Below is a summary of Exodus 19.16-25, where God encountered the newly freed Hebrew slaves.
On the third day, there were thunder, lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, with a loud trumpet blast.
Moses brought the people to meet God at the foot of Mount Sinai.
The mountain was enveloped in smoke as the Lord descended upon it in fire, causing it to shake violently.
God spoke to Moses in thunder as the trumpet blast grew louder.
The Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up.
Moses was instructed by God to warn the people not to break through to see the Lord, as it could lead to their destruction.
The priests also needed to consecrate themselves before approaching the Lord, to avoid His wrath.
Moses conveyed God’s warning to the people.
Why?
Why did God choose to meet his people in this way?
Let’s revisit verses 5 and 6 to understand why God acted this way towards his people.
“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,
“But you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 19.5-6).
God had a special plan for his children. They were meant to follow His commands and uphold the covenant He would form with them.
In return, they would be His treasured ones, serving the earth as his priests. As a holy nation, their mission was to embody his holy character.
Just like Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple, where he saw God’s glory fill the temple and its pillars shake (Isaiah 6), God’s people at Mount Sinai also met with Him.
There, He prepared them for their mission to fulfill Abraham’s blessing to the world (Genesis 12.1-3).
God Speaks Today
God still talks to people today, not just to Old Testament figures.
I recall a day as a young adult when God called me into the ministry while I was mowing the lawn. There were no burning mountains or sounds of trumpets and thunder, yet my calling was as real as that of the Israelites in Moses’ time.
Henry Blackaby has a conviction that I strongly agree with about everyone having a unique purpose. Each of us has an appointment, or mission, assigned by God.
Our task is to discover what this divine assignment is, much like the Israelites did. Once we’ve discovered it, we should commit ourselves to fulfilling it by saying: “Lord, whatever you command me to do, I will carry it out.”
Surely, there are moments when God visits the mountain, causing it to smoke with his glory. Other times, He visits us in the temple, making its pillars tremble. Sometimes, He communicates through a soft whisper.
Regardless of how God speaks to us, we should agree wholeheartedly and say “Yes Lord. What you instruct me to do – I will follow.” This is how we truly experience God and receive His best for us.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 