Exodus 19. Tonight we study chapter 19 and an introduction to the giving of the Law, which begins in chapter 20. That main event begins in chapter 20

Transcription

1 Exdus 19 Tnight we study chapter 19 and an intrductin t the giving f the Law, which begins in chapter 20 Technically, we ve been in the third part f the bk fr the past three chapters The third part chrnicles the giving f the Law t Israel We cunt it frm chapter 16 and nt chapter 20 because Gd has already begun t instruct Israel He s already begun t demand their bedience t His cmmands and statutes But thse early mentins f statutes and regulatins were simply the warm up fr the main act, when Mses receives the entire Law f Gd That main event begins in chapter 20 The giving f the Law is mre prperly understd as the giving f a cvenant, which bligates Israel t keep the Law Befre we get there, we study the natin s arrival at the muntain S the natin s arrival at the muntain includes preparatins fr entering int a cvenant with the Lrd And thse preparatins include rules and regulatins fr hw the natin is t regard the muntain itself Ex. 19:1 In the third mnth after the sns f Israel had gne ut f the land f Egypt, n that very day they came int the wilderness f Sinai. Ex. 19:2 When they set ut frm Rephidim, they came t the wilderness f Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in frnt f the muntain. As Mses tells us, it s been three mnths since the natin left Egypt Once again the date f their arrival is precise in a way that reminds us that Gd is guiding their every step 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Exdus 19 2 f 19 Exactly three mnths after the natin exited Egypt, they arrive at the muntain in Midian, smetime in May r June They had been camped in Rephidim, which we knw is a part f the muntain range f Hreb and near Sinai But nw they mve directly t the base f the muntain Sinai We ve seen the names Hreb and Sinai used interchangeably thrughut the stry T be mre specific, Hreb refers t the muntain range in Midian The name Sinai is the name f the muntain peak in the Hreb range Like Pikes Peak is a muntain in the Rcky Muntain Range Israel has been mving alngside the Hreb range almst since they came up ut f the Red Sea But nw they have reach the base f SInai And here the natin cmes t a rest Ex. 19:3 Mses went up t Gd, and the LORD called t him frm the muntain, saying, Thus yu shall say t the huse f Jacb and tell the sns f Israel: Ex. 19:4 Yu yurselves have seen what I did t the Egyptians, and hw I bre yu n eagles wings, and brught yu t Myself. Ex. 19:5 Nw then, if yu will indeed bey My vice and keep My cvenant, then yu shall be My wn pssessin amng all the peples, fr all the earth is Mine; Ex. 19:6 and yu shall be t Me a kingdm f priests and a hly natin. These are the wrds that yu shall speak t the sns f Israel. As the natin camps, Mses receives his first instructins frm Gd Mses we re tld ges up t Gd but Gd called t Mses frm the muntain Mses walked sme distance away frm the peple t apprach the glry f Gd But he didn t climb the muntain, nt at this pint 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Exdus 19 3 f 19 Then the Lrd begins t speak t Mses cncerning what He was ging t deliver t the peple In vs. 3-6 we find the heart and purpse f Law Sme has called these verses the mst thelgically significant text in all Exdus It has been called a linchpin between the cvenant t Abraham and the cvenant t all Israel And we learn several imprtant pints abut the Law First, the law was given t the huse f Jacb and the sns f Israel Obviusly, the huse f Jacb and the sns f Israel are ne and the same This cvenant and the law it cntains is an agreement between the Lrd and the peple f Israel The terms f this agreement are nly binding t that grup f peple This is a cmmn misperceptin amng Christians Especially if we ve been mis-taught that the Law is a binding set f rules upn believers The reality is very different Only the Jewish peple are bund by the terms f the Law given thrugh Mses Gentiles are nt party t this cvenant Paul teaches us in Rmans 2:14 that Gentiles d nt have the law And again in Rm 2:17 Paul identifies the Jew as the ne wh has the Law Nevertheless, all men, bth thse with the law and thse withut the law, will be judged by the Law f Gd Rm. 2:12 Fr all wh have sinned withut the Law will als perish withut the Law, and all wh have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Exdus 19 4 f 19 Thrugh this cvenant, Gd gave Israel a preview f the standard that all men face at their judgment day And it bund them t fllwing it in this life r else face certain penalties But the cvenant did nt establish Gd s right t judge Israel On the cntrary, all men were already under the penalty f Gd s Law