Introduction: Read Exodus19.

Some controversy exists over the exact location of Mount Sinai. However I think the traditional site in the south of the Sinai Peninsula is as good as any. It does not really matter where the mountain was. What is important is what transpired there. Doubtless it was a fitting location for the dramatic events that preceded the giving of the Law.

There are Christians who delight in the mystery and the majesty accompanying Moses' ascent of the mountain to receive the Law. They think the smoke, fire, trumpet blast, fiery eruption and earthquake necessary symbols of God's awesomeness. But I identify strongly with the writer to the Hebrews who wrote to Jews thinking about defecting from Christianity and returning to Judaism: You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm ........ But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem ...... to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Heb12v18to24. I find the events of Mount Sinai, strange, disturbing, fearful and unchristian. However there are lessons to be learned from all Scripture. I will look at the passage under five headings: The Provision, The Purpose, The Promise, The Prelude and The Postscript.

(1) The Provision. See v1to4.

God tells Moses to remind the Israelites of what he has done for them. First of all it was God who secured their deliverance from Egypt. It was God who passed over them when he saw the blood on their door posts and lintels but struck down the first born of Egypt. By this means God finally overcame the objections of hard-hearted Pharaoh and set his people free.

Over and over again in the Pentateuch the Israelites are urged to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt and it was God who delivered them. In other words their freedom was all of God's grace. They did not secure it by any effort of their own. All they could do was cry out to God in the misery of their bondage.

There is a clear parallel between the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage and the individual Christian's redemption from sin. We are saved by grace and through faith. We are not saved by baptism, confirmation, participation in the Lord's Supper, confession to a priest, the Last Rites or any works done by us or for us by another. The Lord Jesus Christ is Saviour. God saves all who trust in Jesus' sacrifice for sin on the Cross. He saves and accepts all believers in Jesus into his family. Just as the Old Testament writers stress over and over again that it was God and him alone who delivered the Israelites from bondage so the New Testament writers give all the glory for man's redemption to God's willingness to accept Christ's saving work on behalf of sinful men.

God did more than secure the Israelites release from Egypt. He carried them on eagles' wings and brought them to himself. The eagle would assist its young as they learned to fly - carrying them if need be on its own wings - supporting them as they grew in confidence and expertise. So God nursed the Israelites through their first months of freedom, protecting and providing for them along the wilderness way. Now they had arrived at Mount Sinai - he had brought them to where he would reveal himself.

I believe God still takes special care of new and immature Christians. Indeed, he is with us every step of our pilgrimage to the Promised Land.

He leadeth me! O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,
By waters calm, o'er troubled sea,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

It was God's purpose to bring the Israelites to a point of decision and commitment. He wanted the people to enter into a covenant with him. It is presented clearly and concisely in this passage. God tells Moses that if the Israelites obey him fully they will be:

(a) His treasured possession - a people valued and protected above all others.

(b) A kingdom of priests - God's representatives in the world making his will known to men.

(c) A holy nation - a nation set apart from others - one living according to God's instructions and receiving his benefits.

The covenant in a nutshell was: Obey God and he will bless you.

The new covenant may be different from the old but it also requires a commitment. No one will be saved by the sacrificial death of Jesus without making a commitment to him. I am afraid that there are many people who attend church who have never benefitted from God's grace because they have never submitted their lives to Jesus. See story about Edmund Gosse.

The words of John are uncompromising: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

(3) The Promise. See v7and8.

Moses summoned the elders of the people and made known to them the covenant that God proposed. The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." The Israelite elders agreed enthusiastically to the covenant.

Now, the cynic might say the Israelites didn't know what they were letting themselves in for. They didn't know how hard it would be to obey God! In a very short space of time, on getting bored while Moses was away up Sinai receiving the Law, they made and worshipped a golden calf breaking the first and second of the Ten Commandments.

However, statements of intent are important. Ruth made a wonderful statement of intent to her mother-in-law Naomi: "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I wll go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will by my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." Ruth1v16to18. Statements like this are important because they settle the will in a certain direction.

Last Saturday I conducted the wedding of my nephew Isaac to his fiancée Stefanie. They made vows to one another - statements of intent to remain faithful and true. It is possible that they will not remain faithful but the statements of intent surely helps them to this end.

