Exo 19 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Exod 19:1-9: 19:1-9 God prepared his people to receive the covenant by first reminding them of the past and of what they had learned about him (19:4 ). He then made promises concerning the future, which were contingent upon obedience (19:5-6 ). The final result was their promise to obey what the Lord has commanded (19:8 ). 19:1 Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt: It was now the fifteenth day of the third month.

Summary for Exod 19:1-9: 19:1-9 ^a God prepared his people to receive the covenant by first reminding them of the past and of what they had learned about him (19:4 ^b). He then made promises concerning the future, which were contingent upon obedience (19:5-6 ^c). The final result was their promise to obey what the Lord has commanded (19:8 ^d). 19:1 ^e Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt: It was now the fifteenth day of the third month.
19:2 ^f The arrival at Sinai was a fulfillment of the promise made earlier to Moses at this same spot (3:12 ^g).
19:3 ^h the family of Jacob ... the descendants of Israel: The link between Jacob and the present generation reflected continuity with the past. God had kept all his promises thus far, and the promises he was yet to make would be equally trustworthy.
Summary for Exod 19:5-6: 19:5-6 ⁱ God, to whom all the earth belongs, promised to make Israel his own special treasure. This promise was contingent upon their accepting a covenant with God and keeping it faithfully.

• my kingdom of priests, my holy nation: The nation was to become intermediaries between a holy God and a lost world. Through them God would reveal himself (see 1 Pet 2:9-10 ^j).
Summary for Exod 19:7-8: 19:7-8 ^k The first phase of preparation was successful. The people agreed to do everything the Lord has commanded.
19:9 ^l See also Deut 4:12 ^m, 33 ⁿ.
Summary for Exod 19:10-15: 19:10-15 ^o In the second phase of preparation, the people received commands that would prepare them to receive God’s covenant. They were to wash their clothing (19:10 ^p, 14 ^q) because God is pure. They were to prepare a boundary all around the mountain (19:12-13 ^r) and be careful not to cross it because God is holy. They were to abstain from having sexual intercourse (19:15 ^s) because God is not a sexual being, and his blessings are not produced through sexual activity. Things that are natural and right under ordinary circumstances were to be set aside for the extraordinary purpose of concentrating on the Lord, the King who was about to appear before the people. Only their compliance with the second of these commands is specifically reported (19:23 ^t), but it is safe to assume that they obeyed the other two as well since no negative response from the Lord is recorded.

• Hebrews 12:18-22 ^u contrasts this experience at Mount Sinai with the believer’s experience at Mount Zion, “the heavenly Jerusalem.”
Summary for Exod 19:16-25: 19:16-25 ^v The final phase of preparation involved phenomena that moved the people toward acceptance of the covenant. Some of the experiences were visual: lightning and a cloud (19:16 ^w), smoke and fire (19:18 ^x). The people also heard thunder, a ram’s horn, and the voice of God (19:16 ^y, 19 ^z), and the whole mountain shook violently (19:18 ^aa). In the Bible, such phenomena are often associated with a theophany, which is a visible manifestation of God’s holy presence.
Summary for Exod 19:21-25: 19:21-25 ^ab The repeated warnings that no one should break through to approach the Lord reinforced the impact of the phenomena the people had just witnessed. God is utterly transcendent, and he must be approached in the way he ordains or not at all.