Review Of Exodus 19

— by Victor Fawole

It is with great delight that I welcome everyone back to our “No Bible, No Breakfast” spiritual exercise. We resume our journey into the book of Exodus. This chapter happened some seven weeks after they left Egypt, and it sets the stage for the next phase of Israel’s history. I am particularly taken aback by a single action from the Israelites in this chapter. We will check that out, and suck out as much juice as we can.

Let us review…

1. THE PREPARATION

Exo. 19:3 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:

Now that Pharaoh and Egypt had been conquered, and the Amalekites had gone out of their way, God took the next move to enter into a covenant with Israel. God called to him from the mountain. In his first calling, God called to him from the midst of the bush at this same Sinai. We serve a God Who seeks us and calls us – for we cannot seek or call him on our own accord (Rom. 3:11).

Notice the:

• Prolonged Period:
  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…

When Israel camped at Mount Sinai, they spent almost 11 months there. These 11 months were so eventful that more than 57 chapters in the bible were dedicated to what happened to Israel in this time frame that they camped at Mount Sinai. The records are given in the remaining chapters of Exodus, all of Leviticus, up till Numbers chapter 10. If they spent 40 years in the wilderness, and the records of these 11 months are really emphasised, then we should pay attention to them.

• Public Profiles:
  house of Jacob… children of Israel…

God used two titles for them here: “house of Jacob” and “sons of Israel”. The first one is a reminder of their humble beginnings and the second one is testimony that they had become a nation.

• Powerful Preservation:
  ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings…

There are indications that Israel was already forgetting the mighty deliverances of God in less than three months. Hence, God had to remind them. Man has the tendency to forget the good things God has done for him, and we have to be constantly reminded (2Pet. 1:12-15). I love how God said that He bore them on eagles’ wings. The eagles’ wings are strong and sure. It connotes supernatural protection, provision and preservation. In fact, Moses later painted a beautiful and dramatic picture of this:

Deut. 32:10-12 “He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.

This speaks of the loving compassion, strong protection, and majestic watchfulness of God.

Repeat after me: My God bears me on eagles’ wings!

• Personal Possession:
  …and brought you to Myself.

This is a picture of amazing grace – God’s undeserved and unmerited favour. It is a picture of tender compassion – like a loving Husband drawing His bride in His arms (Jer. 31:32). Their deliverance was for fellowship. God didn’t deliver Israel so they could do their own thing, but so that they could be His people. God wanted Israel to be a special treasure unto Him.

2. THE PRECONDITION

Exo. 19:5-6 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.’

For the first time in God’s covenant relationship with Israel, He gives a conditional blessing. If you will… then you shall… These blessings are three-fold:

• Special treasure
• Kingdom of priests
• Holy nation

The good news for us as believers today is that the same blessings apply to us unconditionally (1Pet. 2:9). I recommend that you take few minutes to read this lovely article by Pastor Dammy – Spiritual Blessings: Then and Now

3. THE PROPOSITION

Exo. 19:7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him.

Rather than address the entire Israel population of 2 million people, Moses called the elders who were his delegates to the population. He really learnt well from the advice of Jethro. He told these elders the words of God – verbatim. No reductions. No additives. This is the point where I was particularly taken aback in this chapter. Check the response of the people:

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.

Ah! They signed a pre-contract agreement before even reading the terms and conditions! They might have been sincere, but their minds were shallow. Not just that. They “fell from grace” to law. They had enjoyed grace all their lives, and God never held their sins against them. But now, they wanted to “do” in order to “receive” from God. Not just “do”, they wanted to “do ALL”. They did not understand that the best that man can perform is a “6”, never a “7”. Hmmmn…

4. THE PURIFICATION

Exo. 19:9 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.”

Notice the:

• Cloud Coverage:
  …I come to you in the thick cloud…

God wanted to truly authenticate Moses as Israel’s leader by bestowing peculiar honour and distinction on him. The purpose of the cloud coverage was for the Israelites to see and hear God as He spoke to Moses. This would be a clear indication to them that Moses was God’s spokesman to Israel, and Israel’s mediator with God.

• Cleansing Commands:
  …Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes…

Washing and changing clothes here are significant as they point to purification (1John 1:9, 2Cor. 7:1). The external washing is a shadow of the internal washing. We appear in clean clothes when we want to meet great men. Also, clean hearts are required before the great God. Men see our clothes plainly, God sees our hearts plainly. As a matter of fact, they were to abstain sexual relations before meeting with God (v. 15). A clean heart is absolutely necessary for acceptable worship (Psa. 26:6, Isa. 1:16-18, Heb. 10:22). That is why God purified our hearts at salvation, so that we can always approach Him. Every believer has a purified heart, even at moments when we have impure acts.

• Critical Caution:
  …You shall set bounds for the people all around…

As much as Israel cleaned themselves, and in spite of their strict abstinence, God considered them unfit to come near Him. He marked boundaries for them that could not be crossed. For the first time ever, God gave them a barrier and a death penalty. Oh, how fallen they were from grace! We are to rejoice in what Christ has done for us, for through him, the more we come to God, the more we live.

UNDER LAW: ‘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.
UNDER GRACE: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

UNDER LAW: 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.’
UNDER GRACE: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God… to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood… that speaks better things… (Heb. 12:22-24)

5. THE PRESENTATION

Exo. 19:16 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.

Notice the:

• Dramatic Display:
  Thunders – check!
  Lightnings – check!
  Thick cloud – check!
  Very loud sound of the trumpet – check!
  Trembling – check!
  Smoke – check!
  Fire – check!
  Great quake – check!
  Long and loud blast of the trumpet – check!

Can any display be more dramatic than this?

• Divine Directions:
  And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish.

Immediately Moses went up to meet God, God had to send him down again to warn the people from breaking through to gaze. Man is naturally inquisitive and daring. Their curiosity and adventurous nature might tempt them to disobey God. Those who (through their rebellion, curiosity, or daring) go up on the mountain would perish. God’s glory and greatness is beyond scientific examination or human testing.

Dear Gogolights, like I mentioned earlier, we are to rejoice in what Christ has done for us. He has ratified and brought a New Covenant to us. If you read Heb. 12:18-24, you’ll see clearly that under this New Covenant, we have come to a different mountain. Our salvation and relationship with God is based on Mount Zion, not Mount Sinai. See these clear differences between these two mountains:

• There is fear and terror at Sinai, but love and forgiveness at Zion.
• There are barriers and exclusion at Sinai, but invitation and acceptance at Zion.
• There is dry desert at Sinai, but Zion is the city of the Living God.
• Sinai is earthly and physical, but Zion is heavenly and spiritual.
• Only Moses could meet God at Sinai, but there is an innumerable company (a general assembly) at Zion.
• Sinai had guilty men who are terrified, but Zion has justified men who are perfected.
• Moses is the mediator at Sinai, but Jesus is the mediator at Zion.
• The Old Covenant at Sinai is ratified by the blood of animals, but the New Covenant at Zion is ratified by the precious blood of Jesus.
• Sinai is all about Law, Zion is all about grace.

Tag five people and tell them: Welcome to Zion! Welcome to Life eternal!

God bless you for reading. We shall continue tomorrow.

Grace to you, Church!