Exodus 19 - Holy Boldness!
I can’t say I have ever felt afraid of God, but I have felt the awe of His presence, and I have been overcome by a sense of His majesty. I remember standing out on a mound of earth out on a property and looking up at the stars. Away from the city, the stars seem so much brighter, and I cried out to God to take me further in my Christian life as I had an overwhelming sense of His presence. Imagine being at Sinai!
Exodus 19 is where Israel promises to obey God and they are consecrated at Mt Sinai. They were asked to wash their clothes. This was a special occasion and they were to be clean and ready inwardly and outwardly. They are given clear boundaries and told that they must not touch the mountain or approach it. Moses and God speak together and the awe of God is tangible. There was also lightning and thunder and a thick cloud descends on the mountain. The camp trembles.
I love how God reminds us of His love for us, the victories He has given us and the future He has planned for us. He gives us boundaries, not to restrict us, but to free us to be the people He wants us to be. That is also true here. God speaks to Israel through Moses and reassures them of His direction in the past and His purposes for their lives. Then He says "Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. ... you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’"
The Church is also called a nation of kings and priests in 1 Peter 2:5,9. We belong to God and He wants us to be separated from sin.
What I love is that we are not told to stand back. We are not told not to go too close. Unlike the people of Israel, we are told to be like Moses and to draw near to God
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:19-25 (NLT))
God bless you Church as you enter boldly into the presence of God, and without wavering take hold of all that God has for your life today.
