Saturday – Exodus 19 – Prelude to the Ten Commandments

Exactly 3 months into the exodus, God initiated the great program of biblical revelation. Most precisely, He began to establish the moral law that became known as the Law of Moses. For the next millennium God would be carefully and caringly laying down a 39 book testament.  The testament would be a witness of our need for a savior to rescue our hopelessly sinful race (Romans 7:7-13). The laws would be moral, civil and liturgical in nature... but the absolute purity that God expects from anyone who desires to approach unto Him (Psalm 15:1-2) was (and is) the overarching theme of those statutes.

The harshness of the tone at this event is unmistakable... and for a good reason. God was soon to issue the Decalogue to His people. Those commandments would raise the standards of behavior in Israel by clarifying the expectations of God (Romans 3:23). So, God initiated the conversation by threatening to "break forth" (Exodus 19:22 & 24) with mortal force if anyone dared to defile themselves in this situation. His requirements were strict and specific. And, at least for a brief period of time the response of respect and humility that God desired was indeed found in the hearts of the people (Deuteronomy 5:24-30).