When God Spoke From Mt. Sinai Exodus 19 and 24
AFTER the tents of Israel were pitched before the great mountain, the Lord told Moses to tell the people that He had brought them carefully, as a strong eagle carries its young ones. He said if they would obey His words, they should be a special nation for Him on the earth. The people told Moses that they would do all that God said.
Then the Lord told Moses that in three days He would speak to all the people from a thick cloud on the mountain, and that none of the people should touch the mountain.
The third day the cloud was over the mountain and thick darkness. The trumpets blew very loud to call the people together to listen while God spoke. There was great thunder and lightning, and the mountain itself quaked, and there was smoke as though it were a fire from a great furnace. The people were all safe if they did not touch the mountain.
The Lord there showed the people His mighty power and holiness. Even Moses trembled (Hebrews 12:2121And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (Hebrews 12:21)), But he believed God’s words of mercy to them, and told them to “Fear not”, that God would teach them that they should not sin (Chapter 20:20). But they did not want to listen to the voice of the Lord and begged Moses that He should not talk more to them.
Moses wrote down the words of the Lord, and in the morning, with Aaron and other men, made a sacrifice to God. Then he read God’s words to the people, and they again said,
“All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient” (24:7).
After that Moses gave the charge of the camp to Aaron and Hur while God called him to the top of the mountain to tell him all His words for the people, and to give him a law written on tablets of stone. Joshua went up with Moses, and he was there forty days and forty nights.
ML 04/25/1937