Preparing to Meet with God

As we pick up in chapter 19 - Something amazing is about to happen to the Israelites and it will change everything about their relationship with YHWH. God is preparing the Hebrew people to enter into a covenant with Him (19:4-6). If they will obey His voice, and keep His covenant they will be God’s treasured possession: A kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

After Moses gives this incredible news to the Hebrew people, they responded:“We will do everything the Lord has said” (19:8). So, now with the concept of the covenant declared and accepted, the people are going to meet their God. Think about how amazing and terrifying these events must have been. The people are going to be introduced to a Holy God, and they’re going to get to know Him in a very personal way.

The theme of the rest of Exodus 19 is the preparation of the Hebrew people for this encounter. Now that they have declared their willingness to follow YHWH, a period of consecration is necessary. Through God’s instructions on how the Hebrew people should prepare their hearts, we discover a life-changing truth: Until you have trembled before God’s holiness at the mountain, you will never melt before God’s grace at the cross!