Meeting at the Mountain
Notes
Transcript
Pastoral Prayer:
Gratitude:
Membership:
Illumination
1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 3 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 sons of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. 5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. 10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 ‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. 15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” 16 So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 “Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” 23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” 24 Then the Lord said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Introduction/ Review
If you’ve just joined us in the past couple weeks, we started working through the book of Exodus early this year, and after a short summer series which concluded last week, we’re coming back to Exodus at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Before we get started let’s do a little review of where we’ve been so we know where we are.
At the very beginning of the series we did a bit of an overview of the book of Exodus, and we broke the book into three big parts.
The salvation of slaves
Abiding in holiness
Adoration in worship
Up until this point in the text Israel has been either enslaved, wandering in a wilderness, or being attacked by either Egypt or Amalek. They’ve been in one desperate situation after another in need of the Lord’s Salvation, and he has proven Himself faithful in every circumstance.
When Moses doubted and the people doubted before Pharaoh, God showed the full extent of his dominion in the plagues and brought His people out of Egypt with an abundance of wealth.
When Israel found themselves between the army of the Egyptians and the Red Sea, God saved His people by miraculously bringing them across the Red Sea on dry ground and utterly destroying the army of the Egyptians before the eyes of Israel.
When Israel was wandering in the wilderness hungering and thirsting, God provided for them the manna, and the rock that was struck giving them water to drink.
When Amalek meets them just a short distance from the mountain where they’re going, the LORD once again saves His people by granting Joshua the victory under the banner of the LORD which Moses raised on the hill overlooking the battlefield.
God has shown Himself time and again to be the Savior of His people, but as much as Israel finds themselves free from slavery and death at the hands of men, they now stand before God Himself. He is a just God and now Israel has an ever greater problem. How do we as a sinful idolatrous people abide with a holy God? For the next 15 chapters or so, God is going to lay out the laws which will set apart Israel as the kingdom and people of God. These laws will call the people of Israel to abide with God in holiness, not so that they can be saved or justified, salvation and justification through faith has been established in the covenant given to Abraham. This covenant given to Moses doesn’t add to or change what has already been established with Abraham in Genesis. No, this call to holiness, this law to be given will fundamentally serve three functions. Firstly, it will tell Israel who God is and by extension what sin is.
Galatians 3:19
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
Additionally, the law will serve to keep Israel and to teach them.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
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Israel is to be a people under the law knowing who God is. Being under the law they will be held in custody in order to preserve them as the people of God until the object of their faith is to be revealed: Jesus Christ. As their being held in custody to the law their going to be taught as by a tutor in order to lead them to Christ.
Over the next 15 chapter or so we can ask these simple questions of the text, questions which Paul himself gives us.
Who is God? (What is sinful)
How is the law keeping Israel and preserving them as a holy nation of priests until the coming of Christ?
How is the law teaching Israel about their need for Christ?
One final question we’ll be asking of this portion of Exodus is
How do we as the church, saved by grace through faith, no longer under the law, use the law to direct our freedom in Christ?
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
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As we’ll see from our text this morning, we begin to see all of these themes begin to come to the fore from the first moment they come to meet God at the mountain.
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Hopefully at this point we know where we stand in the narrative. We know where we’ve been, we have a sketch of where we’re going so let’s look to our text this morning.
Fellowship with God in His holy presence demands holiness of the one who would draw near. There is only one who can meet these demands and consecrate for Himself a truly holy people. That is Christ alone.
Fellowship with God in His holy presence demands holiness of the one who would draw near. There is only one who can meet these demands and consecrate for Himself a truly holy people. That is Christ alone.
A covenant agreement
A consecrated people
A warning of death
A covenant agreement (vs. 1-8)
A covenant agreement (vs. 1-8)
1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 3 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 sons of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. 5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
We start with just a little bit of setting in verses 1 and 2. Israel’s been in the wilderness for three months. They’ve just left Rephidim where Amalek came to fight with them, and they come to the wilderness of Sinai at the foot of Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb where God has determined to meet with Israel. You’ll notice though that this meeting isn’t a meeting of equals. God is very literally positioned on a totally different level than Israel and He is distant from them such that Moses needs to fill the gap, both height and distance as he goes up the mountain. Before the first words are spoken, the need for a mediator is apparent.
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
A consecrated people (vs. 9-17)
A consecrated people (vs. 9-17)
A warning of death (vs. 18-25)
A warning of death (vs. 18-25)
For reference:
10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
