Don't Touch the Mountain

Introduction:

Exodus 19 ESV

1 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people 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 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; 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 people of Israel.” 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 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. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and 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 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet 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 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” 16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in 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 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” 23 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.’ ” 24 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.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Pray

1. The Salvation of the Lord (vv.1-4)

God had already brought them out of bondage and saved them

They have now been traveling for about 3 months

Fulfilled the promise God made to Moses that they would worship God at this mountain

God initiated this relationship

When He came to Abraham and called him to the promised land and promised to make a nation out of his descendants

When He called Moses to rescue them and call them up out of bondage

Egypt became a symbol of the bondage to sin and the exodus became a symbol of freedom from sin

God had removed their sin and now they are called to sanctification and to enter into a covenant relationship with God

Illustration

We are starting to get a few more bald eagles around here, but really the most common bird we could associate with is the mighty buzzard. However, if we did have eagles, we would marvel at how powerful and majestic they are in flight. They effortlessly soar.

God describes bringing the nation out of Egypt as bearing them on eagle’s wings

God majestically displayed His power in delivering the people from Egypt’s strong grasp.

The Israelites did nothing to help assist their deliverance from slavery into freedom

In the same way, as Phillip Melanchthon, the associate of Martin Luther once said, “We contributed nothing to our salvation but the sin that made it necessary.”

God has displayed His mighty power by slaying His son in our place, burying Him, and triumphantly raising Him on the third day defeating sin and death and making eternal life ours through faith.

Jesus said often in the Gospel of John that He must be lifted up and men must look to Him to be saved.

Application:

If you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, God has already removed the guilt of your sin, but He still calls each of us to enter into a covenant relationship with Him

The New Covenant is made by the shedding of Christ’s blood and not by works of the Law or human effort

2. The Covenant of the Lord (vv.5-20)

Covenants were between a greater king and a lesser vassal, or servant

God is the greater, Israel is the lesser

We have all witnessed the covenant of marriage, and unlike the modern contract theory of marriage that pledges to love, honor, and keep, as long as you make me happy, the biblical view of marriage is a covenant.

It states the relationship that is indissoluable

It also states the responsibilities of both parties in the relationship

We are in a covenant relationship with God

He has promised us certain things that are not based on our performance or making Him happy

Aren’t we glad that God doesn’t keep us saved as long as we make Him happy, but saves us by the faithfulness of His character?

We are like an unfaithful bride that keeps running out on her Husband - story of Hosea

We have certain obligations as well

Israel was to prepare for her Husband like a bride for her wedding

She was to wash

Take some time to prepare herself (3 days)

Abstain from certain foods and activities (sexual intimacy) - these were the things that would later be spelled out for ritual purity in Leviticus

Application

How do you prepare to meet with your Lord every Lord’s Day?

Do you contemplate the presence of God as you get ready to meet with Him?

Do you consider that He is not just with you on Sunday, but is present with you, even when you sin and are unfaithful to Him?

Have you purified yourself to good works by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit

Part of the covenant was that Israel would not just have God to themselves, but would serve a new role as a kingdom of priests

This did not negate the role of Aaron and the Levites

They were to represent God to the nations by holy living

They were to represent the nations to God by their intercession and evangelistic efforts to bring the nations to know the one, true God

God would give them His holy laws to govern their nation to show them His holiness and righteousness

In America, it was these Laws that were the moral basis for the system of government that was implemented

The founding fathers of this nation knew that if belief in God and adherence to the moral laws found in His Word were abandoned, the democratic experiment would fail

Are we beginning to see the unraveling of this in our nation today?

Are we seeing it happen in our own families?

3. The Holiness of God (vv. 21-25)

How many of you have ever stood on a volcano?

If you did, it was probably an inactive one

We can see the crater left behind at Mt. St. Hellen that shows the amazing power of a volcanic eruption

Volcanoes can produce amazing mountains and vistas, but they are powerful reminders of the forces of nature

God is like a king that comes in all of his royal splendor to appear before the people

Like a king before the bride

He shows up in His mighty presence and makes the creation reel and quake before Him like a mountain erupting

Imagine standing before that and not wanting to flee in terror

He comes in visible glory

His presence makes the mountain holy

Everything God touches becomes holy - that is why your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be holy

This scene would have reminded them of the awesome might of God that had delivered them from Egypt and crushed the nation

God is not just physically powerful and imposing

The greatest army has no chance against Him

Every tongue will be shut before Him

God is infinitely holy and righteous and we are sinful and unworthy to stand in His presence

Consider Gomer when she was redeemed by Hosea

Application

Do we ever stop to consider how sinful we really are?

Do we consider how unworthy we are to stand before His presence?

The sanctuary is a reminder to us of this. This is why we revere it and respect it as a place we meet with God.

God’s holiness is emphasized in the number of times He warns them not to touch the mountain or try to come up it to glimpse at His glory

Illustration

ESV EC - God is like the most intense sun we can imagine and we are like snowmen before Him.

Were it not for His preserving power, we would melt into a puddle and evaporate

Conclusion

Do we treat being in the presence of God seriously?

Do we touch the mountain?

Do we treat the place we meet with God with reverence?

Do we treat the opportunity to come before Him as a blessing?

Do we treat our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit?

We can take things too far, but we tend to err these days on the opposite extreme and treat God too casually.

God wants relationship with us

God is not just any other sinful person

Each generation must be taught the holiness of God anew

We tend to drift

We forget

They don’t know until they are shown - need for visual reminders in our everyday life

We are one generation away from being like that of the Judges where everyone did what seemed good in their own eyes

They forgot God

They had no king - no moral standard

We live in this generation today

Good news

God can reverse it

We can remember and return

This doesn’t happen without judgment and sacrifice, but it can happen when the winds of revival stir up the flame again

This same generation that saw God on the mountain would fail to ender the promised land due to lack of faith. Don’t be like them!