Exodus 19:1-15 The Holy Presence Of God

We are continuing through Exodus, our journey through Exodus. As you'll recall, this is the account of the Israelites being delivered from captivity in Egypt, but it's not really a story about the Egyptians, the Israelites, or Moses; it is a story about God. Today, we're going to be in Exodus Chapter 19, focusing solely on God and His power, His might, His holiness. My hope today is that you will come away with a greater picture of who God is, not just a portion of who He is but a greater picture of who He is. So, if you'll turn with me to Exodus Chapter 19, we're going to read through this chapter very quickly, and then we'll begin to break it down. On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness; there Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus should you say to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and they also believe you forever." When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, 'Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain."

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman." On the morning of the third day, there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled. When Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Moses and the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. Also, let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them." And Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.'" And the Lord said to him, "Go down and come up, bringing Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Alright, so here's Israel. They have been wandering for about seven weeks since they left Egypt, and the reason I want to bring this up is that there are a couple of things we need to understand about the backdrop, if you will, of this story. So, I've got a picture of Mount Sinai behind me, and everything in Exodus from here through the rest of the book basically takes place at this mountain. What's important about this mountain is that for the Israelites, it is actually further from the Promised Land than it was when they were in Egypt. So don't miss that. Oftentimes, we get this picture in our head that God is going to do something for us, and it's going to happen right now. And then a few weeks later, a few months later, a few years later, but given God, why are we in this place? I thought we were going to the Promised Land. We have to remember, God knows more about leading us than we know about following Him, and that's part of this journey. God is leading His people.