Exodus 19

Exodus: *Israel becomes a nation

God’s instructions to Moses

Exodus Chapter s 19 to 40

Hilda Bright and Kitty Pride

About the Book of Exodus

Exodus is one of the first 5 books of the *Old Testament. We speak about these 5 books together as ‘the Pentateuch’. The *Greek translation gave this book its name ‘Exodus’. It means ‘to go out’. God helped the *Israelites ‘to go out’ from *Egypt. The book is in two parts:

Chapter s 1-18: the first part of Moses’ life; the *Israelites’ troubles in Egypt; the events and the *plagues that led the *Israelites to leave Egypt.

Chapter s 19-40: how God gave the Law to Moses; how they built the special holy tent (*Tabernacle); the rules for *worship.

Moses was the most important person in all these events. He was the main person who recorded the events. Exodus 24:4 has these words. ‘Then Moses wrote down everything that the *LORD had said.’ Later, when Joshua built an *altar, he followed Moses’ instructions for it (Joshua 8:31).

Moses’ name appears 804 times in the Bible. It appears in the books of both the *Old Testament and the *New Testament. Numbers 12:3 describes Moses as ‘a very humble man. He was more humble than anyone else on the earth’. But Moses was a great leader. He had great courage and he had a very close relationship with God. Without Moses, the *Israelites might not have escaped from the country called Egypt. They might not have reached the country that God had promised to them.

God had prepared Moses. And he chose Moses to act on his behalf (Exodus 3:8-10). God does not change, and he carries out his promises. Many years before that time, God had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He had told them that the number of people in their families would increase. And they would become great nations in the future. God had told them that he would give to them the country called *Canaan (Genesis 17:3-8). God rescued his people from Egypt, because he controls history. *Pharaoh, Egypt’s ruler, was powerful, but he could not stop God’s plans. God carried out his promise to guide the *Israelites in the *desert. The *desert was a wild place where there are small bushes and not much water. It has poor soil and people cannot grow crops there. Then God brought them to the country called *Canaan.

This book, Exodus, emphasises that God is holy. He looks after his people but he is separate from them. The *Israelites had to stay away from *Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:12). Not even Moses could see God himself (Exodus 33:18-20). They used many objects when they *worshipped God. And each of those objects was special and holy. Each thing reminded the *Israelites that nobody should approach God in a careless way. God expected his people to be holy. ‘Be holy, because I, the *LORD your God, am holy’ (Leviticus 19:2). God’s 10 *commandments and the other rules are in Exodus Chapter s 20-23. They show what God demands from his people. He wants moral behaviour all the time in people’s ordinary lives.

God is the *LORD (in *Hebrew his name is ‘Yahweh’). His name means: ‘the Person who lives for all time’. And he called himself ‘I AM’ (Exodus 3:14). Nobody can understand his nature completely. But he shows himself to us by means of his acts and his *commandments. He loves and he forgives. Also he acts to punish *sin (Exodus 34:5-7). People gained a more complete knowledge about God when Jesus came to earth. Jesus showed us what God is like (John 1:14 and John 14:9).

Chapter 19

At *Mount Sinai – verses 1-25

The *LORD’s instructions – verses 1-15

v1 The *Israelites had travelled for exactly two months since they had left Egypt. And the next day they came to the *desert in the region that is called Sinai. v2 They had left Rephidim, and now they entered the *desert at Sinai. So they camped there in the *desert. They were in the lower area near the mountain.

v3 Then Moses went up the mountain to meet God. And the *LORD called to him from the mountain. ‘You must say these words to the *Israelites who are Jacob’s family. v4 “You have seen what I did in Egypt. It was as if I carried you to safety on *eagle’s wings. And so I brought you here where I am. v5 Now you must obey me completely. You must be loyal to my special promise to you. Then you will be my special *treasure. I chose you out of all the nations. The whole earth is mine. v6 But you will be my special, holy nation and you will serve me as priests.” That is what you must tell the *Israelites’, God said.

v7 So Moses went back to the camp and sent for the leaders of the people. The *LORD had ordered him to tell them his message. And Moses told everything to them. v8 Then all the people answered together. ‘We will do everything that the *LORD has ordered us.’ So Moses told their answer to the *LORD.

v9 Then the *LORD spoke to Moses. ‘I will come to you in a dense cloud. And the people will hear me as I speak to you. Then they will trust you always.’ Then Moses told the *LORD what the people had said.

v10 The *LORD spoke to Moses again. ‘Go back to the *Israelites. Tell them to prepare today and tomorrow. They must prepare themselves to meet me. Tell them to wash their clothes. v11 All of them must be ready by the third day. I am the *LORD. And on that day I will come down on *Mount Sinai, where all the people will see me. v12 Put boundaries round the mountain for the people. Tell them to be careful. You must tell them this. “Do not go up the mountain and do not touch the edge of it. Anyone who touches the mountain will die. v13 You must throw stones at those people to kill them. Or you must shoot them with arrows. But you must not touch that person. It does not matter whether it is a person or an animal. You must not allow them to live.” People can go up on the mountain only when the male sheep’s *horn sounds a long signal.’

v14 Then Moses went down the mountain to the people. He told them to prepare themselves. They wanted God to accept them. So they washed their clothes. v15 And Moses told the people. ‘Prepare for the third day. And you must not have sex until after that time.’