I have a box full of old love letters written to my father by my mother in the late 1930's. It is interesting to read these letters because they reveal a great deal about my mother's character and personality. She was a very idealistic young Christian. On June 14th 1939 this is what she wrote to her fiancee who was waiting to be called to the pastorate of a Grace Baptist church: I am always praying that I may be true to God and may thus be consistent in my living. I am looking forward eagerly to a life shared with you, in serving Him wholly and may I help you in this wonderful privilege. This was a statement of intent. From the very beginning my mother intended to help my father in his work as a Baptist pastor. She did. It did not turn out to be as my mother expected. She had some bitter disappointments and many tears were shed. However, year in and year out she assisted my father in the work of the ministry. I believe her statement of intent helped her to do this. I think it pleased God and he supported her in it.

I shall never forget the day in 1969 when I took my sick father to Dr Wilkerson's surgery and the shocked expression on his face as he watched my father rise to his feet. In that instant he accurately diagnosed my father's illness. After he had examined my father he invited me into his consulting room to have a few words in private. The doctor told me the bad news, "Your father has Parkinson's Disease."

I looked at that concerned, rather flushed face and said, "Well we are Christians, God will help us through.

Dr Wilkerson shook his head sadly and just said, "It is a hell of a complaint."

However, I had made my statement of intent - God would help us through. Never a day passed for the next eighteen years that I did not pray for my father. For the last four of those years my father and I travelled the mean streets of his debilitating illness together. God honoured my statement of intent and he helped us through.

Believer's baptism, too, is a public statement on the part of the person being baptised that they intend to follow Jesus. It is important to make it because God helps us to honour it.

So it is foolish to be cynical about the Israelite's enthusiasm for the covenant. All through the years there was always a remnant who kept the old covenant and were truly blessed.

(4) The Prelude. See 19v9to25 and 20v18to21.

(a) God brings home to the Israelites with whom they are making a covenant. He did so in four ways:

• By insisting that people prepare themselves for meeting with him. They had to wash their clothes and abstain from sex for three days.

• By prohibiting anyone other than Moses and Aaron from ascending Mt Sinai. They were allowed to approach the foot of the mountain only after the ram's horn sounded.

• By accompanying his descent upon Sinai with frightening phenomena - cloud, thunder, lightning, fire, smoke and earthquake.

• By speaking out of the fire. The people said: "But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. Dt5v25and26.

• The Israelites entered into the covenant with God without much thought. They were like the young man who offered to follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus told him: "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Lk9v58.

  It is a serious matter to enter into an agreement with God. The Israelites needed to be made aware of this.

  Jesus certainly told would be disciples to count the cost of following him. See exposition on Luke14v25to35.

• Moses said it was so that, "The fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." Ex20v20. This appears to be God's object. After God heard the response of the Israelites to hearing his voice he told Moses: ""Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it would go well with them and their children forever!" Dt5v29.

• The frightening aspect of God's appearance on the mountain consolidated Moses' role as intermediary. This was in part God's intent. The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Ex19v9. The Israelites certainly desired Moses to be their go-between after hearing God speak out of the cloud. They entreated him: "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Ex20v19. See also Dt5v24to27

• We need to be very careful about entering into a contract with God. Eventually the Israelites developed a very legalistic attitude to the contract God made with them. By the time of Jesus the religious leaders believed they could earn God's favour by a strict observance of the Law. Jesus told his disciples: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Mt5v20. Jesus then went on to indicate what this implied: not getting angry with your brother, not looking at a woman with lust, love your enemy and so on. It is actually impossible for us to meet these requirements consistently. So it is impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven by this means. I think Jesus was teaching that no one can merit a place in the kingdom. We have to rely on God's grace.

  Just as the Passover Lamb played a crucial role in the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt so the sacrificial system was a vital part of the Law. The sacrificial system made provision for the forgiveness of sin by God's grace. The sacrifice of a lamb or a goat only atoned for sin because by God's grace it was accepted as such. It was only a token payment and so relied entirely for its sufficiency upon God's willingness to accept it.

  Even this was forgotten by the Israelites in the time of Jesus. Sacrifices were considered by many religious Jews as a work by which to merit God's forgiveness and acceptance. They were offered in the wrong spirit.

  I am glad to rely upon God's grace - God's provision for the forgiveness of my sin in the sacrifice Jesus offered on the cross at Calvary. In the words of the hymn, 'Rock of Ages,'

  Nothing in my hand I bring,
  Simply to Thy cross I cling:
  Naked come to Thee for dress;
  Helpless look to Thee for grace;
  Foul, I to the fountain fly:
  Wash me, Saviour, or I die!

