Bible Study: Exodus 19:1-14 "Bound by Love"

Key Verse

“All the earth is mine; And you shall be unto me a Kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”

Lesson Goals

• Review and assess the responsibilities inherent in covenant relationships

• Dedicate to corporate worship as a ministry proclaiming Yahweh's sovereignty to the world

• Embrace your identity as a member of a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation

Introduction

Many middle-aged and senior adults grew up in households where partners diligently prepared for Sunday worship. These preparations often began on Saturdays, involving tasks like washing the car, studying the Sunday school lesson, cutting or styling hair, bathing, and setting out church clothes. In many families, even the Sunday meal preparation started a day early.

Parents expected a certain level of decorum, including respect for specific areas of the church, regardless of its size. Looking back, these practices might seem restrictive or unnecessary. However, they stemmed from a deep respect our forebears held for God and the sanctity of His house. For them, attending church was akin to entering God’s presence.

Today, the casual attitude of many Christians toward worship contrasts sharply with these past practices. It also differs significantly from how God instructed the Israelites to prepare to encounter Him at Mount Sinai. He chose Israel as His special possession, a priestly kingdom. Yet, God made it clear that this privileged status required both physical and spiritual preparation to enter His presence and maintain an intimate relationship with Him.

Similarly, as God’s royal priesthood, modern-day believers should recognize the importance of being physically and spiritually prepared to approach God in worship. Entering God’s presence remains a serious matter and should never be taken lightly.

Worship is more than ritualistic practices or feel-good experiences. God has provided guidance in the Scriptures for approaching Him appropriately in worship. The right approach involves heartfelt expressions of faith, unconditional love, and devotion to God.

The Biblical Context

This book covers roughly 80 years of events, starting just before Moses’ birth and culminating with the events at Mount Sinai. The title Exodus originates from the Greek Septuagint and aptly describes the book’s central event: Israel’s divinely orchestrated deliverance and departure from Egyptian slavery. Exodus holds immense significance as it documents the beginning of God’s fulfillment of His promises to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The book also marks the start of Israel’s journey toward becoming a theocratic nation under God’s judgment and authority. The overarching theme of Exodus is liberation, vividly portraying God’s miraculous intervention to free Israel from bondage in Egypt and establish them as His treasured possession. In the context of this week’s study, Exodus 19 sits in the central portion of the book.

This section details the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, highlighting God’s miraculous provision and the people’s recurring grumbling and rebellion despite His unwavering goodness. The events of Exodus 19 are pivotal in laying the foundation for the Mosaic Covenant and underscore God’s call for Israel’s complete devotion to Him. This covenant defines the relationship between God and Israel and sets the stage for the subsequent laws and instructions that governed their covenant community.

Analysis of the Biblical Text: A Call to Commit (Exodus 19:1-6)

1 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites:

4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,

6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

Three months after the exodus, the Israelites, freed from Egyptian slavery, arrived in the Sinai desert, camping near Mount Sinai. Here, desert likely refers to a remote grazing land rather than a barren wasteland. The exact location of Mount Sinai, also known as the mount of God and Horeb, remains uncertain, with Jebel Musa on the southern edge of the Sinai Peninsula as the traditional site.

This encampment fulfilled a divine prophecy to Moses, affirming his leadership and role as Israel’s liberator. While encamped, God summoned Moses to the mountain to propose a covenant with Israel. He began by recalling their emancipation from Egypt, likening their journey to a mother eagle guiding her young, illustrating God’s deep love and care in leading Israel to freedom.

Verses 5–6 detail the covenant’s stipulations and rewards. Israel was to strictly adhere to the covenant’s moral requirements. In return, God promised to elevate them above other nations, making them His prized possession. He emphasized that this choice was an act of His sovereign will, underscoring that any nation could have been chosen for such a privilege.

Commitment to this covenant meant Israel would become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, set apart for a distinct purpose. Each member would enjoy a deep relationship with God, dedicating themselves wholly to His service. This redemption story, rooted in God’s love and promise to Abraham, Israel’s esteemed forefather, highlights the purposeful nature of redemption, demanding obedience and unwavering commitment to God and His global mission.

Similarly, contemporary believers, called from darkness to light, are expected to embody this unique, priestly role, demonstrating total devotion to God and His purposes.

Analysis of the Biblical Text: Agreeing to Commit (Exodus 19:7-9)

7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.

8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

Moses faithfully conveyed to Israel’s elders all that God had instructed. At this point, the people were unaware of the covenant’s specific terms and conditions, yet they wholeheartedly pledged to follow all that God had declared. This commitment was a personal dedication to God and a vow to adhere to His guidance, which, historically, the elders and subsequent generations of Israelites struggled to maintain.

God planned an extraordinary demonstration of His presence to reinforce the authority of Moses’ leadership and prevent any future claims that he fabricated these laws and commands. God understood the importance of allowing the people to hear Him speaking to Moses directly. His strategy involved speaking from within a dense, dark cloud, enabling the Israelites to witness the reality of His communication with Moses.

Some scholars suggest this supernatural event might have involved a thundercloud, with the thunder representing God’s voice, a common symbol in the Old Testament. How do we recognize God’s call and message today? The answer lies in the manifestation of God through Jesus Christ, who lived among us and sacrificed His life for redemption, accessible to all through faith.

Today, God continues to communicate through His unerring, enlightening Word and the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit within us. God issues believers today a daily challenge to intentional obedience to Him and full surrender to His service.

Analysis of the Biblical Text: Called to Consecrate (Exodus 10:10-14)

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes

11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.

13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.

God called Israel into a covenant rooted in His love, emphasizing that He must not be approached casually or irreverently. To prepare for His descent on Mount Sinai, Moses was instructed to consecrate the people, underscoring the gravity of the event. Experiencing this unique opportunity required two days of thorough external and internal preparation, reinforcing the need to respect God’s holy presence.

God’s command to Moses was clear: establish boundaries around Mount Sinai. A warning was issued for people and animals to keep their distance and not touch the mountain, with the penalty for violation being death. The unclean were to be executed from a distance. The signal for approaching God was a long blast from a ram’s horn, further magnifying the seriousness of this event.

Moses responded by urging the people to sanctify themselves, symbolized through washing their clothes. This act was more than physical cleansing; it represented the inner purity and humility required to enter God’s presence, acknowledging His holiness and the covenant’s responsibilities. This historic moment for Israel, as God’s chosen, starkly contrasts today’s often casual approach to worship.

Therefore, it is crucial to remember and stress that God’s standards for entering His presence remain unchanged. Believers must demonstrate respect for God’s holiness in their appearance, behavior, attitudes, and motivations when preparing for worship, and, most critically, in the spiritual state of their heart.

Why Exodus 19:1-14 Matters Today

God sovereignly chose the nation of Israel to enter into a covenant relationship with Him at Mount Sinai. This unique invitation was motivated by His unconditional love and faithfulness to the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. God’s invitation, however, was not a call to privilege but to responsibility.

God expected Israel, as His special possession, to set an example of sanctified living, serve as redemptive witnesses in the world, and demonstrate how to approach Him in worship. Believers today share the same responsibility.

A Closing Prayer

Dear God, thank You for loving us enough to make salvation possible. We commit to submitting to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling ministry to empower us for the kind of service You desire. In Jesus’ holy name, we pray. Amen.

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