Exodus 19:1-5 - On
the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of
Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. And when
they set out from Reph'idim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they
encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain. And
Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying,
"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You
have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and
brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and
keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the
earth is mine
They had been in the wilderness just three short months. God had led them through a dry sea….fed them food
that fell from the sky…and provided water for them to drink from even a solid
rock. They had watched God use Moses to
bring calamity after calamity upon Pharaoh to prove how mighty and strong he
was. Now God led them right to the spot where he first appeared to Moses….so he
could offer himself to them too. God brought them to the holy mountain…the holy
ground that Moses stood on just months before…so God could share his covenant
with his chosen people.
I am sure that the short 3 month trip from Egypt seemed like
much more to this band of travelers. And as they set up camp at the base of
this holy mountain…Moses had to have felt a stronger presence of the Lord. He had
been here before…and heard God’s voice for the first time…and he had learned
how to hear it clearly…even if he wasn’t near the peak of mountain where he met
with God.
God spoke in simple words to him. He told him to tell the Israelites to prepare
themselves…to wash…to dress in clean…sanctified clothes….to abstain from
sharing any intimate time with their spouses….so that they would be clean when
the Lord appeared to them. He told Moses to tell them all …that they would see
his presence …and hear his voice…and they would need to listen and obey him….so
they could receive the ‘potential’ blessing that obedience brings…not the ‘consequences’
of continued disobedience.
It must have been awesome to see that dark cloud descend the
mountain. It said they trembled with the sight of God’s great fire and smoke….the
sound of a trumpet that kept getting louder...ushering in God’s voice…disguised
as thunder. Lightning flashed across the sky as he spoke…and great quakes shook
the ground…and yet they just stood there…drinking in every moment of his
presence….while Moses went up to meet with him higher on the mountain.
Those moments when God reveals himself to you aren’t always
so flashy…so flamboyant as this moment he shared with the Israelites….but he speaks
to us none-the-less….and we have to learn to recognize his voice. We have to learn to stand still in his
presence while he speaks…even if his words are harsh as thunder…revealing to us
the task he has given each of us to do. We have to look into the flashes of lightning
that reveal our sins…the ones that tie us to this world…and keep us from
understanding his full love for us…the ones that keep us from obeying him fully…so
we can receive the blessings he promised.
We have to endure the quakes of the ground beneath us…so that God can
use them to teach us how to be his vessels of strength on the Earth.
Oh father..once again this morning you speak to my heart…and
tell me to listen…to learn to hear you speak.
Help me father to stand still…and drink in your love…and feel you enter
my heart anew…and strengthen me to do everything I hear you tell me to do. Let me hear your words of comfort…your words
of strength and love…your words of direction and blessing. Let me hear them above the sounds of man on
the Earth….and not be tricked by Satan. Amen.
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