Verses 1-2 Many events happened to the *Israelites in the *desert. This *desert was in the region that is called Sinai. We read about these events in the rest of Exodus, in Leviticus and in Numbers Chapter s 1 –10.

Verse 3 God had given to Jacob the new name, *Israel. That happened after Jacob had struggled with God. Jacob had wanted God to *bless him (Genesis 32:28).

Verse 4 God had protected the *Israelites and he had guided them. He acted like the large, powerful bird called an *eagle. *Eagles live in high places and they protect their young birds. Deuteronomy 32:11 describes how an *eagle teaches her young birds to fly. She causes them to fall out of the nest. If they do not fly, she catches them on her wings. And she carries them, so that they do not have any injury.

Verses 5-6 Already, God had chosen the *Israelites to be his people (Exodus 2:24). Now he tells them directly. They must obey God in order that he can *bless them. That was his agreement with them. *Treasure is something that is precious. And when people obtain a *treasure, they want to keep it. A king had his personal *treasure. For example, King David had his *treasure (1 Chronicles 29:3). The *LORD is the King to whom the whole earth belongs. But he had chosen *Israel out of all the nations to be his special *treasure. They knew that God was their King. The *Israelites must serve their King like priests. Priests had many functions as they served the *LORD. They were teachers (Malachi 2:7). They acted as medical officers (Leviticus chapter 13). And they gave gifts to God on behalf of the people in order to bring them closer to God. The whole nation must be like priests in order to bring other nations closer to God.

In the *New Testament Peter wrote about Christians. He said that they were a group of holy priests for the King. It is the Christians’ joy and responsibility to serve God. And they *praise him (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9). God chose *Israel as his special, holy nation. They were separate from other nations because they belonged to God. Also, holy has a moral meaning. Because God is holy, he is completely *clean and pure. So his people must be holy and good too (Leviticus 20:7). Peter wrote that Christians are a holy nation. So they should live very good lives because other people watch them. Then people, who do not believe God, will ask about it. Then those people will come to know God (1 Peter 2:12).

Verse 8 All the *Israelites promised that they would obey God. They wanted him to be their God. They did not know yet all that a holy nation needed to do. Soon they did wrong things. So they did not obey God (Exodus 32:1-4).

Verse 9 A dense cloud was a *sign that God was present with them. The people would learn to have confidence in Moses as their leader.

Verses 10-15 The *Israelites had to prepare themselves so that God could show himself to them. They had to become aware that God is completely holy. They wanted to be pure and *clean in their spirit too. So they washed their clothes as a *sign. Moses put boundaries round the mountain so that nobody would approach it. The mountain was holy when God was present on it. So the people and their animals must stay outside the boundaries. Nobody must touch any person who did not obey that order. And they must not go near to such a person. A person who did not obey had become dangerous to the *Israelites. So they must kill that person with stones or with arrows. The people could climb up the mountain only if they heard the sound from a male sheep’s *horn. The priests sounded those *horns as a signal. Also, the people must not have sex for a time. It is not wrong for a husband and wife to have sex. But the people must prepare their emotions as well as their minds. They had to be ready for the holy God.

The holy God arrives – verses 16-25

v16 On the morning of the third day, there was lightning. And there was the loud roar from *thunder on the mountain. And a thick cloud covered the mountain. Someone sounded a *trumpet very loudly and in the camp, everyone trembled. v17 Then Moses led the people out from the camp to meet God. And they stood on level ground near the mountain. v18 Smoke covered *Mount Sinai because the *LORD came down on it in a fire. Smoke poured out from the mountain like a big chimney. The whole mountain was shaking. v19 The *trumpet sound became louder and louder. Then Moses spoke, and God’s voice answered him.

v20 The *LORD came down to the top of *Mount Sinai. Then he called Moses to come to him on the top of the mountain. So Moses went up there. v21 And the *LORD spoke to him. ‘You must go down and you must warn the people. They must not go past the boundaries to see me. Those people will die if they do that. v22 Only the priests can approach me when they serve me. But they must obey my strict rules. Then I will allow them to come. If they do not obey, I will be angry. And I will punish them.’

v23 And Moses replied to the *LORD. ‘The people cannot come up *Mount Sinai, because you warned us yourself. “Put boundaries round the mountain”, you said. “You must not go near to it, because it is holy.” ’

v24 The *LORD spoke to Moses again. ‘Go down and bring Aaron up here with you. But the priests and the people must not try to come up to me. If they come up here, I will be angry. And I will punish them.’

v25 So Moses went down to the people. And he told them what the *LORD had said.

