Exodus 19:1-25
Monday, 22 January 2024
“…..These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” -Exodus 19:6
As God was bringing His people into the Promised Land, He wanted to prepare them before they settled in. As they camped at the foot of the Mount Sinai, the Lord gave a few initial instructions to Moses to convey to His people, which we read in Verses 4-6. (Read Ex.19:4-6).
As we meditate on what the Lord spoke to His people, the following valuable thoughts emerge out:
I. Experience
First the Lord reminded them of who He is- the Almighty whose power and strength was displayed in His deliverance of them from their enemy- Egypt. They experienced Him firsthand in their miraculous salvation from their powerful enemy. When the Lord says how I bore you on eagles’ wings- it brings to our mind His might and strength that kept them protected all throughout their journey. Hence Israel experienced the Living, powerful and mighty God in a very personal way which should leave no doubt in their mind WHO HE IS!
A believer can very well relate to this as He has personally experienced the Lord’s salvation in his/her life-“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves…” (Col.1:13).
II. Expectation
The next statement the Lord makes is conditional-if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. He puts the responsibility on them squarely to keep the part of the covenant He would make with them and if they do they will be His prized possession! God made a covenant with His people on Mt. Sinai with laws and regulations, by which they became a group that was distinctively different from the rest of the world. God expected them to obey. Though at first the people agreed to keep the Covenant in one voice (V. 8), it took them just 40 days to initially break this covenant!
For us today who have put our faith in Christ, God has made us partakers of a New Covenant, establishing a very special relationship resulting in:
· Forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ blood –Luke 22:20
· A personal relationship with God, becoming God’s people - Hebrews 8:10
Those who truly belong to Christ hear His voice and obey Him (John 10). Those who heed the voice of the Lord need to take note that he keeps himself away from the love of the world (1 John 2:15) and will not take part in the unfruitful works of the darkness (Eph.5:11).
III. Example
Thirdly the Lord tells His people: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” That’s a special privilege the Lord gave His people to be His witness to the nations around them. They would be His set-apart people who would reflect Him in the world. Israel should have rightly been God’s ambassadors in interceding for other nations and exhibiting God’s holy character through their lives. But again they failed.
Today the believer is in the same role as Israel and the example God expects of us is: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter2:9-10)
Brethren, you and I as God’s own privileged people in this generation are to be devoted to Him. Just as He asked the Israelites to come to Him with consecration (V.11), God longs to see this single-hearted devotion to Him from each of us. He loves us as His treasured possession— can we reciprocate this love through our humble surrender?
Think on: “Why did the Lord set His love on you? Not because of you, but simply because He loves you.” ~John Piper
Listen: 'Because of Your Love'