Please read Exodus 19 before beginning.
Pharaoh finally released the people of Israel to worship God (Ex. 10:8), but not without a death defying escape across the Red Sea on dry land, thanks to the Lord (Ex 15).
Now that the people of Israel were safe it was time to meet with God, the very reason for leaving Israel (Chapter 19). They set up camp at the base of Mount Sinai and Moses delivered the purpose God had for His people (v5-6) with some very specific instructions on how to prepare themselves for an encounter with God-Almighty the Creator of the Universe (v10-13).
The people of Israel prepared to meet the Lord by following all of the instruction except for one. After the horn blew the people did not go onto the mountain to meet with God but rather stood in one place and trembled. Not going up to meet with God was like not coming to their own wedding. Finally, the Lord had to call Moses back up for another meeting with Him. Later, Moses was sent back down to reestablish the boundaries and God would find another way to reveal Himself to the people of Israel. We now know that He used laws and regulations for building a godly nation to teach the Israelites about His nature(chapters 20-23). I wonder what it would have been like if the Israelites had not refused to meet with God that day.
Then God called Moses back up to the mountain to meet with God and was to bring Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. They were granted enough access to go a little farther up the mountain but could worship only from a distance (24:1-2). They saw God and had a meal in His presence. After the meal God asked Moses to climb higher into the mountain and receive a tablet with the laws and regulations on them but the seventy elders had to stay behind.
1. Why do you think the people of Israel needed to prepare for three days to enter God’s presence and were not allowed to go too early on penalty of death?
2. Why do you suppose the people stayed at the foot of the mountain after the long blast on the ram horn and did not approach God like they were asked?
3. How would the story of the Israelites been different if the met with God that day instead of refusing to move out of their own comfort zones?
4. What hinders us from meeting God in worship and what are some things that we can do to draw closer to Him?
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The people stayed at the foot of the mountain because the Lord had set limits that anyone who set foot on it would be put to death.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. They had to prepare three days before they could come to the foot of the mountain. On that third day the people gathered on the foot of the mountain to wait for the horn to blow. Once the horn blew they were supposed to go onto the mountain but they stayed at the foot. Why do you thing they stayed?
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