Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament book of Exodus which was written by Moses the servant of the Lord. More specifically, today’s passage is found in chapters twenty through twenty-two of this Old Testament book. When you come to this particular portion of Scripture you will find the LORD God of the Hebrews having come down on top of the mountain of God in Horeb, which was in the wilderness of Sinai. I am convinced, however, that before we can truly understand that which is found within these chapters it is first necessary that we turn and direct our attention to the previous chapter. If you turn your attention back to the previous chapter you will find the children of Israel coming into the wilderness of Sinai after having departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai. The opening verses of the nineteenth chapter bring us face to face with the fact that in the third month after the children of Israel had come up out of the land of Egypt they had finally made their way to the mountain of God—that mountain where Moses had previously brought his father-in-law Jethro’s flocks. In all reality, that which you find within the nineteenth chapter is directly linked and directly connected to what we find in the third chapter of this book. Upon looking back to the third chapter of the book of Exodus you will find and discover that while Moses was still tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro he brought them from Midian unto the mountain of God which was Horeb. I firmly believe that if we are going to understand what we find before us in chapters twenty of the book of Exodus and onward we must first understand that which is found in the nineteenth chapter, however, in order to understand that which is found in the nineteenth chapter we must first understand what is found within the third chapter. What’s more, is that I would dare say we must also include that which is found in the fourth chapter of this Old Testament book, for it is what we find within these two chapters that brings us face to face with the first manifestation of the LORD God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and Jacob. Scripture isn’t clear as to what year out of the four-hundred and thirty years the Lord appeared unto Moses, but what we can without a doubt understand and recognize is that after a period of four-hundred years of living in the land of Egypt, after living as slaves in the midst of bondage, oppression and affliction, and even after spending around four centuries without any revelation from the God who had appeared unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the children of Israel were finally beginning to hear the voice of the living God—albeit as spoken unto Moses, which would in turn be spoken through Moses’ brother Aaron whom the Lord would send with him unto the land of Egypt.

Pause for a moment and think about the tremendous reality that for more than four centuries the children of Israel were living as slaves in the bondage, oppression and affliction of the land of Egypt, and during that time they had experienced and walked through much sorrow, much anguish, much affliction and much oppression. In the final three verses of the second chapter we find and read the following words which described the place and plight of the children of Israel within the land of Egypt: “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” Please don’t miss the incredible and tremendous significance of what we find within these verses, for that which we find in these verses brings us face to face with the undeniable reality of the tremendous anguish and sorrow that had gripped the hearts and souls of the children of Israel. Within these verses we find the children of Israel having become completely and utterly overwhelmed with their slavery, their bondage and affliction in the land of Egypt, and in that place of anguish and sorrow they began crying out and sighing by reason of their bondage. The second chapter of the book of Exodus concludes with the children of Israel crying out and sighing because of their bondage and oppression, and how the living God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—had not only heard their groaning, but this same God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob, and looked upon the children of Israel and had respect unto them. Eventually and ultimately their cry came up before and into the ears of the living God, and He could no longer stand back and watch the suffering, the affliction, the sorrow and the anguish of the children of Israel, and needed to act. It is in this context of the sighs and cries of the children of Israel coming up before and unto the living God that He decided—not only to speak, but also to act. What we find in the third and fourth chapters is the beginning of the voice of the living God being heard in the earth once more after more than four centuries without any open revelation from heaven. Oh, it was true Abraham heard the voice of the living God and that God appeared unto him; it was true that Isaac heard the voice of the living God and that God had appeared unto him also; and it was true that Jacob heard the voice of the living God and that God appeared unto him. What’s important to note is that the last time we find the living God speaking was in the forty-sixth chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus when He assured Jacob that it was okay to journey down to the land of Egypt, for it would be there He would look after, care for them, and make them into a great nation:

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-Sheba, and offered sacrifice unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the vision of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation; I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hands upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:1-4).

