Three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrived at the Desert of Sinai and camped in front of the mountain of God. Moses went up to God, who told him to remind the Israelites of His deliverance from Egypt. God promised that if they obeyed His covenant, they would be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. – Exodus 19:5-6 (NIV)
Israel’s role in God’s plan was to be a kingdom of priests—a chosen nation meant to serve God wholeheartedly and worship Him. They were set apart to introduce God to other nations and help them know Him. God revealed Himself to the Israelites so that they, in turn, could reveal Him to the rest of the world.
Israel Prepares To Recieve
Moses conveyed God’s message to the elders, and the people agreed to obey the LORD. God told Moses He would appear in a dense cloud so the people would hear Him and trust Moses. He instructed Moses to consecrate the people for three days, have them wash their clothes, and set boundaries around Mount Sinai. Anyone who touched the mountain before the ram’s horn sounded would be put to death.
Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. – Exodus 19:12 (NIV)
God allowed only Moses to ascend the mountain because, like the tabernacle, the people were to keep their distance from His direct presence. Though they were consecrated, they were not truly ready to enter His holiness. They were committing to be priests without fully believing. God’s revelation in this way was also a form of crowd control—His holiness was dangerous to those unprepared. If someone touched what God had made holy, they would die instantly, showing the seriousness of His presence.
Moses may have emphasized stoning the offender as a clear instruction for enforcement, ensuring the people understood the seriousness of God’s holiness. However, the actual necessity of stoning is uncertain because God’s presence itself could have caused immediate death. This could have been a precautionary measure or a way to reinforce obedience, highlighting that approaching God’s holiness without His permission was a grave offense.
Moses consecrated the people and instructed them to prepare for the third day. On that morning, thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, and a loud trumpet blast filled the sky, causing the people to tremble. Mount Sinai was covered in smoke as the LORD descended in fire, and the mountain shook violently. Moses spoke, and God answered. The LORD then called Moses up the mountain and warned him to prevent the people, including the priests, from forcing their way up, as they would perish. God allowed only Aaron to ascend with Moses. Moses then returned to relay God’s message to the people.
Keeping God First
You shall have no other gods before me. – Exodus 20:1-3 (NIV)
While other “gods” may exist in people’s beliefs, they are not truly gods in the way that God is. The commandment underscores that no false deity or idol should take God’s place in our lives. The Israelites had come from Egypt, where many had idols. Some people likely brought these idols with them when they left. The first and foremost condition of the covenant was that if they were to be His priests, He alone should be their God.
Just like Rachel couldn’t leave her father’s household without taking her idols, the Israelites were often tempted to keep the idols they acquired from raiding foreign nations. This temptation was something they struggled with repeatedly. In today’s context, if we treat money (Mammon) as a god—loving it and pursuing it above all else—we are also guilty of breaking the first commandment.
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. – Exodus 20:4 (NIV)
God commands not to make any image or idol in the form of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters because He cannot be contained or fully represented by anything made by human hands. An idol limits and distorts the nature of God, reducing Him to something we can control or define, which goes against His infinite and uncontainable essence.
We don’t need an image of God because He is beyond human representation. Despite this, many people still keep photos of Jesus, images of the Last Supper, or idols of Jesus on the cross in their homes or churches. Some even treat these images or symbols, like the cross, as objects of veneration or bow before them forgetting the second commandment.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. – Exodus 20:7 (NIV)
When Moses was judging numerous cases, people would often come to him, swearing by the name of the LORD to prove their honesty, trying to convince him of their truthfulness. However, one of them was inevitably lying, using God’s name casually to strengthen their case. This is a serious misuse, as God’s name is the holiest of names, so sacred that it’s not even to be uttered lightly. Yet, people today often take it too lightly, treating it casually in everyday speech, oaths, or promises, which disrespects its true sanctity.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. – Exodus 20:8 (NIV)
God commands that the seventh day, the Sabbath, be kept holy. After six days of work, no one—whether people, servants, animals, or foreigners—should work on the Sabbath. This day of rest honors God’s creation, as He made the heavens, earth, and all within them in six days and rested on the seventh. God blessed and sanctified the Sabbath day.
The Sabbath was intended to be a day for people to reconnect with God. After six days of work and being distant from Him, the Sabbath was meant to serve as a reset, a time to return to God’s presence and commune with Him. However, it became viewed merely as a government holiday, a day when no work was allowed. Jesus called out the Israelites for their hypocrisy in how they observed the Sabbath.
In today’s context, where Jesus has reunited us with our Father, we can be in constant communion with Him. We don’t need a special time or day to connect with Him, as we are always connected with our Father. Still, people want to follow the Sabbath, as it limits their interaction with God to a weekly chore of attending mass, giving offerings, and making prayers and supplications.
Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. – Exodus 20:24 (NIV)
God instructed the Israelites to make altars of mud and stones, with no cut stones to be used. These altars were meant to be temporary, not permanent structures. Given their nomadic lifestyle, the Israelites were constantly on the move, which made building permanent shrines unnecessary. The simplicity and impermanence of these altars reflected their transient existence, focusing the worship on God rather than on the physical structure itself.
In contrast, today, we have created cultic shrines—churches and temples—seeking a sense of permanence and connection with God. Many of these great shrines were built during times of peace and prosperity, when resources were abundant. In such times, there can be a tendency to focus more on decorating and maintaining our places of worship, sometimes at the expense of the worship itself. It’s important to remember that God instructed David not to build a temple for Him, emphasizing that the focus should be on sincere worship rather than the physical structures we create. Jesus said the same to the Samaritan woman, telling her that true worship is not about temples or mountains but about worshiping God in spirit and truth.
All We Need is Love
Honor your father and your mother,
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, …wife, … servant, …ox, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. – Exodus 20:13-17 (NIV)
When the people saw the thunder, lightning, smoke, and heard the trumpet, they trembled with fear and kept their distance. They asked Moses to speak to them instead of God, fearing they would die if He spoke directly. Moses reassured them that God was testing them to instill reverence and keep them from sinning. While the people stayed back, Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Sadly, this mindset persists today. People fear God and tremble at His presence, preferring intermediaries like Moses to speak on their behalf. It seems that Moses, perhaps influenced by Jethro, introduced additional laws and presented them as God’s commands—possibly to govern Israel and instill fear, much like pastors and church leaders do today to compel their congregations to serve God. However, a heart ruled by fear and reluctance can never truly draw near to its Creator. This fear-based approach is what Jesus came to end, reminding people that they were failing in the only laws that truly mattered to God.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. – Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)
These two commandments got buried beneath a mountain of laws that Moses gave to the people, meant to keep them in line and, as Jethro advised, lighten his load of resolving every dispute using deputy judges. It’s like an expensive law firm burying a small, independent pro bono lawyer under a mountain of evidence, hoping to obscure the key fact that could acquit their client. The same strategy is used by the enemy, who buries us under a mountain of laws, making us forget the one thing God wanted us to focus on the most. Israel was chosen as a kingdom of priests to receive God’s love and reflect it to the world, but they failed to do either. Instead, they became distracted, chasing after a righteousness they could never attain.
Discussion Questions
- What is Israel’s role in God’s plan?
- Why did God allow only Moses to ascend His mountain even though everyone else was also consecrated?
- Are we fully adhering to all of the Ten Commandments?
- Do we still need an intermediary like Moses to communicate with God on our behalf?
The Jordan Valley 
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