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.
The other thing that we want to understand here in this journey is not only are they further from the Promised Land, but they've already been out wandering for seven weeks. And as we know from their story, this is just the beginning. So I want you to have those things in mind because that's going to be important for us. Do we trust God enough in His leadership? If He truly knows more about leading us than we know about following Him, are we trusting where He's leading? Are we complaining and trying to make things happen on our own?
So, let's read beginning here at verse 1: "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 mountains saying, 'Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel.'"
So, what I want you to do is stick your finger there, hold your place, and go back a few pages to Exodus chapter 3. We're going to look at verse 12. This is an important moment for Moses because this was part of the covenant that God made with Moses at the burning bush, and so for this not to happen would be an unfulfilled promise from God. So, this is very important for Moses—chapter 3, verse 12 of Exodus. He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." This is where his burning bush experience took place, this is the place that God said, "This is how you know this is what I'm going to do because you're going to find yourself here with the people." That's the covenant promise that I'm making to you.
Now that you're here, coming back to chapter 19, he says, "The Lord called him," verse 3, "out of the mountains saying, 'Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel.'" So he gives him a message: "Moses, I'm calling you out. I'm giving you the words to speak." So in Egypt, Moses' job was to confront Pharaoh: "Thus says the Lord, let my people go." But now it's time to speak to his own people.
Notice what he says here in verse 4, "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagle's 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." We see a pattern here in these couple of verses that's really important. It's the same pattern we see at the cross of Jesus, and it starts with this: God's grace comes first. God does the work first, and then what's followed up is our obedience based on the work that He's done. His grace, as it's demonstrated to us, and thirdly, we begin to experience his blessings as we walk in obedience.
Now, what tends to happen sometimes is we get that order reversed, and we try to work our way into God's grace, and that doesn't work because, if you're being honest, every one of us here has said, "You know what, God, I'm sorry, I messed that up. I will never do this again if you'll bless me." And what ends up happening is we do it again, right? We repeat that pattern over and over and over again. Well, that's not God's order. God's order is this: "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagle's wings and how I brought you to myself." See, God does the work of grace. It's not possible for you to make that happen. So when you are trying to work out God's grace, when you're trying to earn His favor, it doesn't work that way. It's a futile attempt. What God is saying is, "I've already done the work. Stop trying to work for my grace and start walking in the obedience of the grace that I've given you," and that was His word to the Israelites.
A couple of things I want to point out, though, about His grace: Number one, "You've seen what I did to the Egyptians." You've witnessed for yourself my might. You've witnessed for yourself all the great things that I've done in your life. If all of us look at our lives, we've all seen God do amazing, miraculous things. We've seen Him intervene in our lives time and time again. The building blocks of our faith are there if we'll grab hold of them. The second thing that He tells them is, "I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself." This is kind of an important picture for you to get because a bird will normally carry its young in its talons, but an eagle will put its young on top of its back and fly. Here's the picture you need to get: If I'm going to kill the young with an arrow or a slingshot, it has to go through mama first. It's a special kind of protection. I'm putting myself between you and your enemy. I'm putting myself between you and your adversity. I'm putting myself between you and your adversary. It's a special kind of love, it's a special kind of care. The things that are out to destroy you have to come through me first. What a promise, what a picture. And then, notice what he says, "And then I brought you to myself." You couldn't get there on your own. I brought you to me. I brought you close to me.
Let's go into verse 5 here: "Now therefore, because of all those things, 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. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." See, what we're asked for is to just simply walk in obedience. Jesus went to the cross and did the hard work. He's the one that made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. He's the one that made it possible for us to live a new life. He's the one that makes it possible for us to enter into the presence of God. We need to stop trying to earn that; that's already done. What we're asked to do is walk in the obedience of this new life, start walking in this new life that you've been granted. And when we do that, here's the blessing, the promise God says: "You'll 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."
