– Scripture:

                        Stay Off The Mountain

God said to Moses, “Get ready. I’m about to come to you in a thick cloud so that the people can listen in and trust you completely when I speak with you.” Again Moses reported the people’s answer to God. God said to Moses, “Go to the people. Get these people ready to meet the Holy God for the next two days. Have them scrub their clothes so that on the third day, they’ll be fully prepared because, on the third day, God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people. Post boundaries for the people all around, telling them, ‘Warning! Don’t climb the mountain. Don’t even touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain dies—a certain death. And no one is to touch that person; he’s to be stoned. That’s right—stoned. Or shot with arrows, shot to death. Animal or man, whichever—put to death.’ “A long blast from the horn will signal that climbing the mountain is safe.” Moses went down the mountain to the people and prepared them for the holy meeting. They gave their clothes a good scrubbing. Then he addressed the people: “Be ready in three days. Don’t sleep with a woman.” On the third day, at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood at attention at the base of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all smoke because God had come down on it as fire. Smoke poured from it like smoke from a furnace. The whole mountain shuddered in huge spasms. The trumpet blasts grew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered in thunder. God descended to the peak of Mount Sinai. God called Moses up to the peak, and Moses climbed up. God said to Moses, “Go down. Warn the people not to break through the barricades to see God lest many die. And the priests also warn them to prepare themselves for the holy meeting, lest God break out against them.” Moses told God, “But the people can’t climb Mount Sinai. You’ve already warned us well: ‘Post boundaries around the mountain. Respect the holy mountain.’ ” God told him, “Go down and bring Aaron back up with you. But make sure that the priests and the people don’t break through and come up to God, lest he break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people.

                           Exodus 19:9-25 MSG

 – Reflection:

This is a long passage that mainly talks about waiting until you hear from GOD before you make the move up the mountain. How many times have we thought we heard something but really didn’t, and something terrible happened? In this passage, people would have lost their lives if they climbed the mountain before GOD blasted the horn.

Where do we go from here?

Listen to GOD’s heart before you move on to significant things in your life.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, Your promise to be with us, dear God. Fix our senses to your presence and deepen our faith in you. Amen.