It should be noted that from the time the living God—the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac—spoke unto Jacob and comforted him about going down into the land of Egypt until the time the living God had spoken unto Moses in the wilderness at the mountain of God there was absolutely no vision from heaven, there was no open revelation from the living God, and the voice of the living God had not been heard. This is actually quite unique and quite astounding, for it completely and utterly sets the stage for what we find in the third chapter, for in the third chapter we find the living God—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—breaking the silence and doing so in the wilderness. It would be after more than four centuries the living God would finally speak once more, yet He would begin by speaking unto Moses—Moses who was a man who had fled from the land of Egypt and from the king of Egypt after it was discovered that he had killed a fellow Egyptian and buried him in the sand. For forty years Moses dwelt in the land of Midian after encountering the daughters of Jethro at a well there in the land, and would eventually be given Zipporah one of the daughters of Jethro as wife who would bear him two sons. For four decades Moses would care for and look after his father-in-law Jethro’s flocks, yet there would come a specific day when Moses would lead his father-in-law’s flocks unto the mountain of God which was in the wilderness of Sinai. There is not a doubt in my mind that Moses might not have been expecting or anticipating anything taking place on this particular day, and yet as he led the flocks of his father-in-law unto the mountain of God in the wilderness he found himself beholding a bush that was engulfed and burning with flames of fire, and yet was not consumed. It would be in this context of the bush burning with fire and yet not being consumed that Moses turned aside to see this great sight and what it would and could possibly mean. Once Moses himself had turned aside to see this bush which was burning yet was not consumed, and once the living God had observed him turning himself aside He began speaking unto him there in the midst of the wilderness from the burning bush at the mountain of God. Oh we must carefully consider the absolutely incredibly reality of the living God breaking the silence of more than four centuries, for not only did the Lord break the silence, but the Lord broke the silence in absolutely wonderful and astounding way. Consider if you will the words which are found within this chapter beginning to read with the first verse and continuing on through much of the chapter moving forward:

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will not turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off Thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou stand East is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebuistes. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now there, and I wills end thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, THE LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is down to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearten to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians” (Exodus 3:1-22).

What I absolutely love about this encounter and exchange between Moses and the LORD God of the Hebrews in the third chapter is the declaration of Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for it directly links and directly connects Him to the fathers of the children of Israel which were in the land of Egypt. What’s more, is that by speaking of Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the living God was directly linking and connecting Himself unto the children of Israel which were living as slaves within the land of Egypt. What’s more, is that the declaration that “the God of the Hebrews” had met with them is a truly wonderful and powerful declaration unto the children of Israel that the God who was speaking unto them, and the God who was preparing to deliver and bring them up out of the midst of their slavery, bondage and oppression was indeed and was in fact their God. With that being said, it’s absolutely necessary that we recognize and understand that as surely as the Lord God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob was going to deliver them—that same God would now reveal Himself unto them and make Himself known unto them. I firmly believe that deliverance was only part of the divine plan and purpose of the living God, for even before deliverance would be manifested before the eyes of the children of Israel, they would first encounter the tremendous reality that the living God had spoken unto Moses in the wilderness, and that the living God had revealed Himself unto them. The children of Israel would experience the revelation of the living God in the midst of the land of Egypt through the judgments which would be executed upon the land, as the Lord God would first make Himself known unto them through the judgments He would execute upon Pharaoh, upon his servants, and upon the entire land of Egypt. When Moses appeared once more within the land of Egypt he did so with a divine revelation of the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Oh there is not a doubt in my mind that while the Lord would indeed deliver the children of Israel out of their slavery and out of their bondage within the land of Egypt, there was something even more necessary than simply delivering them out of their slavery, bondage and oppression. As you read the words which are found within these chapters you will encounter and come face to face with the fact that the living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob desired to reveal and make Himself known unto them. This reality is most certainly manifested and evidenced in the encounter and exchange between Moses and Aaron as it was there at the mountain of God and from the midst of the burning bush that the Lord God would not only reveal Himself as I AM THAT I AM, but also where He would declare unto Moses and instruct him to journey unto the children of Israel and declare unto them that “I AM” had sent him unto them to bring them up out of the land of Egypt.

