Ex. 19: Fire on the Mountain

Month three after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reach the Desert of Sinai, in front of the mountain. Mount Sinai, to be clear. So Moses goes up to God as he typically did, and God gives him instructions.

Moses has to remind the Israelites of what they saw God do to Egypt, and how God saved them and brought them to himself.

Exodus 19:5-6: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

A conditional covenant. If Israel does this, God will do this. Moses tells the elders and they're like, "Yeah, we will do whatever the LORD says."

God wants to meet with Moses in a manner that the people of Israel will be able to hear their conversation. In order for Israel to be consecrated, they needed to wash their clothes, abstain from sexual relations, and be ready in three days. God is coming down onto Mount Sinai in His dense cloud for all of them to see. God tells them to barricade the mountain, and not to let anyone touch the mountain, or they will have to be put to death. God's holiness. What can you do? Not only would the offender be put to death, it would have to be via stoning or shot with arrows. No one could touch this person. Or animal. At least until the ram's horn sounded, signifying God's departure from the mountain.

On the morning of the third day, it was the God show. Thunder, Lightning, loud trumpet blasts, and a trembling encampment of people. God came down in fire, and smoke poured upwards. The mountain shook violently. Seismically serious. The trumpet crescendoed. And Moses and God began to speak. God wants to make sure no unauthorized Israelites are able to push through the crowd and set foot on the mountain, and Moses tells God that they can't, because God Himself made them put up barricades.

God has Moses go down and bring Aaron up with him, but Aaron will be the only one allowed up. Apparently God has something important to say regarding this covenant.