See, for the people of Israel, it's not that they were anybody special in and of themselves, but God chose them, He called them to Himself, and He made a covenant with them, and He began to enact that covenant through them, and because of that, all of the earth is blessed. We would not be sitting here today having this conversation were that covenant not in motion. And so, we need to understand that these are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So Moses' job was to go to his people and tell them: God's already delivered you, He's already shown you His grace, you need to walk in obedience, and if you walk in obedience, the promise will come to pass.
See, here's the danger for us: sometimes, what we tend to do is say, "God, if you'll bless me, then I'll be obedient." That's still out of order. What God says is, "If you'll be obedient, I'll bless you." I've already given you the path. I've already given you the pattern. If you'll follow it, the blessings come naturally.
Let's go, verse 7: So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that 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.
How many times have you told God, "I'll be good. I'll never do that again. Forgive me. Thank you for your grace and your mercy," only to return, sometimes within a few hours, to say, "Here I am again, broken and failing, and doing all these things." See, the Israelites, Moses tells them all this; they've seen God do great things, and they're like, "Yes, Moses, we will, we will obey, we will follow His ways." Of course, we're going to find within 40 days they're worshipping idols out in the desert. It didn't last long. Our best intentions really aren't good enough, and that's the thing we're gonna see here.
So, all the people said, "Yes, Moses, we're gonna do what the Lord has spoken," and Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
Verse 9: The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I'm coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and they also believe you forever." Remember, Moses is gonna lead the people for many years. They need to know he is truly God's appointed spokesperson, and so God is going to give them a demonstration. They're not going to be able to see God, but they're going to be able to hear God so that they will know for sure that God has appointed Moses to be their leader.
Let's keep going here. 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." I want us to focus on this idea of consecration. Remember, God is going to come down on the mountain as a cloud. They're not even going to be able to see God; they're just going to be able to hear Him, and to get ready for that takes three days of consecration or preparation or cleansing. So, one thing He says is wash your garments, but it goes deeper than that.
So, if you study Jewish history, a Jewish scribe, if he was going to write the name of God, Yahweh, he would take a bath, use a new pin, and change clothes before he'd write the name. There was a humble reverence, a consecration, a cleansing that takes place. When you study further, we're gonna get into the tabernacle here in a few weeks. When the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, there would be bells on the bottom of his robe, so they could hear him moving around, and just in case he was not consecrated and the Lord struck him dead, there was a rope tied to his ankle, so they could pull his corpse out. They were beginning to learn just how mighty and holy and righteous God truly is, and so for them, their instruction was: You need to consecrate yourself these next few days.
Now, here's the thought I want to put in front of you: There are many times that I come through these doors on a Sunday, and quite honestly, I'm bringing a bag of dirty diapers with me, if you know what I mean, because I've allowed my mind to go places during the week, I've allowed my person to go places during the week, I've allowed my words to go places during the week that have no business being in front of a holy and righteous God. But I'm too lazy to sit down before I ever come in here and say, "Father, forgive me. Renew my heart, renew my mind, renew my spirit." Instead, what I tend to do is come in with my Aladdin's lamp saying, "Hey, just bless me, make me well, bless my business, bless my family," without ever dealing with my heart. And that's what consecration is all about. Where's your heart today? Look at what we bring to the altar with us today that has no business being in the Holy of Holies. And that doesn't mean we have it right, but that means we are gut-checking ourselves. So, we take communion. We have a communion table set up every week here in the back, and one of the things Scripture instructs us to do when we take communion is examine yourself so that you're taking communion in a manner that's worthy. That's what this idea of consecration is all about.
I don't want to break the bread and drink of the cup with a heart that's filthy and not dealt with, without saying, "God, cleanse me, cleanse me from my unrighteousness." That's what this point of consecration was for three days. Can you imagine? It's not just washing clothes; it's washing your mind, it's washing your heart, it's washing your actions, it's getting into a reverent state to come and meet with God. See, sometimes we just go to church, but we don't really come to meet with God because if we come to meet with God, it takes on a different perspective. When we come to meet with God, we've got to deal with our heart, we've got to deal with our mind, we've got to deal with all that's going on. There's a conversation that often takes place in youth ministry: "So, where have you taken Jesus this week that He probably didn't want to go? What movie did you take Him to that He probably wasn't enjoying? What music were you listening to that He really wasn't too into? What situations have you brought your Lord into that He's not pleased with?" That's really a conversation that probably shouldn't stop at high school.