It would be very easy to read the book of Exodus and to get caught up in the reality of deliverance as it is presented unto us in this Old Testament book of Exodus, however, I am convinced that there is something even more important than their deliverance out of the slavery and bondage of Egypt. Even more than this, I would dare say that there is something even more important than the salvation they experienced at the Red Sea when the Lord revealed and opened up the path beneath the waters and allowed them to pass through the waters while using the same waters to drown and destroy their enemies. If and as you read the words which are found within the Old Testament book of Exodus you will encounter something that I would dare say and suggest is more often than not overlooked. When you read of the narrative and encounter Moses had with the angel of the Lord in the midst of the burning bush in the wilderness you will find that not only was the LORD God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob speaking once more, but the LORD God was also revealing and making Himself known once more. As you read the words which are found in the third chapter of the Old Testament book of Exodus you will indeed find the living God speaking unto Moses, however, you will also find Him revealing Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Additionally, the living God would also reveal and make Himself known as THE I AM THAT I AM, which we will later learn was a name which He did not reveal, nor did He make known unto their fathers. Upon continuing to read the narrative and encounter of Moses and Aaron within the land of Egypt you will find the living God speaking unto Moses and declaring unto Him that He was the LORD, and that He appeared unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by His name, and by the name JEHOVAH was He not known unto and by them. It is a absolutely necessary and critical that we recognize and understand this reality, for while there is the obvious current and them of deliverance found within the book of Exodus, and while the name of the book itself speaks to the matter of deliverance and redemption, there was something much greater and something much stronger that is more often than not overlooked. I am firmly and completely convinced that we cannot, we dare not, and must not speak of deliverance without understanding and recognizing that at the very heart of the deliverance of the children of Israel is the revelation of the living God and His desire to make Himself known unto His people. What we find in the third chapter is the beginning of the revelation of the living God unto the children of Israel—and not merely the revelation of Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, but also by a name which He had not revealed or made known unto their fathers. It is in the sixth chapter we encounter and come face to face with the reality that unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob the living God made Himself known as God Almighty, but as JEHOVAH He reserved for the generation of those who would emerge from the slavery, bondage and oppression of the land of Egypt.

It’s in the context of the revelation of the living God unto the children of Israel that we come to the nineteenth chapter of the book, for everything that had been witnessed and experienced up until this moment has been all about revelation and all about the LORD God of the Hebrews making Himself known unto them. The LORD God of the Hebrews would make Himself known unto them through the judgments He would execute on Pharaoh, upon his princes, upon his rulers, upon his servants, and upon the land of Egypt while the children of Israel were still within the land. The LORD God of the Hebrews would continue to make Himself known unto them at the Red Sea as not only did He reveal and open up the path beneath the waters that they might pass through the midst of them and cross over to the other side, but He also used those same waters to drown and completely destroy their enemies which had come up from the land of Egypt to pursue and overtake them. What’s more, is that if you continue reading in the Old Testament book of Exodus you will find that the LORD God of the Hebrews would begin to reveal Himself as their provider, for when they came to the waters of MARAH they found them to be bitter and unable to be consumed. The LORD God would show Moses a tree, which when he cast the tree into the waters the waters became sweet to the taste, thus allowing the children of Israel to be able to drink from those waters. The Lord would lead the children of Israel through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and would eventually lead them to Elim where there were twelve wells and seventy palms trees—it would be there in Elim where the children of Israel would camp and undoubtedly obtain provision for themselves, for their households, and for their cattle and livestock. The Lord would continue to show Himself as their sole provider, for it would be in the wilderness the LORD would not only provide them bread from heaven, which would last the full forty years they wandered in the wilderness, but the Lord would also provide for them water from the midst of the rock at Horeb when He stood before Moses upon the rock as Moses struck the rock with his staff. Within the latter portion of the fifteenth chapter through the eighteenth chapter we find the LORD God of the Hebrews making Himself known unto them as their sole source of provision by causing bitter waters to be made sweet, by providing for them bread from heaven, and by providing them water from the midst of the rock at Horeb when He stood before them upon the rock. What’s more, is that we also find within these chapters that the living God would reveal and make Himself known unto them in the midst of battle and conflict as we find and discover that Amalek came out against the children of Israel and fought against them. It would be there in the midst of the wilderness the children of Israel would experience their first taste of conflict and battle—and not only would they experience their first taste of conflict and battle, but they would need to engage themselves in the battle and actually fight against the enemy which had come out against them. At the Red Sea the Lord fought for the children of Israel and caused their enemies to be drowned and destroyed in the depths of the sea, however, when it came to Amalek, the children of Israel led by Joshua would need to engage and fight the enemy themselves while the Lord would grant unto them victory.

