
know, God's justice had to be satisfied. And the Lord Jesus
Christ said, here am I. Think of the words of Isaiah
in Isaiah chapter six, when he saw the Lord high and lifted
up, and then the question came, whom shall we send and whom will
go for us? And Isaiah responded, here am
I, send me. And I see the Lord in that council
of peace. When that covenant was being
made, He, volunteering, here am I, send me the eternal Son
of God. And to be sent of the Father,
and how many verses in the New Testament tell us the Father
sent His Son? to be the savior of the world,
sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. He volunteered
to come. The eternal son of God, knowing
what it would entail, the surety of the covenant had
to be of the same nature of those that he came to redeem. those
whom he came to save. In other words, he came to save
men. He didn't come to save angels.
There's no savior provided for angels, but for
men. And to do that, he had to become
a man. He had to be bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh, that God might be satisfied in the
same nature that had offended him, that had offended his justice. It was man who broke God's law,
so it must be man who obeys God's law. Here am I, send me. This verse in Psalm 60 in verse
four says, this too is a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ. They
that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine
head. They that would destroy me, being
mine enemies wrongfully. Now notice, then I restored that
which I took not away. He had not offended God. He had not sinned. Just like
I think of that verse, he restored that which he took not away. A person goes into a store. And
he just picks up something and takes it out with him. He doesn't
pay. And someone else comes along afterwards and pays for that. And you and I, we are the ones
who had offended God, robbed God of his glory by our sin. And he comes along and he restores
that, which he didn't take away. because we know he was holy,
harmless, undefiled, the son of God. In Luke chapter 22 and
verse 27, he told his disciples, I am among you as he that serveth. We saw that in the passage we
looked at last Sunday morning, how the disciples were seeking
preeminence. Who could be the greatest? And
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the greatest of all, he said
he had not come to be served, but to serve and to give his
life a ransom for many. The third picture I see here,
the servant in these verses loved, loved intensely. So the Lord Jesus Christ. This
man, to be a servant, to do this freely, first of all, he had
to confess, I love my master. I love my master. Well, who was
our Lord's master? It was God. God. The law which his people had
broken, he came to fulfill. And you know that the first commandment
is, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. You and I, we've never
kept that law, but he had, he did. He loved his master. He loved God with all his heart,
all his soul, and all his mind. And we in him also obeyed that
law as our substitute. When you love someone, and I
know all of us here in this building tonight, there's people that
we love, and you'll agree with what I'm going to say. When you
love someone, and I'm especially thinking of husband and wife,
but it's true of all relationships, When you love someone, you want
to please that person. You have a desire to please that
person. And that's one way believers
sometimes we question ourselves, do I really love the Lord? Do
I really love the Lord? Well, let me ask you, do you
have a desire to please Him? Oh, you say, yes, that's my desire. I fail, yes. But that's my desire,
to please Him in all things. And that's just a demonstration
that you love Him. And the same is true of the Lord
Jesus Christ. How do we know that He loved
His Master? Because as He said Himself in
John chapter 8, I do always those things that please Him. I do
always those things that please. He never did anything that did
not please his father. Why? Because he loved his father. I love my master. That had to
be this servant's confession, first of all. I love my master. Secondly, I love my wife. I love my wife. In Ephesians
chapter five, the apostle exhorts husbands. Husbands, love your
wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. We can't help but notice here
that this wife that he loves and he remains a servant for
was given unto him. She was given unto him. Well,
what does that bring to your mind? All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me. All believers who make up the
bride of the Lord Jesus Christ were given to him in that eternal
covenant of grace. I love my wife. Something else about this servant's
wife who was given to him. John Gill made this comment. This wife would not have been
an Israelite, not if she was given to him. An Israelite, two
Israelites, a woman given to an Israelite, an Israelite given
to a man, there would be that betrothal, there would be that
dowry that would be paid and all of that. This wife who was
given to this servant, he was a Hebrew, yes, but this wife
who was given to him would have been a Canaanitish woman. And that's the reason she would
not go out free with him. She was her master's. And the
thing that struck me as I read that and thought about it is,
All of the Canaanite people were what? They were under a curse.
They were all under a curse. And you and I, all of us who
make up his bride, those who trust in him, we too were under
a curse. Because the scripture says, cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of law for to do them. We were cursed. Adam, when he disobeyed God,
brought a curse upon himself and upon the human race. And
the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, the bride that he loved, she
too, was under a curse. And so Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law. How? How did he redeem us from
the curse of the law? Being made a curse for us. That's
what the apostle tells us in Galatians chapter 3 and verse
13. How was Christ made a curse when
they nailed his hands and his feet on that tree, on that cross? Because the law in the book of
Deuteronomy, the law had declared Thousands of years before his
crucifixion, he that hangeth upon a tree is cursed. Yes, he redeemed us. He redeemed
his wife. But then notice also, he had
to make this statement. I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. Now, children
are engendered, right? They are begotten. And so the
Lord Jesus Christ, we know he has a seed. Look with me in Isaiah
chapter 53. This chapter that tells us about
his sufferings. Isaiah chapter 53. You're familiar
with it, I know. Verse 10 tells us, yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Now notice, he shall
see his seed. That's his children. Your seed,
you men here tonight who have children, your seed, those are
your children. Your seed. Yes, he shall see
his seed. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his
knowledge, by knowing him, shall my righteous servant justify
many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Now the last, the
fourth thing, this servant, in these verses, to picture Christ
was to remain a servant. He was to remain a servant. Turn
with me one other place in closing. Look with me in Luke chapter
12. Luke chapter 12. He was to remain a servant. You know the Lord Jesus Christ,
he came into this world as a man. not to be ministered unto, but
to minister and to give his life. And he is continuing to serve
us tonight. He's a servant forever. But now he's at the Father's
right hand making intercession for us. What is that? He's serving
us. Just like he served us when he
died upon the tree. So now his life of intercession,
he's serving us. But here's an amazing word here
in Luke chapter 12, beginning in verse 35. He said, let your
loins be girded about and your lights burning and you yourselves
like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return from
the wedding. that when he cometh and knocketh,
they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom
the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Look here, verily
I say unto you. Now who is the Lord who's coming?
Christ. He's coming again. And notice,
I say unto you that he that is Christ shall gird himself and
make them to sit down to meet and will come forth and serve
them. He's a servant forever. And even
in eternity, he will continue to serve his people. Why? Because he loved his master,
loves his master, loves his wife, and loves his children. May the
Lord bless His word to those of us here this evening.