Theme: At the foot of Mt.
In the 6th.
century some Christian monks were sure that Mount
Catherine was actually
On the other hand, the local Bedouin
have always insisted that Jabal Musa,
a mountain height not far away from
About four hundred years ago,
a church was built on the top of this mountain,
and
there’s a Greek Orthodox chapel there now.
Today tour groups and church
groups offer trips up Jabal Musa, convinced that it
is the mountain,
So, the journey of the people
of
Exodus 19 simply says in deeply
poetic words.............
three
full moons after leaving
What they bring begins to
unfold the next day....... in the early morning Moses gathered all the people
together and said simply that he was going to set off for the summit high above
them........... far away, bright in the morning
sunshine. He goes to speak with the living God. Reaching the summit, we are
told simply, .......the living God gave these words to tell the people: "Tell
the people of Israel, this: `You yourselves have seen what I did to
Egypt, - how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you
to myself. If you obey me fully and keep my covenant then out of all the
nations you will be my treasured possession.’
Let’s think about the first
part of this........ the Lord tells Moses to say to
the people..... `You yourselves have seen
what I did to
What happened when Moses brought back these words to the people ? Surely a silence fell over the camp, a quietness, why ? because, for the first time on that journey through the desert, the people had an opportunity to think over all that God had done for them........ and though perhaps they had never thought about it before...........
yes !
`they had
seen what God had done to bring them out of
and yes
! it was a fact - He had carried them on eagles' wings and brought them to Himself.’
It did not take long to realise that over the past months the living God had brought
them out of
In those first days on leaving
On the sandbanks of the
They had seen the salvation of the living God, as the Lord opened up a path for them, to carry them through the clashing seas and surging currents.
When, in the desert, they ran
out of food, He sent them manna. When they came to the the
oasis at Rephidim, to find that the water had run
out........ He broke open the rock........water flowed.....
Yes - He had carried them on eagles' wings and brought
them to Himself.’
So, we can be certain, that as people thought on the Word of the Lord to
them......
`You yourselves have seen what I did to
As they thought about all that
He had done for them - deep, deep thanksgiving....... must have welled up in
their hearts.........
Let us Give thanks .....with a grateful heart
for what the Lord has done for us !
And is that not the Word of
the Lord to us, here this morning ?
`You yourselves have seen, you yourselves know what I have done, says
the Lord,.........
- how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you
to myself.’
If we take time, as they did long ago, to think about that, all that He has done for us will start to come back to mind !
And as we think about all that He has done for us - deep, deep thanksgiving.......
will
well up in our hearts.........
Let us Give thanks .....with a grateful heart
for what the Lord has done for us ! As they did long
ago...........
But, along with the memory and thanksgiving for all that the Lord has done for them......in the past, there now comes an invitation, from the same Lord,
to
come to a living relationship with Him !
Here is the Word of the Lord: If
you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my
treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation.'
Moses, we are told, brought
this invitation to the people........ And what was the people’s response ? The people all answered together, "We will do everything the LORD has said."
"We will do
everything the LORD has said."
an
invitation from the
living God to a living relationship !
and their
answer..........
"We will do
everything the LORD has said."
"We will do
everything the LORD has said."
Some wise commentators, however,
have pondered this reply from the people
have
suggested that we spend a little longer thinking about it........
the
living God invites the people of
If you obey...... you will be
my treasured possession
the people say yes..... Yes we will do this ! It all seems very straightforward, and invitation, and the people accept...... so what is there to ponder ?
Well, you see, those who say We will do everything the Lord has said......
are men and women who
seem to have very short memories.......
these are the same people who complained bitterly in the desert and asked is the Lord with us or not ? the same who in days to come will set up a golden calf as an idol and call that their god ! because of these same people Moses will smash the stone tablets with the ten commandments written on them in despair.....
any oaths or solemn vows they take are sure to be broken.......
these
men and women, in other words, fail again and again !
If you obey...... you will be
my treasured possession
the
people say yes..... Yes we will do this !
Why ? perhaps out of rashness,
or
deeper still, because they simply do not know themselves, or their sin.........
or deeper
still they do not know the utter holiness of the living God........
or
the gulf that lies between the living God and them................
But on the third day, all that
changes..........
For, on the morning of the
third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the
mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.
Everyone in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they
stood at the foot of the mountain.
As that day passed, in the
days to follow....... we are told.....
The elders, the people of
See the change in tone ? a people who did not know
the Lord’s holiness, and did not know themselves....... now know something of
His majesty and glory.......
the
consuming fire of the Lord’s holiness...........
and
now they say.........
we will die if we hear the voice of
the LORD our God any longer.
they live, not because of their
goodness, their holiness....... anything they bring......
but because the Holy God in His grace....... is true to His promise.......
I
will carry you on
eagles' wings and bring you to Myself
To stand afar off, in fear,
knowing ourselves to be sinful
is
not the end but the beginning of our true knowing of the holiness of the living
God........
for if
we know ourselves to be far off, then we, like the people of old,
have
begun to understand something of the inexpressible holiness of the living
God.........
but though the terrible reality is that we are sinful,
by
laying our sin on Jesus Christ at the Cross,
He has, as He promised,
brought us to Himself......
the
living God has brought us to Himself, as He promised
He has, as He promised,
carried us on eagle’s wings, and brought us to Himself......