We are told that in the third month they arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at the foot of the mountain (v1,2). The word ’wilderness’ didn’t necessarily indicate a desert as it contained grazing pasture for the animals, and they appeared to stay here for quite some time. Don’t forget that God was providing them with food night and day, meat and manna. I believe that more than fifty chapters of the Bible cover their stay here. According to Numbers 10:11 they didn’t leave there until the 20th day of the second month which would have been the second year after leaving Egypt.
In Exodus 3:12 when Moses encountered God at the burning bush at Mount Horeb, later called Sinai, God had said to Moses, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Those words were coming to pass here in chapter 19.
In verses 3,4 – “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.’””
Moses went to pray, and God called him up the mountain and spoke to him. He told him to speak to the house of Jacob. Previously, they had been the house of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but now simply Jacob, perhaps the least stable of the three. Jacob, of course, was Israel.
We have already seen how fickle they were in the short time since leaving Egypt, but God wanted Moses to remind them what He had done for them. He refers to eagles’ wings, how He bore them with His protection. I believe that the majestic eagle carries her young on its back, rather than in its claws. This shows protection from arrows, compassion and strength and deliverance.
There is an amazing chapter in Isaiah 40 which talks about comfort for God’s people. He goes on to ask the question (v21-31) – “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom hall I be equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things. Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.”
“Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD And my just claim is passed over by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
God continues to speak with Moses (v5,6) and says, “‘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.”
This was before the Law had been given and God was making a covenant with His people. It was a promise that if they obeyed Him, they would be His special treasure. Moses was instructed to give the people this message.
The Apostle Paul tells us that believers are God’s treasured people (see Ephesians 1:18). Peter says that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, so that we can proclaim the praises of The Lord Jesus who has saved us and brought us out of darkness into His light (1 Peter 2:9). The purpose of our calling is to worship and praise God and to give Him honour.
Moses did as he was instructed and gathered the elders and gave them all that God had said to him (v7-9). All the people answered in unison, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” I’m sure that at the time they were sincere and Moses went to The LORD and told Him their response and The LORD told Moses that He would come to him in a thick cloud so that the people could hear when He spoke with Moses and that would assure the people that it was God speaking and that Moses was His servant. Moses told the people what The LORD had said.
God was preparing the people for something special, and He spoke to Moses and gave instructions (v10-13). The people were to be consecrated by Moses that day and the next day they were to wash their clothes. It reminds me of when I was a boy, we went to church on Sunday, morning, afternoon and evening and then Monday was washing day. We needed to be right with God as we worshiped Him and heard His Word on the Sunday and then we, or perhaps more correctly, my mother and grandmother washed our clothes next day. I know that that is very simplistic thought, but we need to be right with God before anything else.
The people were to be ready for the third day because God was going to meet them in a special way. Moses was to set boundaries for the people – “Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”
This was really going to be special; it was a matter of life and death that they obey to the letter. They could come right up to the boundaries only when the trumpet sounded. That would be God’s call of invitation but only as far as the boundaries.
Moses told the people what The LORD had said (v14,15) and he sanctified them, and they washed their clothes to be ready for the third day. They were to be clean when coming before God and their natural instincts were to be restrained as they were told not to have relations with their wives to prepare for meeting God. Sex is a God-given thing for husbands and wives, it is pure between a man and his wife, no-one else! But their thoughts and intentions were to be put aside as they met God, and for this moment nothing must come between God and them, not even legitimate desires.
We then have that interesting phrase which means a lot – ‘and it came to pass’, in other words there was no doubt that it would for, after all, it was God’s plan and He said it would.
Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. (v16-19)
It must have been an awesome, terrifying sight and sound. The sound of the trumpet became louder and louder with thunder and lightning and the thick cloud. Thick smoke covered the mountain, The Lord descended on it in fire and the mountain quaked. No wonder the people trembled.
Moses brought the people to the foot of the mountain and when the trumpet sounded louder God spoke to Moses and the people heard His voice. The LORD called Moses up the mountain, and he went (v20). I’m sure he remembered that God had said if anyone touched the mountain they would die, so it took courage for him to go. He obviously, trusted The LORD to protect him for, after all, He had called him to go up amid the lightning, thunder, fire, smoke and earthquake.
No sooner had Moses gone up the mountain, The LORD told him to go back down (v21-25) and warn the people not to disobey His command and not to touch the mountain. Some, maybe, wanted to peek at what was happening, even the priests had to be warned. Moses probably out of weariness after climbing the mountain, said that He had already told them that they were not allowed to touch it, but God said that he needed to do it, so, perhaps reluctantly he went and warned them all. God told him to bring Aaron with him when he returned, and he did so. Many could have thought that God wouldn’t mind if they went further too, but that was not so.
One writer said, “Awe is one thing: the submission of the will is another.” They may have been awestruck by the sight and sounds which accompanied God, but they must not let that lead to disobedience. Many want to see miracles today and often say they would believe if they saw one, but that is not how God works. There are many examples in the Bible who witnessed miracles but still did not believe. We are to trust by faith not by sight. God seeks our obedience and says, “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29). We need to be careful that when God calls someone to a particular task, we do not think it is a general invitation.