even befre He revealed t Israel Thugh Gentiles are nt parties t this cvenant, they are still judged accrding t the Law But nce we cme t faith in Messiah, whether Jew r Gentile, we are n lnger under the penalty f the Law Jesus take ur place in that judgment, and He fulfilled the Law s requirements perfectly S at ur judgment, we are fund vindicated because Christ s perfect life is credited t us thrugh faith Fr thse wh have nt received that prpitiatin befre they die will stand fr judgment n the basis f their wn wrks And they will nt survive that judgment Secndly, Gd enacted this cvenant having delivered Israel ut f Egypt This statement is a direct reference t the cvenant t Abraham Remember I said that these verses are a linchpin between the Abrahamic Cvenant and the Sinai cvenant By linchpin, we mean that the cvenant f Abraham fretld certain events in the lives f Abraham s descendants Specifically, the Lrd tld Abraham that his descendants wuld be numerus But that they wuld wander and be enslaved fr 400 years And then they wuld be delivered ut f Egypt At this mment, the Lrd has nw dne as He prmised 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Exdus 19 5 f 19 S He first reminds the peple that He is trustwrthy and cvenant-keeping This gives rise t what cmes next in Israel s relatinship with the Lrd And the answer is fund in the Sinai cvenant This cvenant will begin a new dispensatin in Gd s plan f redemptin Rather than wrk thrugh a patriarch and his family, nw the Lrd cmmits Himself t a peple and natin The cvenant He is establishing in chapters 20 and beynd is the next chapter in His plan t bring the Seed, Christ S these verses are the linchpin t cnnect Gd s fulfillment f ne cvenant and the inauguratin f a new cvenant But this transitin between the Abrahamic Cvenant and the Msaic Cvenant is nt a matter f successin but rather f elabratin Gd is nt signaling that the Abrahamic Cvenant is cming t an end and a new cvenant is taking its place On the cntrary, the Abrahamic Cvenant cntinues n perpetually While the Msaic cvenant will merely cme alng side fr a time Gal. 3:17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came fur hundred and thirty years later, des nt invalidate a cvenant previusly ratified by Gd, s as t nullify the prmise. Gal. 3:18 Fr if the inheritance is based n law, it is n lnger based n a prmise; but Gd has granted it t Abraham by means f a prmise. Gal. 3:19 Why the Law then? It was added because f transgressins, having been rdained thrugh angels by the agency f a mediatr, until the seed wuld cme t whm the prmise had been made. Gd has gd reasn fr pairing these tw cvenants tgether fr a time 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Exdus 19 6 f 19 Abraham s inheritance - and by extensin ur share in that inheritance by the New Cvenant - did nt cme by Law but by a prmise S the arrival f the Law didn t change r imprve upn that earlier prmise Instead, the Law came t reveal ur sin Third, Gd tells Mses that this cvenant is abut taking pssessin f Israel in a unique and special way The Lrd says all the earth is His, but He is prepared t designate Israel in a special way Thrugh His cvenant, Israel will assume an unique identity They will be set apart frm all the ther natins f the earth Amng all the peple f Earth, Israel will frever have a special place This distinctin will serve a purpses in the current age and in the next In this age, the natin will be entrusted with the racles f Gd It will be the place f the Lrd s dwelling n Earth And it will bring the Seed f Messiah int the wrld In the Kingdm t cme, Israel will serve the Lrd in His temple and rule ver all natins n earth Finally, Gd says that the pprtunity t have this special relatinship with the Lrd is cntingent upn Israel keeping the cvenant They are bey His vice and keep the cvenant This is a parity cvenant, which is different than the suzerainty cvenant Gd established with Abraham The Abrahamic Cvenant was a suzerainty cvenant between a superir, the Lrd, and a lessr, Abraham The Lrd set the terms and granted the cvenant t Abraham withut any agreement n Abraham s part Abraham neither accepted nr refused it 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Exdus 19 7 f 19 Nr did it cme with any cnditin r bligatins fr Abraham He did nthing t receive it and he des nthing t keep it, since it was dependent n Gd s prmise alne The Sinai Cvenant is a parity cvenant between tw parties The tw parties in this case are nt equal f curse But bth must agree t the terms f the cvenant And bth assume bligatins under the cvenant Bth Israel and the Lrd are cmmitting t keep the terms I hpe it desn t ruin the ending f ur stry if I tell yu that Israel desn t succeed at this requirement They ften