Part 2: The Law
“…was never meant to replace relationship.”
The King. The Law. The Heart!
Before we move into the Law, we have to hold onto what we just established about the King in Part 1.
Just a gentle nudge: if you have not sipped on that pour yet, go read it: The King Part 1 before starting this one ☕️
Remember:
The King is not harsh.
He is good.
He is merciful.
He is just.
Because without that understanding, the Law will feel like control… instead of care.
Part 2: The Law
Gods kingdom comes with a set of laws.
And that can feel heavy—until you understand the condition of the people receiving them.
When you think about the context of that day in which the laws were shared, Israel had just come out of slavery under Pharaoh.
They lived under forced rulership—shaped by oppression, survival, and limitation.
No freedom.
No structure of their own.
No identity outside of bondage.
And yet, they were still trying to serve God.
Still reaching for Him without a clear understanding of how.
They had also been immersed in a culture that was corrupt; a culture that practiced divination, rejected holiness, and worshipped many gods.
A polytheistic culture.
While Israel was called to be monotheistic…
or at least, they were supposed to be.
We are too.
Smh.
So when Pharoah let them go, they were physically free…but not free indeed…
— NKJV Exodus 12:31-36 NKJV
31 Then he (Pharoah) called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” 33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
Imagine a house full of children who have only known chaos.
No structure.
No consistency.
No example of what order looks like.
Then suddenly—they’re free.
Freedom without guidance doesn’t produce peace. It produces confusion.
Their exit from Egypt and the events at the Red Sea were more than deliverance. They marked a complete separation from bondage:
-NKJV Exodus 14:10
10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
-NKJV Exodus 14:26-28
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
God didn’t just set them free.
He cut off what was chasing them.
But even after that…they still thought like slaves.
For example, when Moses went up the mountain and delayed coming back, the people immediately panicked and built a golden calf:
-NKJV Exodus 32:1–4
1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.
Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh, when I read this, it burned my buttered biscuits, lol.
So a golden, man-made, molded calf, delivered Israel from Egypt and completely annihilated Pharoah’s army?
The Israelites were untrained and, even though they had experienced the power of Yahweh Elohim—the Eternal, Covenant-Keeping God who rules as Supreme Creator and King—when it came to fight or flight, their default was still fear.
Why?
Because slavery had trained them to depend on what they could see.
They were free from Pharaoh…
but still carried Egypt in their minds.
God delivered them in a moment.
But He had to transform them over time.
And that’s where the Law comes in.
Not as restriction… but as formation to ensure alignment.
Transformation for them looked like this:
Deliverance First
Before God gave the Law, He rescued and delivered His people from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12)
They did not earn deliverance.
They did not perform for deliverance.
They definitely did not obey to receive deliverance…let that marinate.
Identity Next
God tells them who they are, while simultaneously reminding them that He delivered them.
-NKJV Exodus 19:4-6:
4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
This is so beautiful! God did not remind them of the deliverance to boast or beat His chest.
There’s something deeply poetic about it. He said, “I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself”…awe my heart. How can a God so big and mighty be so gentle and loving? The paradox.
Its so personal for God. He personally brought the Israelites to himself and establish their identity:
1. A special treasure.
2. A Kingdom of priests.
3. A Holy Nation.
This is the identity. Not slaves. Not abandoned. Not forgotten.
His people.
Then Relationship
-NKJV Exodus 20:2
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“I am the Lord YOUR God…” is covenant language. He didn’t say, “a God” nor “The God”, but YOUR God.
This is relational.
This is belonging.
This is connection.
If you refer back to Exodus 19 and read beyond verse 6, you’ll notice the swiftness of God in preparing the people for covenant relationship with Him.
Again, they did nothing spectacular to deserve this kind of care… except belong to Him.
Notice:
God doesn’t say,
“If you obey Me, I’ll choose you.”
In essence, He says:
“I chose you. Now learn how to live as Mine.”
Then comes Exodus 20:1–17—the Law.
And honestly?
This changes everything for me.
Because the Law was never a requirement to earn God.
It was instruction for people who already belonged to Him.
People who had lived in survival mode for so long, they no longer understood what healthy structure looked like.
And if I’m being honest…
this totally tracks for me.
At some point, I was Israel.
Trying.
Performing.
Surviving.
Believing acceptance had to be earned.
We—(I)—have to completely shift our mindset.
Most of us think the order is:
Law → relationship
We think that if we:
obey enough
fix ourselves enough
get everything right enough
…then maybe God will accept us.
But Scripture shows the opposite order:
Deliverance → Identity→ Relationship → THEN Law
This is how God moved with His people.
1. God saves. (Deliverance)
2. God establishes. (Identity)
3. God calls you His. (Relationship)
4. God teaches you how to live. (Kingdom Law)
You do not obey to become accepted.
You obey because you already belong to Him.
And when we get the order wrong, it creates warped thinking.
It creates people who believe:
“God accepts me if I perform well enough.”
So we spend our lives trying to earn what was already offered through relationship.
It creates performative worshippers.
People who know how to shout, perform, and appear spiritual externally…while remaining deeply disconnected internally.
And honestly?
I think a lot of us were taught God from that order.
Rules first.
Relationship later.
But the Kingdom doesn’t move that way.
The King rescues first. It has to be that way. I’ve tried to save me, from me, and have failed every time.
And even the movies understand this pattern:
In most kingdom stories:
The king fights for his people or protects them. (Deliverance)
The king establishes identity and belonging. “You are mine.” (Identity & Relationship)
Then the king establishes decrees and order for the kingdom. (Law)
The Law was never meant to replace relationship.
It was meant to teach people who had already been brought in… how to live free.
In your devotional time, in those slow moments, sit with the Scriptures below—not just to focus on obedience, but to become aware of the deliverance and restoration of the people of Israel.
Often, we read what they experienced and quietly condemn them in our hearts.
We think: “It’s not that complicated… just obey.”
But if we reflect honestly, we’ll find patterns of disobedience, fear, rebellion, and strife woven throughout our own stories too.
And yet…we’ll also find evidence of God’s everlasting mercy, patience, and deliverance.
He was good to them.
And He is still good to us.
Scriptures to reflect upon:
Exodus 12
Exodus 14
Exodus 19
Exodus 20 — The Law Was Given
Exodus 32
Part 3: The Heart … coming soon.
Stay close 🤍☕️
The Law was never meant to replace relationship.
…I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself…” -Exodus 19:4