History of Israel: Meeting at Mount Sinai

Moses has brought the Israelites to Mount Sinai to meet with God who shows up in a mighty way. However, even after this awesome meeting, the Israelites soon slip into idolatry and moral bankruptcy. This leads to some pretty awful consequences and almost causes the people to lose their special place as God's chosen people. How will they react? Will they simply move ahead or will they repent? Listen to the latest episode of Bible Backdrop to find out.

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Transcript

The young boy was frightened. It had been almost 3 months since they had left Egypt and he couldn’t believe all the things he had seen. There weren’t enough scrolls to fill it all. First, the waters at Marah had been made drinkable. He’d seen Moses himself throw a stick in the water and it was no longer bitter. Then there was the manna and quail they’d been getting every day. After that, when at one point all hope had seemed lost, Moses made water come from a rock. He still couldn’t believe that one.

Then they got to this mountain. He overheard his parents talking about consecrating themselves...whatever that meant. What that meant for him was a bath and washing clothes. On the appointed day, they all went to the mountain but it didn’t look the same. It was covered by a thick cloud and there was thunder and lightening. As they approached, a horn started sounding, far louder and deeper than he’d ever heard. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be coming from the cloud. 

As they approached, the trumpet got louder. Then a voice spoke from the cloud and the boy stood rooted to his spot. He couldn’t move. If you had asked him why, he probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you. But his parents couldn’t move either. Then a voice, deep and sounding like a roaring sea, came from the cloud and spoke the commandments. It was the most frightening and wonderful moment the boy had ever known...and he had seen much including the rescue at the Red Sea and the battle against the Amalekites.

This was unlike anything he or his parents had seen before. The people then started wailing and crying, begging Moses to be their mediator between them and God. Moses told them not to fear but that was pretty hard given the circumstances. Then the voice called Moses to come up to the mountain and he disappeared into the cloud.

Now that had been over a month and there was no sign of him. Sure there was the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, but by now most people didn’t even see it there anymore. It was just a part of the background. He could see his mother and father were getting worried. What was going to happen next? They were still provided with manna and quail every day but would that last forever? His father said that some of the leaders had enough and went to Aaron. They wanted to see something...some form of gods they could rally around. Where was Moses? Was he even alive? The boy could tell his father didn’t like what he’d been hearing. It seemed that most people had a short memory, but his father and mother didn’t. They remembered everything they had seen to this point and they knew this suggestion of another god was a bad idea. They and their neighbors, all from the tribe of Levi, felt the same way. This was not going to end well.

And that is why the boy was now frightened. This wasn’t the awe inspiring fear he felt that day at the mountain. It was the insanity he saw around him. Many of the people had given their gold that they got from Egypt to Aaron and he had made a golden calf. Then the next day, they made sacrifices to it and started having a wild party. He saw people drinking like they had never done before. And then whole groups of people would go into a tent and wouldn’t come out for a long time. His mother made him go inside their tent while she and his father waited. They didn’t want to go anywhere near the calf and the party.

All of a sudden...out of nowhere...Moses returned. When word reached his parents, they all went rushing out of the tent. And you could tell he was not happy. He had stone tablets in his hand and he threw them on the ground. Then he had a discussion with Aaron. Well, discussion might have been the wrong word. He was yelling and Aaron was meekly answering. Moses looked around and said something he’d never forget: “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” Then his father, with a sword on his hip, went running toward Moses. As he and their neighboring Levites gathered around their leader, he gave them instructions. They started to disburse throughout the camp. His father caught his eye and he waved a hand at him and his mother to go back inside the tent. His mother grabbed him and pulled him inside. She gave him some ridiculous chore to do, but the boy couldn’t concentrate.

Then he heard it...the screams. Similar to what he’d heard during the battle with the Amalekites when someone was stabbed. He heard it over and over again until he couldn’t help it anymore. He had to see what was happening. His mother was trying to keep herself busy and wasn’t paying attention. He took advantage and stepped out. And he wished he hadn’t. There were bodies everywhere. He saw someone running through the camp and another person chasing him with a sword. Then he realized...the man with the sword ws his own father. He caught up to the runner and jabbed his sword through him. The man coughed blood and went down, but what the boy remembered was his father’s face. It was streaked with tears as he did the job Moses gave him. His mother, now aware that he was not in the tent, shouted for him and pulled him back inside.

Later that evening, his father returned looking the same as when he battled the Amalekites. Sweaty, dirty, caked with dried blood. But this time, he was not jubilant in victory...he was sad and broken. Like he’d lost a friend. His mother went and wrapped her arms around him as he sobbed uncontrollably. Finally, after a few minutes, he calmed down. Then he knelt down and hugged the young boy. For the boy, this would go down as the worst day he had ever known.

Hello again everyone and welcome to another episode of Bible Backdrop. Today, we’re continuing our history of Israel series with a look at the events at Mount Sinai. This will bring us through the book of Exodus. In the next episode, we will pull stories from the other books of the Penateuch...Leviticus, Numbers and Deutoronomy, to give a full picture of the Israelites before they move into the Promised Land. 

