Sermon Notes

19 1 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: 4 ‘You 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 obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”7 So Moses went, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 The people all answered as one, “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” When Moses had 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. Have them wash their clothes 11 and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows;[a] whether animal or human being, they shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.

(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)

19 1-2 Three months after leaving Egypt the Israelites entered the Wilderness of Sinai. They followed the route from Rephidim, arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai, and set up camp. Israel camped there facing the mountain. 3-6 As Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the People of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’ “This is what I want you to tell the People of Israel.”7 Moses came back and called the elders of Israel together and set before them all these words which God had commanded him.8 The people were unanimous in their response: “Everything God says, we will do.” Moses took the people’s answer back to God. 9 God said to Moses, “Get ready. I’m about to come to you in a thick cloud so that the people can listen in and trust you completely when I speak with you.” Again Moses reported the people’s answer to God. 10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they’ll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, ‘Warning! Don’t climb the mountain. Don’t even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he’s to be stoned. That’s right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.’ “A long blast from the horn will signal that it’s safe to climb the mountain.” 14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. (The Message, MSG)

This week’s lesson introduces a new quarter entitled Costly Sacrifices, which focuses on how worship, sacrifices, and offerings work collectively to link the holiness of God to the profane—or non-holiness—of humanity. In Unit 1 (Tabernacle, Sacrifice, and Atonement), scriptural passages in Exodus and Leviticus explain how the Israelites were to prepare themselves to enter into God’s holy presence by following prescribed patterns of grooming, dress, sacrifice, and offerings. By adhering to these strict ethical, spiritual, worship, and behavioral conventions, the Israelites demonstrated they were committed to a covenantal relationship with God. These particular Hebrew Bible/Old Testament texts

collectively provide a theological framework for understanding how Jesus’ crucifixion in the New Testament functions as the ultimate sacrifice that fulfills scripture and permanently reconciles humanity’s sinful nature with God’s holiness.

This week’s lesson text, Exodus 19:1-14, emphasizes how God invites the Israelites to become a priestly kingdom and holy nation by separating themselves from that which does not reflect God’s holiness. Thus, separation is the genesis—literally the starting point—for how God’s people understand its actions, ethics, worship, and relationship to everything else in life. This lesson is a solemn reminder to contemporary Christians that it is through separation—the act of leaving human bonds, allegiances, and structures—that one enters the sacred realm of the Divine and fully becomes God’s possession.

Holiness is a central theme in the book of Exodus. Over eighty times, Hebrew words denoting holiness are utilized to explain how people, places, things and cultic spaces are “holy” as the Israelites are preparing for the exodus and journey from Egypt through the wilderness. When Moses first meets the LORD in the burning bush on Sinai, God declares the place where he is standing is “holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). In Exodus 13:2, God calls all first-born children and animals “holy” and commands they be consecrated to the LORD. In Exodus 16:23, before the giving of the Decalogue, God says the Sabbath is “holy” unto the LORD.

However, in Exodus chapter 19 that God goes beyond the designation of holy. The Divine promises holiness—literally a transference of the Divine’s intrinsic holiness—to the Israelites. All throughout the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament God is described as holy (Isaiah 1:4; Exodus 15:11) and that holiness is described as the center of the God’s character. Therefore, when holiness is promised to the Israelites, God is sharing the very essence of Divinity. In the chapters immediately preceding the lesson text, God delivers the Israelites from Pharoah’s army by bringing them through the Red Sea (Exodus 15). In Exodus 16 and 17, the LORD provides the Israelites with manna from heaven and water from a rock, illustrating God’s commitment to protecting them during the journey to Sinai.