disbey, smetimes merely hurs after having been given a cmmand S hw des cvenant manage t stand? In later bks f the Law, we get ur answer The Lrd cnstructs this cvenant in such a way that the agreement will survive Israel s disbedience In fact, the Lrd places prvisins in the Law fr what wuld cme upn the natin when they disbey the terms f the cvenant Thugh Israel vilates the agreement, the cvenant remains in frce thrugh a series f penalties and curses Ultimately, thse penalties take the frm f the Tribulatin judgments As we studied in ur Revelatin class, this cvenant becmes the basis fr the Lrd justly rejecting Israel at the Lrd s first cming In their place, the Lrd sent the gspel t the Gentiles 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Exdus 19 8 f 19 This cvenant, and mre specifically the natin s disbedience t the cvenant, gave the Lrd a just basis fr sending the Gspel t Gentiles in place f Jews fr a time But after thse penalties are enfrced, as the cvenant requires, the natin f Israel is brught int glry and faithfulness Then as a result f the natin s cmpliance with the Law, they begin t receive the blessings Ntice in v.6 the Lrd says that they will becme a kingdm f priests and a hly natin The reference t kingdm is the first use f the term in the Bible and is a reference t the THE Kingdm where Christ rules This will be a time when the natin serves the Lrd as a natin f priests S t summarize, these verses teach: A priest is respnsible fr mediating between Gd and men The natin will play this rle in the Millennial Kingdm This will als be the time when the natin as a whle becmes hly and withut sin, glrified in the Kingdm Gd is making a cvenant with the natin f Israel Never with Gentiles And it n lnger binds a believer nce he has cme under the New Cvenant Secndly, the cvenant bridges the giving f the Abrahamic Cvenant with the cming f the Messiah and the New Cvenant It des nt replace the Abrahamic Cvenant r even enhance it Instead, the cvenant serves as a cntrast, revealing sin rather prducing righteusness Thirdly, it establishes a chief natin n earth, Israel 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Exdus 19 9 f 19 The natin is a unique pssessin f the Lrd And He establishes it fr His glry and purpses Finally, the cvenant cmes with terms fr Israel It s a parity cvenant, s Israel must keep up their end f the agreement Or else they suffer the penalties f the cvenant And by their failure t keep the cvenant, the Lrd creates an pening fr Gentiles t be brught int the New Cvenant That s a lt f thelgy t pen ur study tnight, s let s mve thrugh the rest f the chapter Ex. 19:7 S Mses came and called the elders f the peple, and set befre them all these wrds which the LORD had cmmanded him. Ex. 19:8 All the peple answered tgether and said, All that the LORD has spken we will d! And Mses brught back the wrds f the peple t the LORD. Ex. 19:9 The LORD said t Mses, Behld, I will cme t yu in a thick clud, s that the peple may hear when I speak with yu and may als believe in yu frever. Then Mses tld the wrds f the peple t the LORD. Ex. 19:10 The LORD als said t Mses, G t the peple and cnsecrate them tday and tmrrw, and let them wash their garments; Ex. 19:11 and let them be ready fr the third day, fr n the third day the LORD will cme dwn n Munt Sinai in the sight f all the peple. Ex. 19:12 Yu shall set bunds fr the peple all arund, saying, Beware that yu d nt g up n the muntain r tuch the brder f it; whever tuches the muntain shall surely be put t death. Ex. 19:13 N hand shall tuch him, but he shall surely be stned r sht thrugh; whether beast r man, he shall nt live. When the ram s hrn sunds a lng blast, they shall cme up t the muntain. Ex. 19:14 S Mses went dwn frm the muntain t the peple and cnsecrated the peple, and they washed their garments. Ex. 19:15 He said t the peple, Be ready fr the third day; d nt g near a wman. Mses cmes dwn and annunces these terms t the elders f Israel As they hear that what the Lrd is granting t Israel, they are understandably excited and eager t receive this blessing S they immediately agree t the terms 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Exdus f 19 They agree withut truly knwing the details f the cvenant This is a rash decisin, since they dn t knw what they re signing up fr Ntice it says in v.8 that all the peple answered in agreement But the all in this case des nt mean every single member f the 2+ millin Jews in the encampment There was n such need fr every single persn t agree Because Mses had instituted Jethr s suggestin t appint leaders, the natin was represented by their elders If the elders agreed t the cvenant, they were binding the entire natin Much in the same way that ur elected representatives in