As you approach the nineteenth chapter of the book of Exodus you will find the judgments which the Lord wrought upon and in the midst of the land of Egypt being three months in the past. You will find the salvation which the Lord wrought for the children of Israel at the Red Sea having been roughly one month in the past, and their continued journey into the wilderness. The children of Israel had already experienced bitter waters being made sweet, the children of Israel had experienced the provision of bread from heaven, and they had experienced the Lord providing for them water from the midst of the rock as Moses was instructed to strike the rock with the staff which was in his hand. Moreover, the children of Israel had experienced victory and triumph over an enemy which came out against them to overtake them in the wilderness—perhaps and undoubtedly because they had heard of the great wonders which the Lord their God had done for them in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea, or perhaps because the children of Israel had attempted to pass through their land. Perhaps Amalek simply desired to spoil and plunder the children of Israel, for this was the nature of Amalek—to spoil and plunder and take unto themselves possessions and goods, for we find this to be mentioned during the days of the judges of Israel in the Promised Land, as well as during the days of David and his mighty man during their days living and dwelling in Ziklag. At the Red Sea the Egyptians marched after and came up against the children of Israel to overtake them in the wilderness and to bring them back into bondage, slavery and oppression, while in the wilderness and in the wilderness of Sinai Amalek would come out against them—undoubtedly to take for themselves spoil and plunder from the children of Israel. On the one hand we find the enemy seeking to pursue and overtake the children of Israel to bring them back into bondage and oppression, while on the other hand we find the enemy coming out against them to plunder and spoil them by taking away their goods. There is not a doubt in my mind that Amalek would not only have taken spoils, goods and possessions from the children of Israel, but Amalek would have also taken their wives and children, for this is what took place generations later during the days of David and his mighty men when they lived and dwelt in the land of Ziklag which was in the land and territory of the Philistines. I firmly believe that what we find in the wilderness before the children of Israel would stand before the mountain of God as Amalek would come out against them was not only a decisive victory over a foe that would manifest itself in their lives for generations to come, but also the beginning of a war and conflict the LORD God of the Hebrews would have against the children of Amalek for generations to come. In fact, it would be during the days of Saul the first king of Israel when the Lord would finally and once and for all call for the complete and utter destruction of the children of Amalek as He declared that there should be nothing of them left within and upon the earth as the memory of them, as well as their name would be wiped off the face of the earth forever. It would be there in the midst of the wilderness the Lord would not only enter into covenant with the children of Israel, but also where the living God would enter into controversy with the children of Amalek for generations to come. THE DAYS OF COVENANT AND CONTROVERSY!

By the time you come to the nineteenth chapter of this Old Testament book you will find the children of Israel having been three months in the wilderness, and three days to the day from their deliverance from the slavery and bondage of the land of Egypt they would come into the wilderness of Sinai. It would be three months to the day from when the children of Israel came forth from the midst of the land of Egypt that they would come to the desert of Sinai and would pitch in the wilderness and camp before the mountain. Oh I can’t help but wonder what it was like as the children of Israel encamped before the mount there in the wilderness of Sinai not knowing what was about to take place in three days time. Within the nineteenth chapter we find and read how the children of Israel camped before the mount and how Moses went up unto God, and the Lord calling out unto Him out of the mountain. It would be when Moses came up unto God that He would call unto him out of the mountain and declaring unto Him that he would say unto the house of Jacob and the house of Israel how He saw what they did unto the Egyptians, and how He bore them on eagles’ wings, and brought them unto Himself. There at the mountain Moses would hear the voice of the Lord speaking unto him, as the Lord would declare that if the children of Israel would obey His voice, and keep His covenant, then they would be a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people, for the whole earth was His. What’s more, is the Lord would go on to declare unto Moses that if they obeyed His voice and kept His commandments they would be unto Him a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. Moses would indeed speak these words unto the children of Israel which the LORD God of the Hebrews had spoken unto him, and the children of Israel answered together and declared that all the Lord had spoken unto him they would do. After hearing the words and response of the children of Israel Moses would return the words of the people unto the Lord, and the Lord Himself responded to Moses by declaring that He would come unto them in a thick cloud, that the people might hear when He spoke to him, and believe him forever. By the time we come to the tenth verse of the nineteenth chapter we find the LORD God of the Hebrews preparing them for His arrival and His manifestation in the midst of the wilderness, and there at the mountain of God in the wilderness. Beginning with the tenth verse we find the living God instructing Moses to go unto the people and sanctify them that day and the next, and call them to wash their clothes and to be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord would come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. Furthermore, the Lord instructed Moses to set bounds unto the people round about, saying, “Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: there shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” It would be here at the mountain of God in the midst of the wilderness that the Lord would manifest Himself beyond judgments, and beyond the destruction of their enemies in the midst of the sea, and beyond the provision of bread from heaven.