Notice what he's saying: "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." They're just going to get a little glimpse of Him, and this is what it takes to get ready. The preacher of old, D.L. Moody, asked God for many years, "Just give me a little glimpse of your glory." What's reported is God actually gave him a little glimpse one day, and all he could do is beg, "Please, I can't take it." That's the thing; we want to get all that's gonna happen is the cloud is going to come down the mountain, they're not even getting a glimpse of His glory yet, and this is what it takes to get there. "Let them wash their garments, be ready for the third day, for on the third day, He'll come down the Mount in the sight of the people."
And you shall set limits, verse 12, get this: "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 edge of the mountain shall be put to death.' Don't miss this, don't miss this, don't miss this: If it were not for Jesus, if it were not for the cross, if it were not for His bloodshed, it'd be the same conversation for you and me. You don't get to come any further, you don't get to come any closer; if you do, you're gonna die. See, Jesus is the one who took that penalty. Jesus is the one who made it possible for you to push Him. Without Him, there's a boundary line."
Notice what he says here: "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.' Now, get this: No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live." So, if somebody is bold enough to reach in and touch, they're gonna die, but they are so defiled you can't even touch them; you need to kill them with an arrow or stone them to death. And if we're over, runs past you to the mountain, the same is true. Sometimes we miss out on who God truly is because we live in grace and mercy, and that's how we know Him, and that's the beauty of today's message. We don't have to know Him this way because of what Jesus has done.
I always love to laugh about passages like this: "Wouldn't it be fun to go to Mardel's someday and say, 'I'm looking for a different perspective on God. Do you have God lashing out at people? Do you have that picture? I'd like to hang that in my living room.'" No, we don't have that one. We got sheep and little kids, and we miss God's righteousness. And I say that facetiously; we miss God's righteousness. A holy and righteous God cannot have unholy and unrighteous things in His presence. That's why we need Jesus. That's why we need Jesus. You're going to see more of this as we go. "Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain should 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. So, Moses goes down and says, "You've got to get ready. God is coming to meet with us. You've got to get ready." And then it takes it a step further. Verse 15: And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."
Alright, so we got to clarify that: the whole point is, even if you're married, even though your relation with your spouse is morally pure, you need to abstain. You need to tell your flesh, "No, you need to hold back to prepare for your time with God," and that's the point that he's making. You need to put your flesh aside and focus solely on the Lord and being ready for Him.
Verse 16: On the morning of the third day, there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud in the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
So, on that morning of the third day, the thunder and the lightning begins, the thick cloud descends on the mountain, and this trumpet blast begins, and the people are in fear. So, what does Moses do? He leads them out from the camp to the base of the mountain, no further, but he brings them to meet with God.
Now, a couple of things that I want us to see here: Let's go a little further, starting in verse 19. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke. Thanks for those back at verse 18: Now, Mount Sinai was wrapped up 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. The reason I want us to stop on this verse for a second is the picture behind me is Mount Sinai, as it's described in Scripture. It's actually in modern-day Saudi Arabia. If you want to have some fun, Google Jabal al-Lawz; that's actually the Arabic name for the mountain. The locals all refer to it as the Mountain of Moses, but all this dark stuff, when you study it, the rocks up there are actually scorched, and there are actually rocks; there's a picture of one you'll find online where the rock is actually split in two, and it's a clean split like an axe went through it. And so, that's what's interesting to see this. When you read this description, God's presence descends on the mountain, and it radically changes the landscape.
Here's the thing that I want us to grab a hold of: Is the same God that's doing these things in Exodus is the same God we serve. The only difference is, Jesus became our mediator. Jesus became the way that we were able to enter into His presence. We weren't just held at bay for our lives. Let's keep watching here.
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder. And so, Moses and God have this conversation in the hearing of the people so that they will know the Lord God Almighty is the one directing their path.
