Exodus 19: Welcome to Sinai

My Summary
Israel arrives at Sinai and God tells them they have a special call to holiness and covenant with Him. God gives special instructions for the people to prepare themselves to meet God. The people gather around the mountain and Moses goes up to meet God.

Random Historical Things
1. One who touched the mountain was to be killed by arrows and stoning. The person who had sinned was not to be touched even in the process of killing them. That person would be considered unclean because they showed the lack of reverence to God to approach His Presence in disobedience.

2. Often in the Bible when God reveals Himself in a storm an earthquake is included as well. This probably added to the terror of Israel and their awe of God's majesty. 

And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. God calls Israel a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His very own possession.  1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we also are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own posession."  We do not belong to ourselves, but we belong to God. We are chosen by Him to be His possession. Since we belong to God we are not free live as we please. We are a priesthood who is intended to show God to the world. God is about to give Israel the laws and moral behavior which are the sign of Israel belonging to God. This is what sets them apart. In the same way, God has guidelines on the ways we are to live our lives. Let us make sure that we are living like we are a people set apart for God's purposes.

2. All believers should have a healthy fear of God. I know what people are trying to say when they talk about "approaching the throne with confidence" or "we are friends of God now." They are trying to get away from dry moralism or from a view of a wrathful God with no love who just zaps people from the sky. However, we must be careful not to believe that we may simply frolic into the presence of God saying, "What's up buddy!" God, even to a forgiven believer, is still the sovereign Lord of the universe. The angels and seraphim in heaven are not playing Scrabble with God, but they are bowing down and worshipping him. See how Isaiah and John acted when they were ushered before the Lord. God is a great God Who can not even be seen directly by man without the immediate death of that man. Israel saw a taste of the glory of God at Sinai and they were terrified to the point of being paralized with fear. Don't let your view of God shrink to the view of a friend who is like you other friends. He is still the powerful, sovereign Lord who is filled with glory and to approach Him is never a light thing.

3. In accordance with the previous point, God commanded Israel to prepare themselves to enter His presence. The point is not the specific process by which the prepared themselves, but that preparation is necessary. We need to prepare our minds, cleanse ourselves and focus ourselves when we are going to approach God. Whether it be before prayer, Scripture study or church services it is something that we should not take lightly. Do not let your church service be so familiar to you that you do not appreciate the gravity of gathering to worship our Lord. It does not mean the church can not celebrate and have fun! However, it does mean that we should always search ourselves to ensure we are prepared to appear before God.