THE MANIFESTATION BEYOND JUDGMENT! THE MANIFESTATION BEYOND THE DESTRUCTION OF ENEMIES! THE MANIFESTATION BEYOND THE PROVISION OF BREAD FROM HEAVEN! Oh, it is very easy to get caught up in the revelation of God through His judgments, and through His destroying those enemies which march against and come out against us in the midst of the wilderness. It’s very easy to get caught up in the revelation of God through the provision of bread from heaven, however, it is something else altogether to experience the manifestation of the presence of God in the wilderness at the mountain as He descends upon it in the midst of and with a thick cloud. As you read the words which are found in the nineteenth chapter beginning with the sixteenth verse you will find that it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet was exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. IT’S ALL LED UP TO THIS! EVERYTHING YOU’VE EXPERIENCED HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE! When you come to the seventeenth verse of this chapter you will find the main, the underlying and the ultimate reason for the deliverance of the children of Israel out of and from their slavery, bondage and oppression within the land of Egypt. If and as you begin reading with and from the seventeenth verse you will find that Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, and how the people stood at the nether part of the mount. Please don’t quickly rush past this, for while the book of Exodus is indeed about the deliverance of the children of Israel out of their slavery and bondage within the land of Egypt, and while the book of Exodus was about the salvation of the Lord at the Red Sea, and even about the provision of bread from heaven—the main and underlying reality of this book is the revelation of God, which was the ultimate reason the Lord their God brought them forth out of their slavery, bondage and oppression. In all reality, I would dare say that bringing them into the land of Canaan which the Lord swore unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was only a partial reality of why the Lord delivered them from the midst of their slavery, bondage and affliction, for the Lord desired and sought to bring them unto Himself and unto the mountain of God in the wilderness, for it would be there He would reveal Himself unto them as He spoke unto Moses. The LORD God of the Hebrews brought them forth from the midst of their slavery and bondage in the land of Egypt to bring them unto the mountain of God, for it would be there at the mountain where He would make Himself known—beyond the judgements in Egypt, beyond the salvation at the Red Sea, and beyond the provision of bread from heaven. Oh that we would completely and totally recognize and understand this, for it is without a doubt necessary and imperative that we recognize and understand that the Lord our God desires to be known beyond His judgments, beyond His mighty power and stretched forth hand, and beyond the provision He releases in our lives. If your relationship with the living God centers only on His judgments, only on His provision, and only on His power and not who He is as our God then we have an incredibly shallow relationship with and understanding of the living God.

