Protecting the People

Protecting the People

Exodus 19: ²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. ²² Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”

 

²³ But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

 

²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

 

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GOD led Moses and the children of Israel, a few months into the journey towards the promised land, to Mount Sinai. HE covered the mountain in a cloud and set it on fire. After calling Moses to the top of the mountain, HE told Moses to go back down the mountain and warn the people not to try to peek at HIM, otherwise they would die.

 

My Observations:

• GOD seemed to only want to speak to Moses to give the people instructions.
• GOD knew the people would try to see HIM, so HE added a sense of urgency to HIS warning.
• GOD called some of the people priests before HE gave the instructions of priesthood.

 

Protection comes to mind when reading this passage. GOD wanted to protect the people from their own curiosity. HE was about to establish the Levitical Priests who would be responsible for carrying the Law. HE did not want them to die before HE gave instructions of how to reverently handle HIS presence.

 

GOD would only speak to Moses and Aaron at this point. Moses had to climb a mountain at age eighty, then climb down a few times. This direct contact with GOD seemed to need the barrier of height so no one would accidentally stumble into HIS presence. GOD burned the mountain. There were no animals, insects or people left. GOD protected the people from inadvertently seeing HIM.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS warning to the people to not try to look at HIM?
• Are you struggling with how you perceive who GOD is by forcing HIM to act a certain way before you do what HE told you to do through other servants, similar to Moses’s people?
• Have you pondered what level of reverence you treat GOD or other people?

Being Invited

Zephaniah 1: ⁷ Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,
    for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
    he has consecrated those he has invited.

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Overlooked and unimportant was my description. Everyone else was having “fun” meanwhile I was the person who was picked last to be on the team. One day, while sitting in class, I heard the most foreign words. “Would you like to come to my birthday party on Saturday?” In shock, I had to look around to see if they were speaking to me. “Yes” I blurted out! Wow, my first birthday party!

• It feels great to be invited.
• It truly feels wonderful to be thought of.
• It really feels terrific to be included.

Getting an invitation means “I belong” and I wasn’t getting a lot of them, or at least not the right ones. I was invited to try some drugs and another time I was invited to be an accomplice to a shoplifting plot. While I avoided these, some of the “not so good” invitations sounded good. What should I do?

• GOD says to me “Be silent before ME.”
• GOD says to me “MY return is imminent and the day of the LORD will be horrifying.”
• GOD says to me “I have invited you to be part of MY family. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door I WILL come in and sup with them.”

Many years later I see that there is only one invitation that is important, namely being invited to be in GOD’s family. Through JESUS, whose death burial and resurrection cleansed my sins, I was invited. When I accepted this ultra-special invitation, I now belong to a family who will never leave me nor forsake me. I am treated wonderfully by GOD!

• Are you looking for an invitation but not getting it?
• Do you feel left out?
• Will you accept GOD’s invitation to be part of HIS family?
• Do you know HE is looking specifically for you right now so HE can pour out HIS love on you?