the United Stated can bind all citizens f the natin by their decisins This same principle was at wrk in Jesus day when the natin f Israel rejected Him and suffered the judgment f AD 70 Nt every persn in Israel persnally rejected Jesus But the elders f Israel rejected Him, and they spke fr the natin Mses delivers the reprt t the Lrd, thus establishing agreement in the cvenant Next the Lrd begins t teach Mses and Israel n hw they may apprach the Lrd First, the Lrd tells Mses hw the natin will experience the Lrd n the muntain He will descend n the muntain in a thick clud Then the peple will hear His vice as He speaks with Mses The Lrd Himself will nt be visible, since the clud will cnceal Him frm the Mses and the peple But they will hear Him 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Exdus f 19 The writer f Hebrews says this experience was a terrifying ne fr the natin gathered at the base f the muntain Heb. 12:18 Fr yu have nt cme t a muntain that can be tuched and t a blazing fire, and t darkness and glm and whirlwind, Heb. 12:19 and t the blast f a trumpet and the sund f wrds which sund was such that thse wh heard begged that n further wrd be spken t them. Heb. 12:20 Fr they culd nt bear the cmmand, IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED. Heb. 12:21 And s terrible was the sight, that Mses said, I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling. The Lrd wants t make this impressin upn the peple s that they will believe in Mses frever That s a puzzling statement until we recgnize what the Lrd means by the peple believing in Mses The Lrd desn t mean He wants peple t believe in Mses, the man He means He wants all Israel and all peple frever t believe in the wrd Mses delivered, that is the wrd f Gd delivered thrugh Mses In this case, we re talking abut the Law and the rest f the Trah Mses writings were t last frever, since Gd s wrd will never pass away In preparatin fr the Lrd s decent t the muntain in the clud in three days, He tells the natin they must perfrm a ritual cleansing The peple must wash their clthes and remain cnsecrated fr the arrival f the Lrd Cnsecratin means t be hly and set apart frm sin Obviusly, the natin culd nt separate themselves frm sin The peple were sinful by nature and nthing shrt f the resurrectin was ging t crrect fr that issue S hliness is t be understd in a lessr frm The peple were t perfrm a ritual cnsecratin 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Exdus f 19 Ritual cleansing r cnsecratin means perfrming symblic actins that picture spiritual cleansing Like any picture, the ritual cleansing can t substitute fr the greater reality It merely prvides a substitute that serves as a reminder f the need fr the reality in it s greater frm In this case, they were t wash themselves and refrain frm sexual activity t avid bdily fluids This greater reality pictured her is the spiritual cleansing that cmes nly frm faith in the Messiah and His bld which cleanses us frm all unrighteusness And washing the bdy and clthing pictures the greater cleansing we receive by faith But the ritual desn t take the place f the real thing Even if the ritual was fllwed perfectly, the peple were still sinful Human wrks simply can t erase sin We can see this clearly in v.12 Even after the natin had fllwed the Lrd s cmmands regarding the ritual cleansing, they wuld still be subject t death if they s much as tuched the muntain The muntain was t be a temprary dwelling place fr the Hly Gd And if ur sinfulness cmes int cntact with the just and hly Gd, death will immediately result This is why the Lrd is determined t appear in a dark clud This was t prtect the peple frm Gd s wrath and hliness This is the same reasn why Gd gave Adam and Wman advance warning f His apprach in the Garden after they sinned He knew that if they came int His presence, they wuld die, s He gave them time t hide 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Exdus f 19 And they hid because they instinctively sensed jepardy at the Lrd s apprach S in v.13 the Lrd states that anyne r any animal that even tuches the muntain r crsses the brder f the muntain will die Only when a ram s hrn is blwn may they apprach the muntain The blwing f the hrn is the sign that the Lrd has arrived t meet His peple This feature als frms a picture n it s wn The Lrd will use a hrn t annunce His arrival fr His Church at the nset f the Rapture These setting ffers us a useful understanding f hw man appraches Gd Since the Garden, men have tried t define their wn path t finding Gd The very existence f many religins is evidence that men lve t design their wn path t Gd But Gd can nly be apprached accrding t His rules The Lrd defines wh and hw and when we will cme near t Him