When we last left off, the Israelites had won a great victory over the Amalekites. The people were creating a civil and military structure that would help them when they are established as a nation. Now they were moving toward Mount Sinai where God would meet with them and would establish the law and the religious structure. 

First, let’s talk about Mount Sinai. It’s exact location is, of course, unknown. The traditional location is Jabal Musa in the southern Sinai peninsula. There is now some discussion that the mountain may be in modern day Saudi Arabia at Jabal al-Lawz. This is located in the northwest part of Saudi Arabia. The bottom line is, like many spots discussed in Exodus, nobody knows the exact location. 

What we do know is that God led them to the mountain where He is going to meet with His people. When they arrive, they camp before the mountain and then God calls Moses up to the mountain. There He reminds Moses of all the things that He has done for the nation and of His covenant. He tells Moses that if they obey His commands, He will make them a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. This means they would be set apart and mediators for the other nations because they belong to God and would keep His covenant. When Moses returns, he tells the elders what God has said and they agree to obey the covenant. Moses returns to the mountain and tells this to the Lord who then gives Moses these instructions: “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch it’s base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” God is going to meet with His people, but they had to get ready. They could not come to Him with the mud and filth of the desert, but they had to be clean along with their clothes. Moses later adds the direction that they also had to abstain from sexual relations. He wanted them to be focused on the task at hand in meeting with God. Also, note that God has set boundaries. He will meet with them, but they could not come close. This theme resonates with the building of the tabernacle and, later, the Temple. Not everyone could come near but had to keep some distance. In this instance, anyone who came close would be considered so unholy, that they were not to be touched but killed by stoning or with arrows. This is a serious matter and not a time for curiosity or to show off your bravery. 

When the day comes, it must have been amazing and terrifying. “Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brough the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai ws completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.” Even for a people who had seen poisoned waters turned clean, been miraculously given manna and quail, seen the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud, seen the Red Sea split apart, seen a miraulous victory over the Amalekites, and seen water come from a rock could still not grasp the awe inspiring view of Yahweh coming to meet His people. As they are standing rooted to the spot, God calls out the Ten Commandments. This was given to the nation as a whole and simple enough that everyone could understand it. It was not a revelation to a single person, but delivered by the voice of God who is the ultimate authority. This should have made a deep impression on the hearts of the Israelites and, at the moment, it seems to have done so: “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses ‘Speak to us yourself and we will lsiten. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’” This was supposed to be a seminal moment in the history of Israel. A time when they could all come to God together as a nation and receive His instructions and blessing. The people, however, are too afraid and demand Moses be their mediator. Whether the scene was truly that terrifying or they knew that being this close to God would expose what was in their hearts...what they really believed and wanted...it’s hard to say. When a person’s heart is exposed to God and they see their sin for what it is, it can be a gut wrenching moment. Maybe that is why they demand Moses be their mediator.

At this point, Moses disappears into the cloud on the mountain. The next 11 ½ chapters is a description of Moses getting instructions from God, establishing the religiou practices to be observed in the worship of Yahweh. This includes the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, two things that were discussed in earlier episodes. There are also laws regarding servants, property, and justicer and mercy. These laws are the basics of what we see later in Leviticus. 

Unfortunately, as seems to be the recurring theme with the Israelites, they are ready to renege on the covenant they promised to do in chapter 20. It’s been 40 days since Moses went up to the mountain and they hadn’t seen him since. They did, however, see the pillar of fire and cloud, the manna and the quail. But that was all part of the experience now...it was nothing new. So they ask Aaron to make some gods they can rally around since Moses may not be returning. At this point, we see how truly a weak leader Aaron is. Instead of pushing back and telling them not to sin, he tells them to bring him their articles of gold. They do so and he melts it down and creates what is commonly called the golden calf, but the Hebrew word here is more like a young bull. When the people see it, they are amazed and declare it to be the god that delivered them from Egypt. Aaron is so flattered by this, that he builds and altar and declares a feast day. Ironically enough, he declares a feast day for the Lord. He believes that he can serve the desires of both God and the people. He makes the idol not to replace the Lord, but in addition. And it’s at this point that things go really sideways...in a truly bad way.

The people get up early and offer many sacrifices to the idol. Then they sit to have a feast and drinking and “revelry.” This isn’t just a wild party that gets a little out of hand. The NIV uses the word “revelry” but the Hebrew verb here is sahaq and it signifies drunken, immoral orgies and sex play. As we’ve seen in the past, some idols use cult prostitution as a form of worship and this may have been similar. The people had cast off all restraints of decency and morality. It had been just over a month that they heard the voice of God speaking from a cloud of smoke on the mountain, but that all seems forgotten. They don’t know it, but a reckoning is coming.

