Exodus 19 — Sketch

Fire on the Mountain

Big Idea:

• Israel comes to the Desert of Sinai.

• God calls to Moses from Mount Sinai and tells him, “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself …Be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

• Israel agrees to do everything God tells them.

• God gives Israel three days to consecrate themselves and wash their clothes. They aren’t allowed to approach the mountain until the ram’s horn blasts on the third day — or they will die.

• On the third day, the trumpet blasts. Thunder and lightning and a thick cloud cover the mountain. The Israelites are scared.

• God descends onto the mountain in smoke and fire. The trumpet gets louder, and the mountain shakes.

• God warns the people that they will die if they try to come up and see Him.

Jesus in This Chapter:

• The Israelites were terrified to be in God’s presence. And God set some pretty strict conditions for how they were to approach Him — consecrated, in clean clothes, and only when the trumpet sounds. This is because Israel, like all of us, was sinful. And sin cannot come near God and survive.

• But if our faith is in Jesus, it’s an entirely different story. Jesus takes away our sin, allowing us to come to God freely and confidently.

(Originally drawn September 30, 2010)