It must be this way, because man have n capacity t reach Gd much less survive the encunter The reasn the unbelieving wrld cntinues t delude itself int thinking it can discver it s wn way t Gd is tw fld First, they create a gd that is far less than the True Gd He is less hly, less knwing, less just and less pwerful Only by defining gd in lessr terms can we feel cmfrtable with ur discvery Secndly, they imagine themselves as withut reasn t fear Gd They assume themselves t be far less sinful, far less in debt and under far less f a penalty than they really are 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Exdus f 19 If they culd nly appreciate hw much wrath they have stred up fr themselves, they wuld hpe t never see Gd The truth is that Gd is perfect, hly, and just and He will judge all sin cmpletely Nevertheless, in His lve and mercy, He has made a way available fr us t apprach Him He calls us, just as He called the natin f Israel We dn t find Him He finds us And then He sets the terms fr ur encunter He defines the standard f hliness - His perfectin is the standard He prvides the means fr canceling ur debt - His Sn Jesus death n the crss He set the terms fr ur recnciliatin - ur faith in Christ s death n the crss in ur place and His resurrectin t make pssible eternal life He sets the timing fr ur encunter- upn ur death and entrance int His presence The Lrd drives the entire prcess, makes all the rules, and accmplishes all the wrk We receive His grace and praise Him fr it But if we think we can rest n ur wn merits, define ur wn terms, r decide the timing f ur encunter, we will find urselves expsed fr the fl we were Ex. 19:16 S it came abut n the third day, when it was mrning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick clud upn the muntain and a very lud trumpet sund, s that all the peple wh were in the camp trembled. Ex. 19:17 And Mses brught the peple ut f the camp t meet Gd, and they std at the ft f the muntain Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Exdus f 19 Ex. 19:18 Nw Munt Sinai was all in smke because the LORD descended upn it in fire; and its smke ascended like the smke f a furnace, and the whle muntain quaked vilently. Ex. 19:19 When the sund f the trumpet grew luder and luder, Mses spke and Gd answered him with thunder. Ex. 19:20 The LORD came dwn n Munt Sinai, t the tp f the muntain; and the LORD called Mses t the tp f the muntain, and Mses went up. Ex. 19:21 Then the LORD spke t Mses, G dwn, warn the peple, s that they d nt break thrugh t the LORD t gaze, and many f them perish. Ex. 19:22 Als let the priests wh cme near t the LORD cnsecrate themselves, r else the LORD will break ut against them. Ex. 19:23 Mses said t the LORD, The peple cannt cme up t Munt Sinai, fr Yu warned us, saying, Set bunds abut the muntain and cnsecrate it. Ex. 19:24 Then the LORD said t him, G dwn and cme up again, yu and Aarn with yu; but d nt let the priests and the peple break thrugh t cme up t the LORD, r He will break frth upn them. Ex. 19:25 S Mses went dwn t the peple and tld them. As the writer f Hebrews explained, the arrival f the Lrd n the third day t the tp f the muntain brings great terrr t the peple All the peple std at the base f the muntain and watches the Lrd s glry arrive Atp the muntain, the Lrd descends in a fire that burns cntinuusly atp the muntain The clud is prduced by the smke f the burning And frm the clud als cmes lightening, with all the sund f thunder when lightening flashes nearby And if that weren t enugh, the muntain quaked vilently The earthquakes weren t destructive in the sense that peple lst their lives But they brught terrr t the peple nnetheless Furthermre, the trumpet sund grew luder and luder, indicating that the Lrd was near Then Mses spke t the Lrd and the Lrd answered with a vice like thunder 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Exdus f 19 The fire and burning and smke and ther signs inducing terrr prduced a display f Gd s refining and purifying judgment The scene instilled great fear f the Lrd in the peple If the apprach f the Lrd instills this kind f fear int Gd s wn peple, including Mses, what kind f fear will the wrld as a whle experience in future days f judgment? Fr that matter, what will we individually experience when we face the Lrd in ur judgment day, especially if we have nt lived a life that pleases the Lrd? The writer f Hebrews gives us that answer as well Heb. 10:26 Fr if we g n sinning willfully after receiving the knwledge f the truth, there n lnger remains a sacrifice fr sins, Heb. 10:27 but a terrifying expectatin f judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. The fear f the Lrd is a cmmn term in Scripture, and the writer is explaining its full meaning