Exodus 21:26 says, And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.  If a man blinded his servant, whether male or female, by hitting him or her, he was to free the servant.  We would think that just beating a servant would be reason enough to free them, but I believe that a servant in this case would more accurately be a slave.  Verse twenty-seven states, And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.  The same thing applied to knocking out a tooth, which doesn't seem as severe as the loss of sight, so the law may have been designed to keep masters from severely beating their servants.  Though we today do not own slaves, if we harm those that work for us, we should be responsible for helping them financially.  Verse twenty-eight says, If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.  An ox that killed someone was to be killed and not eaten, but the owner was to otherwise not be held accountable.  It would only cost him the ox.  We cannot always control animals that we own, but if they harm others, especially if they kill them, then we should ensure that it never happens again.  Verse twenty-nine states, But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.  There was an addition to the law.  If the ox had been know to push with his horn in the past, or to be dangerous in other words, and the owner did not keep it away from people and it killed someone, then the ox and the owner were to both be stoned to death.  Though we might not be able to prevent a one time accidental death, if we know an animal has a history of violence against people and we do not keep it away from them, then if it severely harms or kills someone, we are more responsible than we would be in a one time event.  Verse thirty states, If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.  There was evidently a way for the owner to avoid being stoned to death, and that was to pay a specified ransom for his life.  We cannot ransom our life today from the penalty of death due to our sins, but Christ has redeemed us if we accept His redemption.  Verse thirty-one adds, Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.  This would apply to his own family as well.  Just as we are responsible for keeping those who work for us safe to the best of our ability, we are even more responsible for keeping our family safe.  Verse thirty-two proclaims, If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.  There was even a penalty for an ox, or any other animal the man owned, simply harming a person without killing them.  Verse thirty-three  declares, And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;  Then verse thirty-four adds, The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.  A man was responsible for insuring that things that he did would not lead to the harm of someone else's property.  If a man dug a hole and left it uncovered and someone else's animal was harmed, then the man who dug the hole was responsible for the damages.  Verse thirty-five states, And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.  If one man's ox killed another man's ox, then the live one was to be sold and the money divided, as well as the meat from the dead one.  Both would share in the loss of the ox.  Verse thirty-six adds, Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.  If the owner knew that his ox had harmed others in the past, he was to pay the full price of the ox to the other owner.  Though he was not responsible for a one time thing, he was if this was something that happened often.  The owner was responsible for the actions of the ox in both cases, but when he knew that the ox was dangerous and he allowed it to harm another, he was held even more accountable.  Though sin has a death penalty, I believe that when we deliberately sin that we will have more to answer for.  This does not mean that one sin is worse than another in a spiritual sense because of the sin itself, but that when we deliberately sin, then we bear more responsibility before God.  We are still forgiven and redeemed, but we are told that we will one day have to answer to God about our sins.  We certainly should never lead others to sin by our actions.

Exodus 21:12 says, He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.  The penalty for smiting, or murdering, a man, was death.  All life is important to God, and we cannot to murder someone without there being a severe penalty.  Verse thirteen states, And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.  God made a provision for those who did not deliberately kill a person, for those who had not laid in wait, or planned to kill that person.  God would appoint a place for the man who did this to flee.  We don't have such a place today, but we do have different designations for what someone is guilty of if they kill another person.  Verse fourteen declares, But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.  God said this was because the one who killed his neighbor was to be taken from His altar.  We cannot really serve God and hate, much less kill, our neighbor.  The person who deliberately killed his neighbor was to be put to death himself.  Verse fifteen states, And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.  This refers to hitting a parent and not to killing them.  A child should never hit his or her parent out of anger or disrespect.  The penalty for this in the Old Testament was death.  Verse sixteen says, And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.  The penalty for stealing and selling a man was death.  God has always taken relationships between people serious.  Verse seventeen declares, And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.  This takes the treatment of parents a step farther, declaring that simply cursing them brings a death penalty.  I believe that this means when parents are living up to their responsibility as parents and even when they aren't, unless we are in physical danger, we are to show them respect.  Verse eighteen states, And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:  Then verse nineteen adds, If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.  If a man was injured in a fight, and was confined to his bed for a time but recovered, the one who injured him was to be responsible for paying for the time the injured person lost at work.  Verse twenty proclaims, And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.  People were not free to kill their servants.  Just because we are in a superior position to someone else in the eyes of the world does not give us the right to kill or mistreat them.  Verse twenty-one adds, Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money. If the servant was beaten and recovered in a day or two, the master was to be considered to have lost enough because the servant couldn't work during that time.  Verse twenty-two declares, If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  God said that if a man caused a woman who was pregnant to lose a child, that he should certainly be punished.  It was up to the husband and the judges to determine the penalty.  I don't believe that God has changed His mind about the loss of an unborn due to the actions of others, and I believe that the father still has a right in determining the fate of that child.  Verse twenty-three adds, And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,  Then verse twenty-four adds, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  Then verse twenty-five concludes, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.  We could say that the punishment was to fit the crime.  God holds all life sacred, and if we abuse or kill someone, then we should be willing to pay the penalty for it.  If we have accepted salvation through Christ, then the most that can be happen is to die physically, and if we haven't accepted Christ, then there will be time to do so.  Of course, as Christians, we shouldn't be guilty of these things to start with, but since we are told that even our thoughts of such things make us guilty, we may be guilty more often than we wish to admit.