Verse 16 In a bad storm there is often lightning and its loud noise called *thunder. These *signs showed that God was present. And that frightened the *Israelites. The *trumpet was a male sheep’s *horn, which they used as a musical instrument. It can give a very loud sound.

Verses 18-19 It is possible that *Mount Sinai was a volcano. (A volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top of it. Fire and smoke come out of that hole). But fire and smoke were *signs that God was present. Fire and smoke appeared when God made a special promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:17-18). Fire is a *sign. It shows how pure and *clean God is. He is so holy that wicked people cannot approach him. For example, Moses did not go near to the bush that was burning (Exodus 3:2-5).

Verses 20-22 If anyone tried to pass the boundaries round the mountain they would die. Perhaps some people would try to do that because they were curious. Perhaps they wanted to know what would happen. But that would mean that they did not believe God’s words. Some people do not like to obey orders. So God warned them again. The priests must not think that they were different because of their special work. They must prepare themselves too so that God would not become angry. Everyone should approach God carefully.

Verses 23-25 Moses had warned the people already. And he had put marks on the boundaries. These boundaries should prevent the people if they tried to go onto the mountain. Moses and Aaron had to climb up the mountain. But everyone else must remember what God had said. If people tried to break through the boundaries, other people had to kill them.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, it tells about the history and the beliefs of the Israelites. The Jews’ holy book.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.
Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
plague ~ a terrible disease or trouble.
Tabernacle ~ God’s special tent.
worship ~ when people show honour to God, or to a false god. People may sing or pray. Or they may kneel down or give a gift to God.
LORD ~ God gave this special name to himself. It translates the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Hebrew language. It links to the words ‘I am’; it means that God has been here always.

Lord ~ a name for God. It translates the Hebrew word ‘Adonai’, which means ‘my ruler’. The word ‘lord’ (without a capital letter) means an ordinary ruler.

Hebrew ~ the language that the Israelites spoke. A Hebrew is a Jewish person or an Israelite

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
altar ~ a table on which people give gifts or *sacrifices to God or to a false god.'New Testament ~ the second part of the Bible. It tells about Jesus Christ and his followers.
Canaan ~ the country that God gave to Israelites. Canaanites lived here, and people called Amorites, Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites and Perizzites lived there also.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Canaanite ~ the people who originally lived in the country called Canaan; something that comes from the country called Canaan.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
desert ~ a wild place where there are small bushes and not much water. It has poor soil and people cannot grow crops there. So, not many people live there.
Mount ~ another name for mountain.
commandment ~ a rule or an order that God gave to the Jews. The 10 rules that God gave to Moses on the mountain called Mount Sinai (or Horeb); an order from someone who has authority.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

Mount ~ another name for mountain.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Israelites spoke. A Hebrew is a Jewish person or an Israelite

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything that belongs to the Jews.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
sin ~ the wrong things that people do against God or against other people; or, not to obey God.
eagle ~ a very large bird. Often it lives in the mountains.
treasure ~ something that is very precious to someone.
horn ~ animals like cows and goats have horns (usually 2) that grow out of their heads. The horns stick out and end in a point. The Israelite priest used male sheep’s horns as musical instruments. They blew into them to make a loud sound. And today people call certain instruments ‘horns’. Also the altar in God’s special tent had pieces that stuck out at the altar’s 4 corners. These pieces are called horns.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

altar ~ a table on which people give gifts or *sacrifices to God or to a false god.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
bless ~ to say or do much good to a person; to call something holy; to call for good things to happen; to guard and to keep from evil.
eagle ~ a very large bird. Often it lives in the mountains.
treasure ~ something that is very precious to someone.
clean ~ good in thought and in action. But, in the Old Testament, many things could make a person unclean towards God. For example, if they touched a dead body, that would make them unclean. And the Israelites must not eat animals that God called unclean.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, it tells about the history and the beliefs of the Israelites. The Jews’ holy book.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.
sign ~ a signal; a mark to show that something is special; a powerful act.
thunder ~ the loud noise that lightning causes in a storm.
trumpet ~ a musical instrument that people blow into to make a sound. Now trumpets are usually made out of metal, but often people have used animals’ horns to make them.

horn ~ animals like cows and goats have horns (usually 2) that grow out of their heads. The horns stick out and end in a point. The Israelite priest used male sheep’s horns as musical instruments. They blew into them to make a loud sound. And today people call certain instruments ‘horns’. Also the altar in God’s special tent had pieces that stuck out at the altar’s 4 corners. These pieces are called horns.

Israelite ~ a person from the nation called Israel. Israelite is another name for the Jews. Anything that has a relationship with Israel.

altar ~ a table on which people give gifts or *sacrifices to God or to a false god.

Israel ~ the nation of people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the name of the country that God gave to that nation.

Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.