God’s Holiness… man’s sinfulness. Exodus 19:9-25 The Israelites had to realize that God was not like the gods of the Egyptians; those could be seen and touched, and often nothing really happened. In other words, they were motivated to do the right thing, but outward preparations and inward sanctification are quite different. So that the people of Israel would hear and heed God’s instructions and the terms of the covenant He was making with them, He needed their undivided attention.
God is too transcendent, holy, and awesome to be looked upon by mortal human beings. The theophany that occurred that day made the entire mountain holy because of God's presence. Their whole experience there was meant to show them that they were not dealing with some local god who looked like something created by men. It was the Almighty Creator God with whom they were making a covenant.
We need to learn through this event that we should not approach God casually, unprepared, or unclean. A covenant with God is a special relationship in which we live, but nothing about it is ordinary. We are to be sanctified and focused on Him when we communicate with Him and He with us. Outward cleansing of our life practices and inward restraint from worldly practices are necessary when approaching God and dealing with holy matters. Our minds should be fixed on the Lord.
Consecration involves setting aside all personal or public concerns to fully dedicate ourselves to our Lord. We should never rush into God’s presence unclean or unprepared. Although they are not wrong, distinctly earthly things must be put aside. When we approach God and when He draws near to His people, everything else becomes insignificant. No one should ever attempt to approach God in their own way. Our access to God is through our Lord Jesus Christ, the “new and living way.”
We pray in His name because of its authority. He is the one Mediator. He is our Advocate with the Father. There is nothing casual about approaching God. With thanksgiving, we make our requests known to Him. Reverence and respect are due to Him because of His holy nature. Honor and obedience motivate us to worship Him with awe, dignity, and holiness in ourselves. We come in faith to a real living God whose name is “hallowed,” whose kingdom is real, and His will is expected to be done here. The conduct of our lives should match what we say and do when we are in His presence.
The smoke, fire, shaking mountain, and the loud trumpet would have filled the Israelites with fear as the dense cloud descended on Mt. Sinai. This was very different from the burning bush when the Lord first spoke to Moses there. All that was seen and felt would have caused the people to tremble, but their fear would have been intense when the trumpet grew louder and louder. Whether one angel or more was blowing the trumpet, the entire event—visual, auditory, and sensory—would have left the nation in fear and trembling.
Additionally, Moses gathered all the people and had them stand outside the camp at the foot of the mountain before the Lord. In His grace toward His chosen people, the omnipresent God commanded their full attention at that moment. Moses knew God was present and spoke with Him. Then God spoke to Moses, instructing him to go to the top of the mountain.
May all of us, God’s people, always remember to whom we belong. We are called to approach God by faith with a reverent, respectful, and holy attitude and tone of voice. Glimpses of the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ may not be like those in a Theophany as at Mt. Sinai, but it should be impressed upon us that God, in grace, has allowed us to come near and speak to Him. I am grateful that He is “meek and lowly in heart,” and I find rest in my soul when I am in His presence!
When Moses reached the place where the Lord was, he was given a command to go back down the mountain and tell the people not to “gaze” — not to focus their eyes on the scene — but on the Person of the Lord. It would have been wrong for them to try to reach the mountain and turn the place into the object of their interest and worship instead of the Almighty God. What was unfolding before them was a display of the living God's absolute holiness. Any unholy person or thing could not be allowed to approach God. The covenant formed by the Holy God with unholy people required a Mediator.
Like Moses with the children of Israel, we have one Mediator between us and God. He is our Advocate. Between the holy God and people who have been made righteous is “the Man Christ Jesus.” God approves Him. In grace, God initiated and opened the way of salvation to those who, by nature and practice, are separated from God by sin. We can draw near to God by faith and know He accepts us through His Beloved Son.
The third time Moses went up that mountain, the people prepared themselves to focus solely on God. They washed themselves, dressed in their best, and kept their minds on God. This was no ordinary religious holiday. Lightning, thunder, fire, earthquake, and the increasing sound of the trumpet would have instilled a righteous, reverent fear in everyone's heart. Even the animals stayed away from that holy ground when God revealed the terms of His covenant with the people.
We must remember that God's new covenant with us is not just a simple gesture of acknowledgment but the terms for living on this earth as representatives of the Holy, Righteous, and Almighty God. We are indeed on the resurrection side of the cross, but that doesn't lessen our responsibility, nor does it reduce the importance of our role to men or to God. We are to obey His voice and uphold His covenant, which has been made with us through the blood of the Cross of Christ.