On the mountain, God has been talking with Moses about the laws and religious practices that the Israelites are to follow. Out of the blue, He tells Moses to return to the camp as the people have corrupted themselves by making an idol and worshiping it. Then God offers something incredible to Moses: “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” 

Lot to unpack here. First, God says the people are a stiff-necked people. The comparison here is to a yoked animal that won’t move or turn when directed. It is unruly, unwilling to yield and rebellious. Animals like that, if they cannot be tamed, are usually killed since they are not useful to a farmer. God then makes an incredible offer to Moses. Basically, He will wipe out the Israelites and will create a new nation from Moses. Basically, Moses will become like Abraham. The covenant promise to Abraham will still be kept, but it will be through Moses. It is interesting that God says “let Me alone” to do this work. Why does He say that? Moses has no chance of physically stopping God from doing this. It seems to me that God is giving Moses the choice of what to do next. Is Moses’ heart aligned with God’s or will he look to become the next great patriarch?

This is a great test for Moses and it seems he doesn’t hesitate. He begs God to stay His hand and not wipe out the Israelites. He argues that doing so may hurt God’s reputation and that people will believe that the Israelites were led out of Egypt only to be destroyed. He brings up the original covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses truly cares for the Israelite people but he cares even more about God’s reputation knowing that God alone can save the nations. Confirming that Moses’ heart is aligned, God relents and Moses departs to deal with the problem.

On his way back to the camp, Moses gets Joshua who has been waiting for him. It seems that Joshua was becoming Moses’ assistant and protege. Joshua comments that it sounds like a noise of war from the camp...probably from the incoherent yelling as Moses notes that it isn’t victory or defeat, but singing. Moses is carrying the tablets of the law with him that were inscribed by God’s hand. Seeing what’s happening, his rage boils and, as we know, Moses had a bit of a temper. He breaks the stone tablets showing that the people of Israel have broken the covenant. Now there will be a reckoning.

The first thing Moses does is command the idol to be melted down, ground into a powder and scattered on the water, forcing the Israelites to drink it. There are several purposes for doing this. First, it causes immediate consequences for the Israelites; second, it shows that their idol was worthless; third, it makes the gold unusable as it is now mixed with bodily waste. 

The next thing Moses does is confront Aaron who doesn’t seem to understand the depth of what he’s done. He basically tells Moses to calm down and that the people demanded it. Then he took their gold, put it in the fire and “poof”...out came this calf. Moses isn’t buying this for a minute, especially given that he can see the handmade tool marks on the idol.

Seeing that the people were unrestrained and doing whatever they wanted no matter how heinous, it was time for drastic measures. He calls everyone who is on the Lord’s side to come to him and the Levites gather to him. One tribe of 12. He tells them to do something that seems horrific, but shows how serious God is about His holiness and making a decision to stand with the Lord. It’s not always easy, but it must be done. Moses gives the Levites an order to kill their neighbors, friends and even their family. The sin must be blotted out. The Levites then go through the camp and kill 3,000 people. While there were more than 3,000 that worshiped the calf, these may have been the ringleaders or the most debauched people. This must have been extremely difficult for the Levites, but they chose to honor the Lord. Moses tells them to consecrate themselves and that God will bestow a blessing upon them for their work.

What is the fallout from all this? The idol is gone, the people are probably sick from drinking water with gold dust, many women may be pregnant from men who are not their husbands so familial and clan lines may be mixed causing issues with future generations, and the people have broken the covenant that 40 days prior they said they’d follow. Moses is aware of the gravity of the problem and knows that immediate intercession is needed. He goes to God and asks that He forgive their sin, but if not, then Moses asks to blot out his name from the God’s book in lieu of blotting out the people. Moses felt that the blood of an animal wasn’t enough for this sin. God refuses but decides that the people who were the most complicit would be blotted out. Then the Bible talks of a plague hitting the people. Some scholars believe this is the retribution meted out by the Levites.

After this, God tells Moses to go up to the Promised Land and that His Angel would drive out the inhabitants...buuuuut...He would not go with them. They would no longer have God’s presence in their midst and no longer be a chosen people. Again, the nation is at a fork in the road. What would they decide? Would they agree and go to take on the blessings without God’s presence or would they repent and beg forgiveness? Did God’s presence mean more to them than simply gaining the Promised Land? Moses tells this to the people who immediately go into mourning. They are fully aware that they are losing their special place among the nations and are truly repentant. They strip off their ornaments and give them to Moses as a sign of their mourning. What were these ornaments? Likely necklaces and earrings from when they plundered the Egyptians. These ornaments would go to the building of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.

Moses again intercedes and God establishes a new covenant that He will not depart from them and would go up with them to the Promised Land. The next chapter is about to begin.

On that note, we’ll wrap up this episode here. If you are enjoying Bible Backdrop, please subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review. If you want to get in touch with the show, you can e-mail me at BibleBackdrop@gmail.com. Word of mouth is still the best way for this show to get around, so tell a friend and have them subscribe. You can find Bible Backdrop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere podcasts are found. Thank you again for listening and have a great week!