The Destiny of Adam
Part 1 / Section 3
GOD' MOUNTAIN
Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up". When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am". Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for this place on which you are standing is holy ground". Exodus 3:1-5
This begins Gods call of Moses. It is significant at this time to note that God appeared to Moses at the approach to God's mountain, indicating not to come near. Look out, be aware, you are approaching my mountain, Mt. Horeb. Remove your sandals from your feet, for even that ground is holy. It was almost as if God was saying, although you are not aware of it, My holiness and presence is all about, yet at this point you are very close to, or approaching My holy mountain, My abode. You must become aware that I AM WHO I AM. Additionally, Mt. Horeb was another name for Mt. Sinai. It was here that God spoke to Moses and told him that He wanted to use Moses to bring His people out of Egypt. When he has brought the people out of Egypt, they will worship God at this mountain. Now, Moses was quite concerned. He did not feel that he himself was adequate to go to Pharaoh, or to be able to bring God's people out of Egypt. Despite many objections posed by Moses to God, He assured him that he would be suited for the mission, for certainly God would be with him. So Moses, trusting and believing in the words of God proceeded to bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt. One might think that it would be a matter of going into that land, rounding up His people, and heading for home in the most direct route. But they were led through the wilderness, following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, by way of the Red Sea. And their journey was such that even though they witnessed the power of the Lord, and feared Him, and believed in the Lord and His servant Moses, they still found a basis of discontent. They complained about bitter water and about their hunger and about the food they were given to eat, and about the lack of water that they also experienced along the journey. Their wants and desires continued to breed discontent and confusion amongst them, out weighing the fact that God was with them. It was almost as if they were selfish children. No matter what they had, it was not enough and no matter how much they had, it wasn't good enough. But, through it all, God brought Moses and His people into their own land.
In the third month, after leaving the land of Egypt, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and there they camped, in front of the mountain, God's mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying "thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel". So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. And all the people answered and said," All that the Lord has spoken we will do"! And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I shall come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe in you forever". Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mt. Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live. When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain". Exodus 19:1-13.
Now, here we have the Lord wanting, through Moses, to convey to the people His desire to establish the relationship specified in the covenant. Israel was God's possession, His treasure, and His desire was to have a kingdom whose citizens were all priests with access to God, a holy nation, separated from all other nations and devoted only to God. And the people indicated that they wanted the same, for they answered that all the Lord has spoken, we will do. Did they really know what they were saying? Additionally, the Lord wanted the people to believe in Moses forever, that he in fact was a representative of God. So, He told Moses He would come to him and speak to him from a thick cloud, so that the people could see and hear for themselves. In the mean time, tell the people they have two days to get ready, for on the third day I will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all.
But, the Lord gives Moses a warning for the people, similar to the warning he received when he was approaching Mount Horeb; beware, this is holy ground, take heed before entering. The Lord said to tell the people to get ready for My coming. Prepare them by directing that they be called off from their worldly business. Prepare them for meditation and prayer, that they may receive the Law from God's mouth, with reverence and devotion. Let them be ready. Gather in their wandering thoughts. Abandon their impure affections. Suppress their disquieting passions. Dismiss all cares about secular business for the present. Engage their hearts in a manner capable to approach God. The washing of their garments refers to the washing of their souls by repentance from the sins they had contracted in Egypt and since their deliverance. Let them be ready to approach God with a clean heart. And the fact that God told Moses to set bounds for all the people, was another rather stern warning. Set the bound and do not be in a hurry to cross over. Take your time. Prepare yourselves. Get ready.
When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, then they shall come up to the mountain. And with that, the Lord descended upon Mt. Sinai in fire and smoke, and the trumpet grew louder and louder, and the Lord again gave His warning, be sure that all that come near, consecrate themselves. Then God proceeded to give to the people, the Law or the Ten Commandments.
This was the basis by which God dealt with Israel under the old covenant. Remember, the word covenant meant an arrangement made by one party which the other party involved could accept or reject but could not alter. Thus, God wanted a relationship, with His people and His people did indicate that they wanted a relationship, also. But, the standard by which the people agreed, they were unable to adhere.
Again, God said, I desire a relationship with My people. And the people answered and said, we desire a relationship with the Lord God, and we will do all that He says. At this point they did not know what they were accepting. They had not been given the Law. They had not heard the Ten Commandments. Yet, they did desire a relationship with God based upon the knowledge of His power and what He could do for them. So , God did put forth an arrangement whereby the people could accept or reject. He desired a relationship with His people. The standard to be applied to determine the qualifications for this relationship was the Law. The people could not meet the standard. Yet, because of God's love and mercy He provided a new arrangement whereby people could achieve their relationship to God through His son, Jesus Christ.