Monday, November 4, 2019

Exodus 19:1 says, In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.  The people of Israel were on the move once more, going into the wilderness of Sinai.  Verse two states, For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.  They camped again in the desert of Sinai, which is also referred to as the wilderness, near a mountain.  It was not the Promised Land in any aspect.  We today will never find our promised land, Heaven, here on the earth.  We are always going to be camping in the wilderness until we leave this world.  Verse three says, And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;  Moses went up the mountain and God called out to him.  We may go looking for God, but it is always God Who will find us.  God began to tell Moses what he was to say to the people of Israel, God's chosen people.  Wen we witness to those around us, we must make sure that it is God's word that we are sharing.  Verse four states, Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.  Moses was to remind the people that it was God Who had delivered them from Pharaoh and Egypt.  We today, as followers of Christ, must always remember that God delivered us from the slavery of sin.  Verse five proclaims, Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:  God made a promise with a provision.  If the people of Israel would obey His voice and keep His covenant, then they would be a peculiar treasure to God.  If they were special simply because of who they were, then there would have been no provision added.  We, as followers of Christ, are not special because of who we are or where we were born, but because we enter into a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Christ.  Verse six adds, And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  When the people of Israel entered into a covenant relationship with God, then they would be  kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  We as Christians believe in the priesthood of the believer and are part of a holy nation.  This is not some geographical kingdom, but a spiritual one.  Verse seven says, And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.  Moses came down the mountain and first called the elders and shared with them what God had said.  We do not have to share the gospel through anyone else, but can witness individually to everyone we that God sends us to.  Verse eight adds, And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.  We are told that all the people said that hey would do what God had said.  Today, if we are truly to be God's people, then we must do what He says, individually and collectively.  Moses went back to tell God what the people had said.  We are so blessed that we can go directly to God with our cares and concerns and never have to go through anyone else nor to a particular place to talk to God.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.  God said that He was going to speak directly to the people of Israel through a thick cloud so that they would know that it was God Who was telling Moses what to say.  When God first calls us to Him, we do not clearly see Who He is, and we never will fully understand in this life, but we see enough to know that He is God.  Verse ten adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,  God told Moses to go to the people and sanctify them to encounter God the third day.  We do not have to go through any purifying ritual to meet Christ today, but I believe that once we do encounter Him and accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, that God expects us to purify ourselves daily through obedience to His word.  Verse eleven continues, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.  The people then were to be ready too meet God on the third day, just as we meet Christ today because of what He did on the third day after the crucifixion.  Verse twelve proclaims, And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:  The people were not to touch the mountain.  I believe this is because if they did so they would have been trying to force God to meet them on their terms.  We can only meet God on His terms, which is through the blood of Christ.  Verse thirteen concludes, There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.  Once more, we are told that God would come to the people, just as He comes to us today to call us to salvation.  Verse fourteen states, And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.  Moses went and told the people what to do, and they did it.  We today can tell the people what they must do to be saved, but it is up to them to respond,   Verse fifteen adds, And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.  Moses wanted the people to be dedicated to coming before God as pure as they could be.  Of course, we know that spiritual purity is what we should strive for before God.

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