Exodus 21:1 says, Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.  God began to establish some of His laws that went beyond the Ten Commandments, which are the framework from which God's overall laws are based.  Verse two states, If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing  Buying a slave was permitted, but there was a limit to their servitude.  They were to be freed the seventh year.  I really don't believe that this was an endorsement of slavery though, but a limit on its use. Verse three adds, If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.  If the man was single when he came into slavery, then he would leave alone, but if he was married, his wife was to leave with him.  Then verse four continues, If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.  If the man was single and when he was bought, then was given a wife by his master, the wife and children would stay with the master when the man left.  I don't believe that we can really relate to this today this today.  Verse five says, And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:  The man was not forced to leave, but could chose to stay with his family and serve his master.  We can say that we are bought with a price when we come to accept Christ, and we are free to stop serving Him at any time, though I believe that if we are truly His through accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord that we are His forever, that our actions should not pull our family away from God.  Verse six declares, Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.  If the man chose to stay, he was to be brought before the judges and marked as being the master's servant for the rest of his life.  As followers of Christ, we are brought before the Judge, God, and proclaimed to be his forever because we are marked by the blood of Jesus.  Verse seven adds, And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.  Women sold into slavery were treated differently.  They were not to be freed after seven years.  I believe this was more for their protection.  They had no rights if they were freed.  Verse eight continues, If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.  The master could not get rid of the female servant just because he was dissatisfied with her, but she was to be treated much as a wife would.  Verse nine states, And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.  If the master had married the slave to his son, then she was to be treated as a daughter would be treated.  Again, I believe these laws were more for the protection of the female slaves than for making things worse for them.  Verse ten adds, If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.  This is not an endorsement of plural marriages, but an acknowledgement that they did happen.  If the man chose to take another wife, he could not diminish the role of the slave who had become his wife.  We know from Abraham's life that taking a servant to fulfill the role of a wife creates problems, but the servant or slave was not to be turned out of the household as Hagar was.  Verse eleven concludes, And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.  If the man would not fulfill his obligations to the slave woman, then she would be free to leave without anyone paying anything for her.  Once more, I don't believe that we can truly understand the culture of that day, but I do believe that these laws were put in place to protect those who were sold into slavery.

Exodus 20:18 says, And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  When the people of Israel saw and heard what was going on up on the mountain, they stood far away.  When we see God at work in the world today, we should not stand far off, but should come close to be a part of what He is doing.  Of course, the lost of the world are going to stand far off and attempt to discredit or explain away what God is doing.  Verse nineteen states, And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, told Moses to speak to them and they would hear him, but if God spoke to them they would die.  We can never think that we need some other person to stand between us and God, except Jesus Christ, Who took our place before God.  We must go directly to God with our cares and concerns.  Verse twenty declares, And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  Moses told the people that they were not to be afraid of God, because He had come to cause them to respect Him and to not be guided by sin.  We as followers of Christ should never be afraid of God simply because He is the all powerful God, but we should respect Him enough to not give in to sin.  Verse twenty-one says, And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.  The people of Israel still stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.  For those who do not believe in God, and specifically in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God will always be hidden in the great darkness of sin, and they will be far off from Him.  When someone comes to God through faith in Christ, the darkness will begin to be lifted, though we will never know everything about God in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-two proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.  God began to tell Moses what to say to the people.  The first thing was that they knew that God had spoken to Moses.  When we share the gospel today, we must make sure that people know that it is God's word that we share.  Verse twenty-three adds, Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.  God once again told Moses to tell the people not to make gods of silver or gold.  When we put anything on earth ahead of God, we are making a god of whatever it may be.  We must let nothing come between God and us, and if we do, then we are worshipping a false god.  Verse twenty-four continues, An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.  It is not enough to just not worship false God's, but we must worship God.  I don't believe that we should ever become complacent about God, but must worship Him always.  Verse twenty-five states, And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.  God said that they were not to hew out altars of stone, and if they did they would pollute it.  I believe this was so that the people would not begin to make altars so ornate that the altar itself became more important than God.  We should never allow church buildings to become more important than God.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.  I believe this refers to spiritual nakedness more than physical nakedness.  If we attempt to come to God on our own terms, we come before Him spiritually naked.

