“Moses Meets God”
Text: Exodus 3:1-6
I. Welcome
II. Introduction
I want to continue our series of lessons this morning on Mountaintop Experiences. The first was “Noah’s New Beginning” on the Mountains of Ararat. Then, on May the 20th, our lesson was “Living by Faith” – about the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham on Mount Moriah. Today’s lesson focuses on Mount Sinai in a sermon entitled “Moses Meets God.” Mount Sinai is also known as Mount Horeb and the mountain of God. Later, the prophet Elijah will have an encounter with the Lord at this same mountain as recorded in 1 Kings 19:8-18. As we will see, Moses had more than one encounter with God at Mount Sinai but we will begin with the text from Exodus 3:1-6. While various sites have been suggested for Mount Sinai as indicated by the yellow triangles, we will use the one located in the lower part of the Sinai Peninsula indicated by three of these triangles which was cited by Eusebius in the early 4th century A.D. But, no matter where Mount Sinai was actually located, it was a place central to the history of Israel – where the Law was given. As indicated in our scripture reading, Moses met the Lord in the burning bush – standing on holy ground. The purpose of this encounter was for the Lord to task Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage after some 430 years. Moses had plenty of excuses but the Lord had providentially been preparing His servant to do this job for the past 80 years. Moses was concerned concerned about the name of the God of Israel and the Lord told him in Exodus 3:14 – “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” For the rest of our time this morning, I want us to briefly look at some more encounters Moses had with the great “I Am” on Mt. Sinai. I hope you’ll open your Bibles as we study together and then be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 and search the scriptures daily to make sure I’ve told you the truth.
III. Lesson
Scholars have outlined at least seven trips that Moses made up Mt. Sinai recorded in Exodus but we won’t be able to cover all of these in detail. However, I’ve listed them here for those who want to go back and look at each one. Moses made three trips up Mt. Sinai in chapter 19 just preparing the people to receive the Law. Read with me from the first nine verses of Exodus 19 to get the feel of what is going on in his first two trips: In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You 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, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 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.”
So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”
So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
The children of Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai about six weeks after leaving Egypt. We know there were 600,000 men on foot and experts estimate that the total number of men, women and children was approximately 2.5 million. God has delivered His people from Egyptian slavery and now He is prepared to give them rules to guide their lives. The people have agreed to do as God says. They had to consecrate themselves and keep distance between themselves and the mountain of God. The text goes on in verse 16 to tell how there was a thick cloud on the mountain with thunderings and lightnings and the sound of a loud trumpet such that the people trembled. The Lord came down on Mt. Sinai and called Moses up to Him. After receiving God’s instructions, Moses came down and spoke to the people. Moses must have repeated the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 as he spoke to the people. Let’s read Exodus 20:18-21 – Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. This begins Moses’ fourth trip up the mountain as he receives the detailed Law and writes it down in the Book of the Covenant. He then built an altar at the foot of the mountain and had young men offer burnt offerings. Moses then read the Book of the Covenant to the people. Notice Exodus 24:7b-8 – And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.” The text now says that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel went up the mountain and saw God and ate and drank. Moses will now make his sixth trip up the mountain – accompanied part of the way by Joshua. I want us to pick up our reading at Exodus 24:15-18 – Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.
Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. Can you imagine spending 40 days and nights in the very presence of God? According to the text, God is giving Moses instructions about the tabernacle. I wonder what it would be like for us to spend 40 days immersing ourselves in God’s word – shut off from all TV, radio and movies, all social media, newspapers, magazines, internet, etc. Realizing we have to work and go to school, we could still cut out the other stuff. I wonder if we would actually draw nearer to God and His will for us. Somehow, I think we would if we were willing to make that sacrifice just for 40 days. Many have watched the movie Fireproof and may have participated in the 40-day Love Dare to heal their broken marriage. Why wouldn’t we want to spend 40 days to make sure we get to heaven? If you remember, while Moses is on the mountain, the people have convinced Aaron to build a golden calf for them to worship. In Exodus 32:7, the Lord tells Moses to get down off the mountain because the people had worshiped the golden calf. God was ready to destroy the people and make a great nation through Moses. But Moses interceded for the people and God turned away from His great wrath. You’ll remember how Moses broke the two tablets of stone at the foot of the mountain in his anger and had the sons of Levi kill some 3,000 of their brethren with the sword. Moses then offers to go up to the Lord and see if he can make atonement for their sin. Exodus 32:31-35 – Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”
So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made. Moses has tried to intercede and then make atonement for the sinful and rebellious Israelites. I find those descriptions intriguing in light of the words found in Deuteronomy 18:15 where Moses repeats what the Lord has told him: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” Before we look at Moses’ final trip up Mt. Sinai, I’d like to draw our attention to Exodus 33:7-11 where Moses set up a tent outside the camp – the tabernacle of meeting – where people could seek the Lord. This is also where Moses talked with the Lord. Now notice the first part of verse 11: So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Oh, that we could talk with God often enough to have such an intimate friendship. Let’s conclude with the seventh trip up Mt. Sinai after Moses broke the tablets of stone. The Lord commanded him to cut two more just like the first and then present himself on top of Mt. Sinai. This is recorded in Exodus 34 but I want us to jump to verse 28 and read through verse 33: So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. I’m reminded of a song we use to sing as children:
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain
Heavenly breezes blow;
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain
Faces all aglow.
Folks, when we leave the presence of God this morning after worship, our faces should glow – maybe not needing a veil like Moses. But our countenance should reflect the joy that comes from being in the presence of and worshiping our Creator.
IV. Conclusion/Invitation
Where are you this morning? Have you ever met God? The Bible says if you’ll draw near to God, He’ll draw near to you (James 4:8). Have you made His Son your Lord and Savior? He will intercede on your behalf because He has already made full atonement for your sins – something Moses could never do. Do you need to put Christ on in baptism? Do you need to come back home to the Father? Please don’t put off baptism or getting your life right with God. If you need to respond to the Lord’s invitation this morning, I beg you, please come as together we stand and sing.
