It’s been 3 months since Israel left Egypt. Moses has brought them to his old stomping grounds where he met God in the burning bush. 🔥
Just to clarify, Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are one and the same. (See Ex. 3:12, Deut. 4:10-13). The region of Horeb contains the mountain. That’s how we get them drinking water from a rock “in Horeb” (17:6) and then traveling and arriving at Mount Sinai/Horeb.
They are going to camp here for a full YEAR. So settle in and get comfortable.
Except for Moses. He gets to be anything but comfortable. You’ve never seen anyone do more trips up and down a mountain- no less than 7 altogether! Moses is an extremely fit 80 year old. 💪🏼 Charlton Heston only had to make one trip because if they put all 7 trips in the movie everyone would’ve fallen asleep.
I recommend taking a moment to check out this Sinai timeline I found. It’s extremely helpful. You may want to bookmark the page or copy & paste the timeline into a doc to print and stick into Exodus in your Bible.
Perhaps in addition to the Why-did-we-ever-leave-Egypt counter- which currently stands at 2, we should add a Moses mountain climbing meter. I think I will. I’ll just put em at the top of (or in) each post like this:
Why-did-we-ever-leave-Egypt counter: 2️⃣ ooo… or we could show it like this: 🐪🐪
2 camels. 😆
Moses mountain climbing meter: 1️⃣
🌋 One. One burning mountain. Ah ah ah.🧛🏻♂️
Ok. We need to look closely at this:
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
Exodus 19:5-6 ESV
Q: What do priests do?
A: They represent God to men and men to God.
Yahweh wants the whole nation to be a holy priesthood.
Let that sink in for a second.
That is the initial plan and agreement. There is no Levitical priesthood yet. The whole nation of Israel was called to be the priests to the world. They would represent YHWH to the nations and represent the nations before YHWH. They were called to bring the nations- who had rebelled at Babel- back into relationship with the Creator.
“So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.” Exodus 19:7-8 ESV
The people agree to this arrangement. And Moses goes back up the mountain and reports this to the Lord.
Moses mountain climbing meter: 2️⃣
🌋🌋Two mountain climbs. Ah ah ah.🧛🏻♂️
😆
(Ok- I promise I’m done with the Sesame Street Count.) 😏
On the third day everyone is cleaned up and in their “Sunday best” at the foot of the mountain and God shows up and scares em all spitless. A massive plume of black smoke is billowing from the mountain; rising like a mushroom cloud above the summit. The air is ringing with a sound like a trumpet. And it’s LOUD. There is thunder and lightning to boot. 🌩️⚡️ Oh and the whole mountain is shaking. 🫨 And God calls Moses to go up the mountain into that. 😳
Moses mountain climbing meter: 3️⃣
And Moses does, bless ‘im. Yeah- I’ll just hike right up into that swirling vortex of doom. And God says (among other things):
“Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” Exodus 19:22 ESV
Hold up. What priests? Not even Aaron has been consecrated yet. What priests is God talking about? Moses’ reply indicates that he views the people as the priests:
“And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’”
Exodus 19:23 ESV
“And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.”
Exodus 19:24-25 ESV
Here, YHWH clarifies that apparently not every single person is considered a priest. And this makes sense because:
- There was a “mixed multitude” with them who were not of Israel.
- Children and women were probably not included.
- It may be that only firstborn sons (from every tribe) were included per Ex. 13.
Still, the original plan is that men from every tribe will serve as priests.
With the holy boundaries in place, God gives the nation His commandments.
- YHWH alone is to be their God
- They will not make images of any natural or supernatural being and worship them (pray to them, seek them for aid or honor them in any way)
- They will not bear the name of YHWH uselessly; falsely, deceptively. (Like a bride taking her husband’s name with no intention of being loyal to him or a credit to him). They will bear YHWH’s name with truth and purpose.
- They will mark and recognize the Sabbath as holy by refraining from work on that day
- They will hold their parents in honor
- They will not commit murder or be careless or negligent as to commit manslaughter
- They will not commit adultery. They will remain faithful to one spouse.