Exodus 20:1 says, And God spake all these words, saying,  Then verse two adds, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  God first establishes once again Who He is.  God will always make Himself known to people, then He will call them to accept that fact if His deliverance is to be of any effect.  For us, that deliverance is from the penalty of sin through faith in Christ and not from some physical location  Verse three declares, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  This was a requirement for Israel, and it has not changed.  Though all these commandments were given to Israel, they apply to us  today, and I will discuss them as such.  We must first allow nothing else to be more important to us than God, and if we do, then that has become our god.  There really is only one God, so we should not allow some false god to come before Him.  Verse four adds, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  We are not to make or worship idols.  Anything that we make to worship is made from a part of God's creation.  Verse five continues, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  This tells us that not only are we not to make graven images, but that we are not to worship any that are made.  God, Who created and sustains us, expects us to be loyal to Him.  This also speaks of God bringing iniquity on the third and fourth generation of those who do worship idols, but we know that every person is responsible for their own sins and theirs alone.  The effects of sin may have a lasting impact if not forgiven through faith in Christ though.  Verse six adds, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.  God does show mercy on the thousands who love Him, but He actually shows mercy on everyone.  It is only those who accept His mercy shown through Christ coming as our redeemer who benefit from it.  Verse seven states, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  We often confuse this with using profanity, but it is so much deeper than just words.  Anytime we call on God without any belief that He is going to hear us or if we call out to Him simply expecting Him to grant our wants, we are using His name in vain.  Anytime we attempt to use His name to endorse what we are doing without consulting Him and asking His guidance, we are using His name in vain.  Verse nine declares, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Verse nine adds, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  Verse ten continues, But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  Verse eleven concludes, For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  We are told to keep the Sabbath, which we now celebrate as Sunday, the Lord's Day, holy.  This is to be a day set aside to worship God, and we are given the reason.  God created everything in six days and rested on the Sabbath, and we should likewise rest and worship Him on a day set aside for Him.  These first four commandments have to do with the relationship between God and people.  If we do not keep these commandments, then we cannot hope to keep the other six, and even if we do it will do us no good if we don't keep the first four.  Verse twelve declares, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD God giveth thee.  The first commandment about relationships between people has to do with children and their parents and comes with a promise.  We are to honor our father and mother, not just part of the time or to a certain age, but as long as they are alive.  When we do, we are promised that our days may be long.  I don't believe that everyone who obeys their parents is guaranteed a long life, but when we obey our parents who are obeying God, then we will tend to enjoy a longer life since they will be looking out for our best interests.  Verse thirteen states, Thou shalt not kill.  I believe this means commit murder, but it also includes our thoughts as well as our actions.  Verse fourteen,Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Again, Christ expanded this to include our thoughts about other people.  We are not to lust after someone else.  Verse fifteen says, Thou shalt not steal.  Seems simple enough, but we can steal by not given our employer a full days worth of work, for instance.  Verse sixteen declares, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.  We live in a time where it is easy to bear false witness against our neighbor, so we need to ensure if we do say something about them that it is the truth and that it is necessary to say it.  Verse seventeen concludes, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.  We are not o covet anything that belongs to our neighbor.  I don't believe that we can justify it by sayin that we want what they have and for them to have something better.

Exodus 19:16  says, And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.  On the third day, when God had said He would appear to the people of Israel, there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, which could have been explained as just a weather phenomenon, until the trumpet sounded exceedingly loud,  When God does appear to us, as followers of Christ, we cannot explain it away as just some natural occurrence, even if we don't hear a trumpet sound.  Even if God speaks to us in a still, small voice, we will still know that it is Him if we are only listening.  The people were afraid, but we do not need to be afraid when God speaks to us today if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen states,  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  Moses brought the people of Israel out to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.  We today bring people to meet Christ, and they stand at the foot of the cross.  Until this point, even though they were God's chosen people, God was only speaking to them through Moses, who relayed God's words to them.  Until a person encounters God in a personal relationship, they may need someone else to share His word with them, though He will be calling them to come.  Verse eighteen declares, And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.  The whole mountain was covered with smoke and quaked at the presence of God.  I believe that when God really makes Himself known that He cannot be ignored and we will know beyond a doubt that it is God.  God told Moses in advance that He was going to appear, just as He has told us in advance that one day Christ is going to reappear.  We sometimes want to claim that natural disasters are God's punishment, especially if they don't happen to us, but I believe that if God sends His punishment that there will be no other possible explanation for what happens.  Verse nineteen adds, And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.  As the trumpet ot louder and sounded longer, Moses spoke out loud to God,  Once God gets our attention today, we need to respond to Him, though we might not need to speak out loud.  Verses twenty declares, And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.  God came down to the top of the mountain and called Moses up.  Just as God was above Moses then and called Moses up to Him, so He is above us today and comes down and calls us up to Him.  We cannot reach God by our own abilities, but can only respond when He comes down to us and calls us to Him.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.  God told Moses to go down and tell the people not to come up simply because of curiosity.  Some people today want to try to come to God on their own terms, but it will not work.  Verse twenty-two continues, And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.  The priests who were to come near to God were to sanctify themselves, just as we as a priesthood of believers should do today.  Verse twenty-three says, And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.  Moses told God that the people could not come up because God had set bounds.  We today cannot come to God except through faith in Christ, which is the bounds that God has set for salvation.  Until we accept Christ, we will remain at the foot of the mountain and never know God in a personal relationship.  Verse twenty-four proclaims, And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.  Only Moses and Aaron were allowed to go up the mountain to meet with God.  Thankfully, anyone today who will respond to Christ in faith is able to enter into a personal relationship with God.  Verse twenty-five states, So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.  Moses did what God told him to do, and so must we today as Christians,

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.