• Is fear the best way to ensure compliance with the Law and to discourage sinning? As a retired school teacher I know that it is important for discipline for pupils to fear the consequences of misbehaviour. I conducted sixth form Geography field trips for 20 years to many different parts of Britain using Youth Hostels for accommodation. Unlike most teachers who organised such excursions I allowed my pupils to go out in the evenings. I warned them that if anyone returned late they would be punished and if anyone came back drunk they would be sent home. My pupils believed me and feared the consequences of breaking the rules so I never had any trouble.

  The Israelites needed to be in some awe of God in order to take his commandments seriously. As it was, many of them had a short attention span and soon forgot their fear. Ten of the tribes were eventually lost because they would not break free from idolatry.

  There is of course another way for a teacher to get obedience from his pupils. If students are fond of their teacher they will not want to let him or her down. Even better, if they respect their teacher and share his values they will be more than ready to behave acceptably.

  Jeremiah looked forward to the day when God's people would not be motivated by fear. He wrote: "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jer31v33and34.

  Jesus put it like this: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. ...... You are my friends if you do what I command." John15v9to14.

• It can be a blessing to have a mediator. Sometimes when a pupil knew they were in trouble over neglecting to do their homework they would come to see me with a mediator. This was invariably a pretty girl for whom I had a soft spot. The ne'er-do-well hoped that the presence and advocacy of the lovely girl would temper my wrath! Such was often the case.

  The Israelites had Moses as their mediator but Christians have the favourite of Heaven, God's own Son as theirs. The writer to the Hebrews could write in triumph: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb4v14to16. See exposition on Heb4v13to5v10.

The writer to the Hebrews refers to God's revelation of himself on Mount Sinai. See exposition on Heb12v18to29. The author does so to highlight the superiority of the new covenant over the old. It is worth reading the whole of my exposition on Heb12v18to29 but I will just repeat here part of what I wrote to give a flavour of the argument of the inspired author of Hebrews.

If the writer had spoken the words in Heb12v18: You have not come to a mountain that can be touched, I am sure he would have emphasised the 'not'. You have NOT come to a mountain that can be touched.

There was much about Judaism that seemed real, concrete, tangible...... The old covenant was instigated in a way that was very real. There were physical manifestations of God's otherness - fire and darkness, gloom and storm. Christianity was almost tame by comparison. It was intangible and insubstantial - you have not come to a mountain that can be touched.

I have felt like that sometimes. My experience of God can seem unreal. I almost envy the charismatics whose emotions have been stirred by the Holy Spirit and the ritualists whose ceremonies are tangible and highlight God's otherness. However there were drawbacks to the Old Covenant and these were evident at its inauguration:

The Divine voice was overwhelming. See v18and19. The voice that spoke to the Israelites out of the cloud was so fearful that the people begged to be spared the sound of it.

I wonder if you have heard such a voice - uncompromising, unrelenting, demanding.... condemning. When I put my father to bed each night I would tell him not to get up until I arrived to help him in the morning. If he got up he would fall about or dress himself so bizarrely that I would have to undress him and start again. As my father got more demented he paid less and less attention to my instructions. One morning I had a job to get into the bedroom - he had barricaded the door with his mattress and was lying on the floor wound up in his bedclothes. I knew he couldn't help it but I went on and on and on about the stupidity of getting up before I called. In the end there was a poor, thin, small voice that said, "John, please stop." I have had the same experience with my pupils. After I have poured out a long tirade of complaint and condemnation a pupil has pleaded, "Mr Reed, please stop".

We do not come to such a voice. We come to the Word, the Word that became flesh and dwelt amongst us. John says, "We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John1v14. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. v17. Jesus is approachable - he was a man like us. When he was on earth the common people heard him gladly and wondered at the gracious words he spoke. We still have his words and they remain as fresh and gracious as the day that they were uttered. They invite the weary and heavy laden to come to him for rest. Those that come to him will never be driven away. Jesus said, "Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John6v40. Isn't that enough? Aren't his wonderful, life-giving words enough for us? Why do we hanker for more? Surely we do not want to go back to Mt Sinai, to the mountain - burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm, to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded. Heb12v18to20. Yet I think there is a gloomy, sin-obsessed, legalistic variety of Christian who does.