T ften I ve heard it said that the fear f the Lrd simply means respect fr Gd There is n biblical basis fr such an interpretatin The wrd fr fear in Hebrew is yare, which means t be afraid, t becme frightened, t be dismayed, and ccasinally t shw reverence Here s an example f hw the wrd is used, as Jacb prays t Gd Gen. 32:11 Deliver me, I pray, frm the hand f my brther, frm the hand f Esau; fr I fear him, that he will cme and attack me and the mthers with the children. Jacb feared Esau, because he thught he and his family wuld die That s the meaning f fear, and it s used t describe ur attitude tward the Creatr 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Exdus f 19 T the extent that we diminish the true meaning f fearing the Lrd, we run the risk f making it easier fr urselves t sin We remve any cncerns that Gd may respnd t ur prvcatins We frget hw much Gd hates sin And we have gd reasn t fear the Lrd, even as believers Our sin is s great and He is s hly and pwerful that fear is the natural and right respnse when we apprach the Lrd Making it all the mre remarkable and necessary that the Sn f Gd take the frm f man in rder t live amng us, Emmanuel, Gd with us He tk a frm that allwed Him t live and eat with men withut generating fear r dread amng thse He visited He lwered Himself fr that purpse, and s that He might take ur place n the crss Ntice in v.21 that after Mses ascended t meet with Gd in the clud fr the first time n the muntain, the Lrd warns Mses nt t allw the peple t crss past the barriers Gd knew that in time, the peple wuld lse their fear Shuld they lse that fear, they might wander up the muntain and die If they break thrugh thse barriers, the Lrd says He will break ut against them There is a play n Hebrew in these statements The Lrd uses tw Hebrew terms fr break ut The first use f the Hebrew wrd means t crss r pass thrugh a barrier, while the secnd means t destry r break apart Therefre, the Lrd tells us Mses that frm this pint frward, nly Aarn, the priests and he can apprach the Lrd The hliness f Gd places a necessary barrier between Himself and His peple 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Exdus f 19 Only the Lrd s chsen representatives may apprach Him These chsen representatives will intercede n behalf f the peple First Mses, wh pictures Christ, the ne wh talks with Gd n behalf f the peple Als Aarn, the cmpanin f Mses wh speaks fr Mses t the peple And finally the priests, wh have yet t even be named, will have pprtunity t serve Gd in the tabernacle which will be built These barriers t direct cntact and fellwship with Gd are made necessary by the grace f Gd in respnse t the sin f men Our sin is THE prblem driving ur relatinship with Gd The Lrd is hly and perfect in all ways The wrd hly means set apart The Lrd is utterly set apart frm sin In the way that light and dark cannt exist at the same mment and in the same place, neither can the Lrd be in the presence f sin He is set apart frm it as light is frm dark Mrever, He is perfect in justice He must be righteus in all things If sin were t enter int His presence, He must bring immediate justice against it And the penalty fr sin must be death, absence frm the presence f Gd Fllwing the fall in the Garden, man entered int a state f sin Our spiritual nature was cntaminated by sin, leaving us in jepardy f Gd s judgment and the death that always fllws 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Exdus f 19 S as grace t men, Gd has remained utside ur presence since the Garden Men cannt enter int His presence in a full way Men can nly enter His presence thrugh a mediatr, like Mses And if that mediatr is anther sinful man, like Mses, then he is als in jepardy fr his wn sin But Gd will permit His chsen representative f the peple t enter while still cncealing Himself sufficiently t prtect the persn frm death in Gd s presence In the Law, the ne wh entered the hly f hlies did s nly after the rm is filled with smke And Gd has als brught a clud upn the muntain t bscure Himself frm Mses What the Lrd is teaching Israel is that men apprach the Lrd nly n His terms and thrugh mediatin We cannt define ur wn rad t Heaven r t finding Gd The Lrd defines the way The Lrd sets the rules The Lrd brings penalty if we ignre the rules And we must apprach thrugh a mediatr wh represents us Yu dn t get t pick that persn Gd assigns His representatives In each age, they have taken different frms The patriarchs, later the priesthd f the law Later the prphets Tday, Gd s representatives n earth is the church, the hly priesthd f all believers Ultimately, the representative fr all men is the Lrd Himself He is the High Priest that bridges us t the Father 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.