READING: Exodus 19
Meeting God at Sinai
BACKGROUND:
Exactly three months after their great Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites have arrived at Mt. Sinai for their appointment with God. This is where God promised Moses he would bring the people to worship Him (Exodus 3:12). They set up camp here and will remain in this location close to a year. While they are here, Moses will receive the Law, and they will build the Tabernacle.
OBSERVATIONS:
First off He reminds the people that they have seen what He can do and has rescued them from Egypt and brought them to Himself with many great miracles. All the earth belongs to Him, and He has chosen this particular family of people to call His own. They have not done anything to earn this position with God; He has chosen, by His grace, to bestow it upon them.
Moses was the mediator between God and the Israelites, and God was giving authority to Moses in the sight of the people (v 9).
The covenant is entirely God's making; Israel did not contribute any ideas to it. Also note that this is a conditional covenant. There are conditions that Israel must meet in order to receive the blessings promised. It is not a covenant to provide life or salvation, but a means by which Israel would become a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (v 6). It will set them apart (sanctify them) as a unique people, blessed of God. The chapters to come will be the details of the covenant.
The people had to have two days to prepare for this meeting. They needed to purify themselves before coming near to the LORD.
The LORD set boundaries for the people. They were not permitted to come too close or see too much. It would be enough for them to see the cloud and to hear the thunder of God's voice. This protected them from God's holy presence.
LOOKING FORWARD:
After reading this chapter, read Hebrews 12:18-29. I hope you'll find it as fascinating as I do!
REFLECTION:
Reflection on verses 16-19 -- the description of God's presence -- thunder, lightning, thick cloud, loud trumpet, smoke, earthquake. Then the trumpet grew louder and louder, and God spoke with thunder. This is an amazing manifestation of God! Yet, as a believer, I do not come to Mt. Sinai full of fear and trembling. But I come to Mount Zion where Jesus is my mediator. I do not come to God with fear of destruction but with acceptance before Almighty God.
APPLICATION:
I'm sure I would have trembled greatly if I had been there! What awe! What an incredible presence! There would be nothing to do but fall down and worship God. Through Jesus, I am permitted to come into the presence of God. I must always remember to do so with great reverence and awe. His presence is not to be taken lightly.
As I wash my clothes, I can be reminded that I am consecrated for God. He has washed me clean for His use. Because I am clean, I can enter His presence. "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
PRAYER:
LORD, You are and awesome God! Your power and majesty is beyond comprehension. Yet, you have chosen me, You have consecrated me for Your glory. Thank you for allowing me access to You through the blood of Jesus. May I always show my gratitude to You by offering myself in service to You with reverence and awe. Through Jesus, Amen.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Day 66: Exodus 19
Israel Encamped at Mt. Sinai (from www.templeinstitute.org)
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5 comments:
I walked away from this passage thinking about God's statement to the Israelites that he had "carried you on eagle's wings" out of Egypt and unto Himself.
I'm thinking, "What?! Wandering around in the desert places for three months! That could not have felt like flying around on eagle's wings!"
I think about various situations and circumstances in my own life. The rough and tumble of every day life can be a bit much. Yet at the end I am certain that God will say, "You saw how I carried you on eagle's wings."
Instead of fighting against things so much, perhaps I should take a step back -- or sit down -- and glide on those wings a bit. He offers rest. I just don't ask for it.
Great! The conditional covenant distinction is a great one to make. "It is not a covenant to provide blessings or salvation, but a means by which Israel would become a 'kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'" Thanks for that clarification.
Love your cross-reference to Hebrews 12. This always sends shivers up my spine. There is such authority and power in those verses! "But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the spirnkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel." I just want to stand up and shout! We are a part of something so HUGE. This is something so beyond ourselves and our own comprehension. It is so uplifting to the soul that we are part of it all through Jesus. HALLELUJAH! How can we not bow in worship?
Thanks Katrina for an excellent analysis of Genesis 19!
Carrie, I love that picture of being "bore up on eagles' wings," but I hear ya' on the day-to-day grind suff too. This verse brought me to Isaiah 40:31 and the whole concept of waiting on the LORD in the storm. Wait in Hebrew comes from a root word to "bind or twist" around. I like to see it as "binding and twisting" my heart around the LORD as I wait out a storm. Israel was waiting out a final resting place in Canaan, and God had wanted them, more than anything, to rest in Him. Their wandering was a way to "bind and twist" around Him and grow and mature. Our wilderness times serve the same purpose. I do dislike them though. So, like you, the eagle analogy helps me "rise above" the storm.
Here is something I found about eagles and flying (http://members.tripod.com/Moxnix_2/eagle.html):
Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?
The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.
When the storm hits,it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.
While the storm rages below,
the eagle is soaring above it.
The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.
When the storms of life come upon us -and all of us will experience them -we can rise above them
by setting our minds and our belief toward God.
The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power
to lift us above them.
God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives.
We can soar above the storm.
Remember, it is not the burdens
of life that weigh us down,
it is how we handle them.
Much of what eagles do in the face of a storm is to glide with wings strong and outstreched.
"Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."
(Isaiah 40:31)
Thanks for sharing!
Love your picture, by the way. The Reflection section disappeared. I am not sure what is up with that. I read it earlier, but it is gone now.
The Reflection section is no longer showing up on the post, but it's still there on my "author's" page. So weird! Anyway, here it is --
REFLECTION:
Reflection on verses 16-19 -- the description of God's presence -- thunder, lightning, thick cloud, loud trumpet, smoke, earthquake. Then the trumpet grew louder and louder, and God spoke with thunder. This is an amazing manifestation of God! Yet, as a believer, I do not come to Mt. Sinai full of fear and trembling. But I come to Mount Zion where Jesus is my mediator. I do not come to God with fear of destruction but with acceptance before Almighty God.
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