Exodus 19 Devotional

Brought Near to a Holy God

“‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”Exodus 19:4 (BSB)

Israel camps before Sinai, and God speaks before giving any law. He reminds them of what they saw him do to Egypt, and that he lifted them up like an eagle and brought them to himself (19:4). Rescue comes first. Only then does he invite them to keep his covenant and become his treasured possession, a holy nation set apart to serve him as priests (19:5-6).

The rest of the chapter shows what it means to draw near to this God. A boundary rings the mountain, and anyone who touches it must die (19:12). On the third day come thunder, lightning, thick cloud, a blast of the ram's horn, fire and smoke, and the whole mountain shakes (19:16-18). Everyone in the camp trembles. God is near, and he is holy. Hebrews tells believers they have not come to a burning, storm-wrapped mountain like this one, but to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (Hebrews 12:18, 22-24). Through him you can come to the same holy God with reverence and with confidence.

To think about: Do you tend to approach God with too little reverence or too little confidence, and how does Christ answer both?