Exodus 19

on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt: It was now the fifteenth day of the third month.

God prepared his people to receive the covenant by first reminding them of the past and of what they had learned about him (19:4). He then made promises about the future, which depended on their obedience (19:5–6). The final result was their promise to obey what the Lord has commanded (19:8).

The arrival at Sinai was a fulfillment of the promise made earlier to Moses at this same place (3:12).

The house of Jacob … the sons of Israel: The connection between Jacob and the present generation showed that God’s work continued from the past to the present. The same family line was still part of God’s plan.

God had kept all his promises up to that time. The promises he would make in the future would also be trustworthy.

• God, who owns all the earth, promised to make Israel his treasured possession. This promise depended on their acceptance and faithful keeping of a covenant with God.

• unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation: The nation was to act as intercessors between a holy God and a lost world. God would reveal himself through Israel (see 1 Peter 2:9–10).

The first phase of preparation was successful. The people agreed to do everything the Lord has commanded.

See also Deuteronomy 4:12 and 33.

• In the second stage of preparation, the people received commands that helped them get ready for God’s covenant.

  First, they had to wash their clothing (19:10, 14). This act showed that God is pure.

  Second, they had to set up a boundary around the mountain and not cross it (19:12–13). This command showed that God is holy (completely set apart).

  Third, they had to abstain from sexual relations (19:15). This instruction reminded them that God is not a sexual being and that his blessings do not come from sexual activity.

  These actions were not sinful in themselves. Under normal conditions, they were good and natural. However, the people had to set them aside for a special purpose.

  They needed to focus completely on the Lord, their King, who was about to appear before them.

  Only their obedience to the boundary command is clearly reported (19:23). Even so, since no judgment from the Lord is recorded, it is reasonable to conclude that they obeyed the other commands as well.

• Hebrews 12:18–22 compares this event at Mount Sinai with the believer’s experience at Mount Zion, which it calls “the heavenly Jerusalem.”

The final preparation phase included events that helped people accept the covenant. Some of the experiences were visual: lightning and a cloud (19:16), smoke and fire (19:18). The people also heard thunder, a ram’s horn, and the voice of God (19:16, 19). The entire mountain shook violently (19:18). In the Bible, such unusual events are often associated with a theophany, which is a visible appearance of God’s holy presence.

The repeated warnings that no one should break through and approach the Lord made the scene even more serious. The people had just seen powerful signs of God’s presence.

God is completely holy and far above his creation (transcendent, meaning beyond human limits). People must approach him in the way he commands. They may not come to him in their own way.