1-2 Three months after leaving Egypt the Israelites entered the Wilderness of Sinai. They followed the route from Rephidim, arrived at the Wilderness of Sinai, and set up camp. Israel camped there facing the mountain.
In the first verses of the lesson text, the writers of Exodus provide a travel report that explains the time of arrival, the setting for the next phase of their spiritual journey/experience, and the location of their encampment. The setting of the wilderness of Sinai is significant. First, in scripture, the wilderness is an important theological concept. It is in the wilderness that testing and trying provides clarification of call and preparation for assignment. Moses was called, tested, and proofed in the wilderness of Sinai. Elijah was both spiritually and physically tested and prepared in the wilderness. Jesus was baptized in the wilderness—a verification of his call—tested in the wilderness/desert. And, by the end of the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites will have been tested, tried, pruned and fortified for the promised land.
Second, Sinai is the pivot point for the emergence of the Israelites as God’s covenantal people. It is at Sinai that God creates a new community. In the Sinai experience, a collection of former slaves, and Egyptian refugees not identified by common blood, language, or territory, is formed into a community based solely on allegiance to the command of the LORD. The encampment facing the holy mountain provides the perfect place to witness the theophany of the LORD.
3-6 As Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the People of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep my covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’ “This is what I want you to tell the People of Israel.”
In verses 3-6 God makes the first speech to Moses where the Divine’s care of the “House of Jacob” is likened to being carried on eagles’ wings. By recounting what happened to Egypt—this is a direct reference to the plagues in Egypt and Pharoah’s army being drowned in the Red Sea—God employs this beautiful metaphor to illustrate the depth of Divine love and nurture for the Israelites. In the Deuteronomy 32: 11-14, God is depicted as a nurturing eagle that protects, guides, and feeds. The “eagle” metaphor also illustrates God’s power to break Egypt’s indomitable reign and remove it from the dominant place in the Israelite past. Further, God has taken Israel out of Egypt not to journey to Mount Sinai, but to journey into relationship with the LORD.
God’s speech is also a proposal to covenant relationship. If the people listen, obey and observe the commands that will be shared with them (the Ten Commandments and other law codes), then God will choose the Israelites to be God’s special possession. Further, Israel’s “specialness” is completely contingent upon listening to God’s every command. The covenantal relationship will be that of a “Suzerain“ and “vassal.” If the Israelites are faithful to God, then God will be faithful to them.
7 Moses came back and called the elders of Israel together and set before them all these words which God had commanded him.8 The people were unanimous in their response: “Everything God says, we will do.” Moses took the people’s answer back to God. 9 God said to Moses, “Get ready. I’m about to come to you in a thick cloud so that the people can listen in and trust you completely when I speak with you.” Again Moses reported the people’s answer to God.
In these verses, Moses comes back and tells the elders what God has said. However, it is the listening people who answer. They do not let the representative elders speak for them. They speak for themselves and say they will do everything that God has proposed. By offering themselves to God by agreeing to be the LORD’s vassal, the Israelites will become a people marked by holiness. This distinction will set them apart from every other nation in the world.
10-13 God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day they’ll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, ‘Warning! Don’t climb the mountain. Don’t even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person, he’s to be stoned. That’s right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.’ “A long blast from the horn will signal that it’s safe to climb the mountain.”
Once Moses reports to God what the people said, the LORD tells him that they must prepare themselves for a Divine visitation. Preparation in this case is becoming holy, so they are able to stand before God’s presence. It is important to note that God’s presence can be dangerous to humans without proper preparation and safeguard, because God’s holiness cannot tolerate sin and impurity. For two days, the people will engage in acts of consecration so they are adequately equipped to meet God’s Holiness. Moses is to instruct the people to do two things:
(1) Clean their clothes-This represents the dirt that likely remains in garments from the journey out of Egypt. Symbolically, they must rid themselves of the past, so they can be prepared to assume their new role as covenant people.
(2) Observe visual, spatial and auditory boundaries that will safeguard God’s holiness and their safety. By the time that the revelation is complete on Sinai, all senses will be engaged by this theophanic experience.
If the people adhere to the instructions provided by Moses, they will prevent unsuitable contact with God and the threat of sudden death. (See Leviticus 10:2; Leviticus 16:2, 1 Samuel 6:19, and 2 Samuel 6:7, for examples where individuals died because they did not properly follow the prescribed rules for approaching the Divine Presence.)
14-15 Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing.
In the final verses of the lesson text, Moses descends the mountain and prepares the people for the coming of God’s presence. They clean their clothes in obedience and expectation of the LORD’s arrival. The Israelites were given an invitation, and they had to have to decide whether or not they wanted to accept this strange identity that required a sacrifice of their old allegiances in favor of a new relationship with God? They decided to accept God’s invitation and they prepared themselves for this awe-inspiring, terrifying, and life altering new relationship.
There is a saying, “when the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.” In reference to Exodus 19, it could be said, “when the worshipper is ready, then God will arrive.” God’s visitation, God’s relationship, and God’s holiness occurs when people are ready and are committed to separating from the things that prevent us from being suitable to be in God’s presence. The question every Christian must ask themselves is, “Am I ready?”

i See the “Special Note” on Exodus 19:10-13 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003, pg. 114.