Exodus 19:1-251In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 7And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. 9And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. 10And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. 12And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 13There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. 14And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 15And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 16And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. 22And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. 23And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. 25So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. (Exodus 19:1‑25).
THE nineteenth chapter marks a turning point in the ways of God with Israel. God had promised that He would bring His people out of Egypt and that they should worship Him in that mountain—Mt. Sinai. Up to this point God's dealings had been in grace, and now He proposes a trial. Would they obey His voice and keep His covenant? If so, He would bless them on that ground. Moses gathered all the elders of Israel together and put the question before them. They did not even stop to consider it, but answered at once, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." How self-confident they were! Had they forgotten all about their past murmurings and rebellion? Had they forgotten how weak they were before the enemy apart from the intercession of Moses? Apparently they had. Little did they realize that to put themselves under law and to expect blessings on the ground of obedience was to forfeit it entirely, unless God should intervene in grace.
And yet how many are putting themselves under law toilay and expecting to earn the favor of God in this way. How many are trying to get to heaven by good works of their own. Even though thousands of years have rolled by, during which not one person has ever kept the law (except the Lord Jesus Himself), still people are trying, only to put themselves under its curse (Galatians 3:1010For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)). How much better it would have been for the children of Israel to tell God how helpless and guilty they were, and admit that they could never keep His holy law. This is the true position of the sinner; not to promise something for the future, but to say like the poor publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Luke 18: 13.
God took the children of Israel at their word. He put them to. the test. First of all before He gave them the law, they must sanctify themselves and wash their clothes, Washing the clothes in the Bible, always speaks of changing one's ways and associations. They were to be ready on the third day, for then God was going to come down and give them His law. Bounds were to be set around the mountain for they could not come up or even touch the border of it. If they did they were to be stoned or shot through with a dart. Now they had undertaken to obey the voice of God, they must obey it to the very letter or judgment would fall. God is holy and He cannot have sin in His presence—no, not even the very smallest sin.
At last the third day came. Let us imagine we were there to hear and see it. The day began with thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud was upon the mountain. Then the trumpet began to blow and it became louder and louder. The whole mountain was on fire and the smoke -ascended like great furnace. It shook greatly too, and the people trembled. Well might they tremble as they stood in the presence of God, for it is a solemn thing to have to do with a holy God. Apart from the work of Christ on Calvary, there is no escape from God's righteous judgment. He alone could meet all God's holy .claims against the sinner, and, blessed be His name, He has done it at Calvary, where He "made peace through the blood of His cross." Col, 1:20, Have you thanked Him for His finished work.?
Messages of God’s Love 8/14/1949