Page 47 - Pentateuch

governing everyday life. He also gives fairly detailed instructions about a tabernacle, the place where he will
meet with them consistently. Yet the setting of these instructions, including the response of the people,
carries much spiritual weight.

The first principle is the danger of being in a close relationship with God. Israel is told to prepare by washing
their clothes and abstaining from sex (vv. 14, 15). They are warned not to approach the mountain or touch
its foot. Anyone who came too close was to be stoned or shot with arrows (vv. 12, 13). The event itself was
a fear-producing experience. There is thunder and lightning, a thick cloud over the mountain, and a
supernatural trumpet blast (v. 16). Fire and smoke billow up from the mountain, and the ground shakes (v.
18). Once more, the people are warned of the consequences of trying to see YHWH (v. 21). We can imagine
the setting and the fear produced in the hearts of all the Israelites. The New Testament writer of Hebrews
makes reference to this and similar events. “The sight was so terrifying that Moses” trembled with fear
(12:21).

The second principle reaffirms Moses as the mediator between God and Israel. YHWH wants the people to
hear him speaking with Moses so that they would always trust him (v. 9). As the event continues, seventy of
the elders are invited to ascend the mountain part-way, but Moses alone would approach the Lord (24:2).
The leaders “saw God” and “ate and drank” in his presence (v. 11). Then Moses and Joshua are invited to
come closer to receive a stone copy of the Ten Commandments (v. 12). Finally, Moses alone ascends the
mountain, and the “glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai (v. 15).” To the Israelites below, the glory of
the Lord looks like a consuming fire (v. 17), yet Moses goes up into that cloud for forty days and nights (v.
18). He is the clear mediator between God and the entire nation.

The third principle is the necessity of sacrifice. Nowhere do we get so vivid a picture of the cost of a
relationship with God than in the sacrifices required at this point. Moses has made several trips up the
mountain. The elders are about to ascend with him. Moses has written down the laws (chapters 20-23). He
has set up an altar at the foot of the mountain along with twelve stone pillars representing the twelve
tribes. Sacrifices have been offered. Animal blood has been splashed against the altar. The Book of the
Covenant has been read. The people have all responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will
obey (24:7).”

Can you picture the scene? Can you put yourself in the crowd? Can you hear the thunder, see the fire, and
feel the earthquake? Your voice calls aloud with thousands of others, “I will do everything YHWH says. I will
obey.” Now, add to the picture one more detail. Moses takes some of the blood from the sacrifices and
sprinkles it on you. The process must have taken some time and may have involved the other leaders. After
all, a lot of people are crowded around Mount Sinai. As drops of blood strike you, you hear the words of
Moses, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these
words (v. 8). Indeed, the scene is striking.

God is proposing a new relationship between himself and Israel, a covenant of commitment. Both sides
have responsibilities. Israel must agree to obey God fully. God, in return, promises to keep Israel as his
“treasured possession,” although the whole earth is his (19:5). He has already brought them to himself “on
eagles’ wings” (v. 4), but now they will be his “kingdom of priests,” a “holy nation” (v. 6).

This relationship has an “if” in it. If they obey, God will send his angel ahead of them all the way to Palestine
(23:20). Rebellion is not allowed (v. 21). “If” they listen carefully and do all that he says (v. 22), God would
wipe out their enemies (v. 23). He would bless their food and water. He would take away sickness and give
them a full life span (vv. 25-26). Their progress would be little-by-little as they evicted the nations in
Palestine (v. 30), refusing to worship their gods (v. 33). The people enthusiastically assent to the deal, but
that “if” looms large.
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