- They will not steal. They will respect the private property of their neighbors
- They will not pay attention to false testimony about their neighbors
- They will not delight in and desire anything that doesn’t belong to them
“Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:20-21 ESV
Moses mountain climbing meter: 4️⃣
Human selfishness needs a restraining force. That force will either come from within or it must come from without. The fear of God (and death) is a restraining force. If you lived in a land where profanity was instantaneously punishable by death, the vast majority of people would watch their mouths. If humans will not stop themselves from violating the people around them, then someone else must do it lest we have anarchy. That’s why we have laws and law enforcement. If every person restrained himself out of love for his fellow man, there would be no need for laws or law enforcement. This is the whole point of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians (and Romans 15:1-2, and 1 Cor. 10). Real Christians choose to limit ourselves out of love for others.
That’s what the Founding Fathers of the United States were trying to get at. It’s why they repeatedly emphasized the need for biblical education and morality. They knew that immoral people cannot be free (unrestrained), and that a truly biblically moral people do not need a heavy-handed government. They police themselves. Self-regulate. Self-govern. It has very little to do with democracy and voting. Unfortunately, I feel like almost no one understands this and, frankly, it drives me nuts. People think that “liberty” means doing whatever I want. It means nothing of the kind. Solomon understood the correlation between sin and bureaucracy:
“For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: But by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.”
Proverbs 28:2 KJV
You want to know why the US government has become a bloated behemoth of bureaucracy? Lots and lots of sin.
Here’s the problem though: you cannot legislate morality. Not really. It’s like the kid who sat down when the teacher told him to but said he was still “standing up on the inside.” You might be able to coerce people into outward compliance but adding laws doesn’t change the heart.
Allow me to highlight some of the Apostle Paul’s key passages on this:
“Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions, until the descendant should come to whom it (the covenant) had been promised, having been ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator.” Galatians 3:19 LEB
“What then shall we say? Is the law sin? May it never be! But I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” Romans 7:7 LEB
“So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”
Romans 7:12-13 NASB2020
“For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.” Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “the righteous one will live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “The person who performs them will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Galatians 3:10-14 NASB2020
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3-4 NASB2020
People sin. But if there is no law telling what sin is, how would we know? The law is good.
Sin is the cause of death, not the law. (The speed limit sign didn’t make me speed)
The promise of God to Abraham [through Christ the nations will be brought into a state of being blessed] was made completely separate from the Law of Moses.
Righteousness was imparted to Abraham because he believed God. No law involved.
The law cannot, and was never intended to, wash away sin. Christ was the atoning offering for sin. Not the law.
Jesus kept the law perfectly. No man can. Full stop.
Jesus gladly shares His perfect record with those who live in Him.
Christ’s fulfilling of the law shows up in the life of the true saint. This right conduct comes by the work of the Holy Spirit and not by human effort.
It’s going to be vital to keep this Gospel firmly in mind as we head through the rest of Exodus, and indeed, the rest of the Pentateuch (penta-took, or for the Canadians: penta-toque) 😉
(penta = 5: Gen. Ex. Lev. Num. Deut.)
You will not make God like you more by wearing tassels or eating kosher. He already loved us as much as He ever would while we were yet sinners and Christ died for us.
God will not be moved to answer your prayers because you refuse to plant squash among your corn or trim the edges of your facial hair. He responds to believing loyalty, not law-keeping. How do I know? Have ya read the Gospels lately? Who were the best law-keepers? The Pharisees. Who were Jesus’ antagonists? The Pharisees.
“But just as at that time the child born according to human descent persecuted the child born according to the Spirit, so also now.” Galatians 4:29 LEB
Remember when Ishmael persecuted Isaac? It’s a picture. The Pharisees were in bondage to the Law. (It seems to me that they made the Law their God instead of the Lawgiver.) They persecuted the Son of Promise. And it tends to still be the case that Christians who get caught up in trying to observe Torah look down on and “persecute” those who do not.
If the above shocks or angers you, I encourage you to revisit the epistles to the Galatians and Hebrews.
Allow me to state: I love the Law of God. It’s brilliant and wonderful. But it served a purpose for a time. It is not God. God Himself found fault with it Hebrews 8 tells us. And He replaced it with a better covenant. Christ is the fulfillment of the Law. And this is a hill I am willing to die on.
The laws have purpose. They make Israel different from the rest of the nations. They communicate things about God’s character and His purpose for humanity. And they point to Christ and the ultimate plan of the redemption of the earth.
So take a deep breath and prepare to go slow. This is going to take a while. This is chapter 20. We won’t even see the first set of stone tablets til the end of chapter 31.
It was much faster in the movie.
To The Reader 