Exodus 19

I love how verse 1 proclaims, with earth-shattering import, "On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on that very day--they came to the desert of Sinai" (emphasis mine). I should use that in my own writing more often: "On the fifth second of the forty-ninth minute of the nineteenth hour of the twenty-first day of the fourth month--on that very day--verily, I say unto thee, I broke the sylvan zephyr." If it's good enough for Moses, it's good enough for me.

In verse 4, we get one of the first usages of the image of God carrying us up on eagle's wings--the subject of many a worship song. Eagles are indeed majestic looking birds--it's not wonder that they're the mascot of the United States of 'Murica. Although it's amazing to contemplate the biological wonders of a hummingbird's ability to flap its wings 50-70 times per second, there's something dignified about a bird that can soar to near-empyrean heights without much visible exertion. Similarly, God can carry us to heights where we can know a tranquility that only He can provide. Contrast the image of the eagle to that of the pre-Coleridge albatross--it's splendid in flight all right, but its takeoffs and landings are another story.

God says that if the Israelites follow Him, He will make them "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (verse 6), to which everyone dutifully responds, "We will do everything the LORD has said" (verse 8). Even if you haven't skipped ahead, you can expect how long that lasts. Knowing humans' fickle hearts, God imposes another proviso, telling the Israelites to stay away from Mount Sinai on pain of death--another example of how one's level of obedience to external regulations evinces the true nature of one's heart. This is a precept certain Pharisees in Jesus' day took too far--they observed religious customs for the sake of showing off--but I'm getting ahead of myself.

To reinforce how serious He is about keeping the Israelites away from the mountain, God comes down to Mount Sinai in one of His most physically baleful manifestations. Clouds, lightning, thunder, smoke, fire, and earthquakes are all on the menu as God harnesses some of the most formidable elements of His creation to trumpet His might. And yet this almighty God is the same one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and puts up with their fractious complaints. And eventually, through His son, He will allow every one of His precious children to have a personal relationship with Him. Although this is one of the most fundamental tenets of being a Christ-follower, I still need to be regularly reminded of how utterly and heartbreakingly incredible God's grace is.