Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (OT)

Exodus 19:1-15

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. ² They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, ³ while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ⁴ You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” 

⁷ So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” 

When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, ¹⁰ the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments ¹¹ and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” 

Okay don't have sex, don't touch the mountain, keep the animals away from the mountain, and keep the covenant. This all sounds simple enough. God bore the people on Eagles wings, bringing them up out of the land of Egypt. The LORD is making this people a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. But they need to prepare themselves for his coming.

The people's response seems a little too simple, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." This is a little like me asking you for a favor, and you saying, "Of course how can I help." Then me telling you how I need help breaking people out of prison and leaving the planet, or something else relatively impossible. They know what God has done for them. They know the covenant that God is beginning to make with them. But they do not yet know how difficult this task is.

How difficult is it for you to keep your children with you in a crowded place? How easy is it for you to stop your pets from running away? Now I going to give you roughly six hundred thousand children, which each have their own pet. All you have to do is keep them from not touching a mountain for three days. You think you can handle that? I just wonder how many people or animals got killed.

God does expect the impossible from us. He does expect us to be holy as he is holy. But he also knows very well that we are going to fail. He knows that we deserve to be stoned or shot. Thanks be to the LORD who delivered his people out of Egypt, that he delivers us from this deserved death. He sent Jesus Christ to die in our place and for our sins. He gives us the sacrifice for our redemption. The Passover Lamb is sacrificed for our deliverance from our failure. So St Paul can remind us that we are God's treasured possession, kingdom of priests and a holy nation.