Verse 20: 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. So everyone else faces death if they crossed the boundary, but God invites Moses uniquely, and Moses is allowed to enter into His presence without losing his life.
Don't miss this: This is a picture of the cross. Jesus went to the cross, and because of what He did, because He died there, because He shed His blood there, you and I are invited personally to enter in. You and I are invited personally to come. You and I are invited to the throne room. You and I are invited to worship at His feet. You and I are invited to go where no man could ever go before. The invitation is wide open. That's what His grace and mercy are all about. See, the people had to stay behind; only Moses could go.
Verse 21: 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." Well, human nature being what it is, some bright genius was going to want to look and see where Moses went, and God knew that. Remember, God knows more about leading us than we know about following Him. "Moses, you need to scurry down the mountain before somebody tries to push their way up and see where you went, and many people die because of it." So, God is looking out for His people, even though He's put such drastic consequences on them. He's also looking out for their well-being. "Moses, if you wait too much longer, somebody's gonna try and push through. You need to head down so that people don't die."
Let's look at what else happens.
Verse 22: "Also, let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them." Well, the priests were already supposed to be consecrated, and now they're supposed to go the extra mile in consecrating themselves, but more than that, I want you to notice the terminology there. "Lest the Lord break out against them." Anyone here who would like to have God break out against you? No, it doesn't sound pleasant, does it? And yet, back to what I was saying before, sometimes we come into His presence unconsecrated, without the reverence, without the awe, without the realization of who He truly is.
Let's keep going here.
Verse 23: 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.'" Moses thinks, just because everybody said, "Hey, we'll be good, we won't do it," that that's going to be okay. Again, God knows our hearts more than we do, and God says, "No, Moses, yeah, I don't care what they said. You need to get down the mountain before somebody gets hurt."
Here's what I want you to realize: We tend to beat ourselves up because we don't keep our word. "God, I'll never do this again. I'll never do this again. I'll never do this again." And here we are, time and time and time and time and time again. God already knows that. One of the great things about God's love, mercy, and grace is there's never a day where He goes, "Man, I didn't see that one coming. Jesus, did you see that one coming? I didn't see that one coming." Never ever. He knows the heart, and He was protecting His people. "Moses, you need to get back down the mountain so that people don't get hurt."
Verse 24: 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 again. That word is there: "Don't let anybody break through this barrier, Moses, so that I don't break out against them, so I don't begin to show my holiness and my righteousness and my wrath."
We need to understand: What does it look like when God breaks out against somebody? It looks like the cross. That's what it looks like. It looks like a Roman centurion tearing up a man's flesh with a cat of nine tails. It looks like a pierced side. It looks like spit. It looks like all sorts of horrible things. The Bible tells us Jesus was not even recognizable as a man. That's what it looks like when God breaks out against the sin of men.
But here's the great news: He loved you enough, He loved me enough that He sent His son to take that. See, when Jesus went to the cross, that's what He was taking on Himself. All those times that we've tried to push forward in an unholy manner, all those times throughout the ages where men have given in to their sinful ways, Jesus took that upon Himself, because on our best day, I can't consecrate myself well enough to get into His presence.
But back to the pattern: His grace was demonstrated when He did the work, when Jesus went to the cross, when Jesus stepped forth from the grave. It's nothing I can do; it's nothing you can do; it's what He did. But if we'll walk in obedience to what He's done, we find the blessings of that obedience. We get to walk as His children, as His people, to be His reflection in the world around us, but we have to remember, He's a holy and righteous God.
When we go to the end of the book here, we see when the age of grace comes to an end, and we see when people tremble once again at the presence of God. We see the day of judgment, where there's only one of two answers: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter in," or "Depart from me, I never knew you."
Today, what I want to leave us with is this: Jesus has already done the work for you at the cross. It's not a matter of earning God's favor; it's already done. The issue for us is, will we walk in obedience when we come into His presence? Will we take time to consecrate ourselves? "Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me," because I know I brought all my dirty diapers with me today, and that's not what I want to bring in your presence. "Create something new in me."