The nineteenth chapter of the book of Exodus concludes with mount Sinai being altogether on a smoke because the Lord had descend upon it in fire, and with the smoke coming forth from the mountain being as the smoke of a furnace. Moreover, the whole mountain quaked greatly, and when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered Him by a voice. What’s more, is that Moses writes and records how the Lord came down upon mount Sinai on the top of the mount, and how the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount. Please pay close and careful attention to this, for not only did Moses bring forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, but so also the LORD came down upon mount Sinai. It is what we find here that brings us face to face with the Lord formally introducing Himself unto the children of Israel, for they would get an idea of who He was and what He was like in Egypt and at the Red Sea, but here at the mountain He would formally introduce Himself unto them, and would formally present Himself unto them as the Lord their God. The whole purpose and reason for the Lord coming down on top of the mountain, and the whole reason for the children of Israel being brought forth unto the mountain was in order that the Lord might reveal and manifest Himself unto them that they might truly know and understand who He was. With that being said, it’s important that you recognize and understand that what you find beginning to read with the first verse of the twentieth chapter is the Lord making Himself known unto the children of Israel beyond the judgments within the land of Egypt, and beyond the awesome display of power and might at the Red Sea. If you begin reading with and from the first verse of the twentieth chapter you will find the Lord declaring unto the children of Israel that He was the LORD their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. This was an awesome introduction and declaration from the living God, however, what we find in the verses which immediately follow is the revelation and manifestation of the Lord according to His nature and His character. It is in the twentieth chapter where we find what is commonly and widely known as “The Decalogue” or “Ten Commandments,” for it is in the opening verses of the twentieth chapter we find the LORD God of the Hebrews not only making Himself known according to His nature and His character, but also revealing and making Himself known through His commandments and His statutes. It is one thing to experience the living God through His mighty acts, through His awesome power, and through His salvation and deliverance, however, it is something else altogether to experience the living God according to His nature and character.

I feel the need to pause here and draw a comparison between coming unto Jesus and knowing Him as Savior and Redeemer, and the One who died on the cross for our sins, and the one through whom we find redemption and forgiveness of sins. It is something else altogether to come to Jesus and acknowledging Him as Lord, for there is something different with acknowledging Jesus beyond simply the Lamb of God, and that One who sacrificed His life upon the cross for our sins. In fact, if you come to the tenth chapter of the New Testament epistle which the apostle Paul wrote unto the Romans you will find the apostle declaring unto his audience and readers that if we confess with our mouth the “LORD” Jesus, and would believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead then we would be saved. Please don’t miss and lose sight of this tremendous and awesome reality, for what we find at the mountain of God in the wilderness of Sinai is not merely the LORD God of the Hebrews revealing Himself as their Redeemer and as the One who delivered them from the house of bondage and demonstrated His salvation at the Red Sea, but revealing Himself according to His nature and character as LORD. What we find within the twentieth chapter—in all reality from the twentieth chapter on within the Old Testament book of Exodus—is the introduction of the living God before and unto the children of Israel, as well as the revelation of Himself as their LORD. In fact, I invite you count how many times you find the word “LORD” mentioned in the book of Exodus thus far, for within the Old Testament book of Exodus you will find the living God revealing Himself unto the children of Israel as JEHOVAH and as THE I AM THAT I AM, but perhaps even more importantly than this is the revelation of the living God as LORD in the earth and as LORD in the midst of them. There is not a doubt in my mind that what we find in the twentieth chapter and beyond is not merely a revelation of the living God as the One who had delivered and brought them forth from the land of Egypt and from the house of bondage, but also according to His nature as LORD—the One who demanded and required of them holiness, righteousness, obedience, faithfulness, purity and surrender. When we think about and when we consider the Ten Commandments we must not merely look at and view them as demands and requirements given by the Lord, but we must look at and view them as the Lord instructing us how to please Him, how to walk in His ways, and what His character and nature is truly like. Oh there are countless men and women who have absolutely no problem knowing and understanding the living God as Redeemer and Savior, but when it comes to knowing Him as Lord many choose to forsake, abandon and reject this concept. It is with this in my mind that we must recognize and understand that when we come to the twentieth chapter we find the Lord introducing and revealing Himself unto the children of Israel—not according to His might and His power, but rather according to His nature, according to His character, and according to His holiness. It is what we find within these verses that brings us face to face with the revelation of the living God according to that which pleases Him and that which honors Him—far beyond the demonstration of His might, His power and His strength. Oh it’s incredibly easy to get caught up in experiencing the power and might of the living God without recognizing and understanding His nature and character and what He asks and requires of us. What we find within these verses is the Lord revealing Himself according to His nature and character, and the revelation of that which He asks of and asks from us. I leave you with the words which are found in the Decalogue and in the Ten Commandments, for it is through these commandments we encounter the revelation of the character and nature of the living God, that which He asks of and from us, and that which separates and sets us apart from the nations and peoples of the earth:

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thousand halt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep many commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor the daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, not thy cattle, nor thy stronger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:3-17).