Exodus 19:12, commentary and pictures

God ordered a boundary to be set around the people at Sinai forbidding anyone to climb the mountain or even touch its edge on pain of certain death without a hand touching the offender, with approach allowed only when the trumpet sounded long, because He was to descend in sight of all on the third day after they sanctified themselves and washed their clothes. The restriction was necessary because the very presence of a holy God who will not bear iniquity consecrated the mountain even to its foot, so that contact of sinful men with that burning glory would bring instant death. By filling the people with awe the boundary taught the solemn sacredness of God's presence and of the law He was about to proclaim in awful grandeur, impressing profound veneration for Him as author of the law and for everything connected with His service. The same requirement stands now, calling all who approach Him to be cleansed and sanctified in body, clothing, house, mind and heart by humiliation and prayer, with order and cleanliness honoring Him, and making His temple and Sabbath worship sacred and free from impurity and unholy commerce.

Setting and Command at Sinai

The boundary was to be set round about the people, charging them to take heed not to go up into the mount or touch its border, for whosoever touched the mount would surely be put to death. That penalty fell on man and beast alike, to be executed by stoning or shooting through with no hand touching the offender, and approach was allowed only when the trumpet sounded long. The place had been consecrated by His presence when the Lord came down upon it, so the mount was to be sanctified and guarded as holy ground. The command was given to impress profound veneration for God as author and authority of the laws about to be proclaimed.

It was spoken as the Lord was to come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai on the third day. The people were to sanctify themselves today and tomorrow, wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day, occupying the intervening time in solemn preparation. The priests who come near were likewise to sanctify themselves, lest they or the people break through to gaze and perish. Moses was charged to see the boundary in place and the mountain's sanctity respected before he and Aaron went upward.

The setting was soon after the encampment at Sinai, when Moses alone climbed the steep and rugged path to the cloud marking the divine presence. There Israel was taken into a close and peculiar relation to be incorporated as a church and a nation under divine government. The promise was that obeying the voice and keeping the covenant would make them a peculiar treasure above all people and a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Moses repeated this to the elders, and the people answered by pledging to do all that was spoken, thus entering a solemn covenant accepting Him as ruler and becoming in a special sense subjects of His authority.

In that setting God spoke aloud in the hearing of all the people His law that already existed rather than a new law. He came down upon Mount Sinai and manifested Himself in awful grandeur amid thunder, trumpet voice, fire, smoke, earthquake, and devouring glory, making a lasting impression on those who witnessed it. The scene greatly exalted Israel as depositaries of the law to hand it down, displaying the sacredness and importance of His law. His voice and commandments are the highest source of education, requiring obedience to all of them, and the law given there remains a binding instruction to preserve humanity from total apostasy.

The words spoken straight from the divine lips to Moses are to be studied for profit. They call God's people to come up to a higher standard, because otherwise idolatry in one shape or another will be in their midst and will cut them away from strength. The instruction of Exodus 19 and 20 is of great importance to be often repeated and sacredly observed, showing the Lord as the only true God who demands obedience to His Word. It calls those who would stand on His side, when every device is used to draw people from truth and righteousness, to keep holy the memorial of creation, the seventh day blessed and sanctified after six days of creation work.

Holiness and Reverence Taught

The mountain, even to its foot, was made holy because God's presence consecrated it, and wherever He manifests His presence that place is holy. A holy God who will not bear iniquity was in the mount, so Moses was commanded to set bounds round about the people and to sanctify the mount itself. The boundary warned all to take heed neither to go up into the mount nor to touch its border, with sure death for whosoever touched it, whether man or beast, by stoning or shooting through without a hand touching him. All the people were at the same time to be cleansed and sanctified for the presence of the Lord, sanctified today and tomorrow, washing their clothes and made ready against the third day when the Lord would come down in the sight of all the people, with approach allowed only when the trumpet sounded long. That reverence for a place made sacred by God stands in direct contrast to making the sacred temple dedicated to the Almighty a marketplace and a house of merchandise, for as His presence sanctified the mount so His presence made equally sacred the temple reared to His honor, whose precincts should be treated as sacred and not as a place for unholy commerce.

The boundary with the death penalty even for touching was designed to fill the people with awe and to teach the solemnity and sacredness of God's presence and of the law He was about to proclaim there in awe-inspiring grandeur in keeping with its exalted character. It was meant to impress rebellious Israel with profound veneration for God as author and authority of their laws, giving an exalted idea of God and His requirements and showing to all the sacredness and importance of the law. Everything connected with His service and with God Himself must be regarded with the greatest reverence, and the speaking of the law was therefore made a scene of awful grandeur. The restriction taught them to heed His instructions and to recognize that neither people nor animals could intrude upon the sacred precinct without facing instant death.

Because of their sinfulness Israel was forbidden to approach when God was about to descend to proclaim His law, lest they be consumed by the burning glory of His presence. Contact of sinful man with that divine presence would bring instant death, marking how deadly manifested divine power is to sinners even at the giving of the law. The terrors of Sinai were to represent to the people the scenes of the judgment, showing how terrible the tribunal must be when He comes for the execution of those sacred statutes. Those who have trampled upon His authority cannot endure His glory in the great day of final retribution.

Preparation and Worship Today

The bounds around the mount belonged with solemn preparation in the intervening time before the Lord came down in the sight of all the people to speak His law, with the people to sanctify themselves today and tomorrow, wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day. Person and clothing were to be freed from impurity and hearts cleansed from iniquity by humiliation, fasting and prayer, so that all the people were cleansed and sanctified for the presence of the Lord. The command to wash themselves and their clothing was enforced on pain of death, with instant death even for touching the mount, to show that impurity is not to be tolerated in God's presence. God is a God of order who wants order and cleanliness with His people and will have no impurity in clothing or about the persons of those who come before Him. He is honored or dishonored by carefulness in approaching Him through scrupulous neatness and purity, so that His work is seen as holy and sacred and free from uncleanness.

The same requirement stands now, for God requires no less cleanliness of His people now than He required of ancient Israel at Sinai. The ten commandments cannot live in the hearts of persons of disorderly, filthy habits, and the sacred law cannot be written on hearts that are not cleanly in person, in clothing, in houses, in bodies, in minds, in thoughts and in words, whatever their high profession. His people now must be as particular and careful as Israel was, and even more so, because they are preparing for translation to dwell immortal with holy angels and with a holy God. Neglect of cleanliness brings disease, and those who remain unclean and untidy after admonition after admonition bring His frown upon the camp and must be disfellowshipped by the church.

All who meet to worship God on the Sabbath should, if possible, wear a neat, well-fitting, comely suit distinct from the clothing worn through the week in labor. Wearing farm work clothes to the house of worship dishonors the Sabbath, God and His house, while scrupulous neatness and purity honor Him.

The same divine presence that consecrated the mount and made it holy makes sacred the temple reared to His honor, for wherever God manifests His presence the place is holy. Therefore the precincts of God's temple should be treated as sacred and sanctified, and not as a place for unholy commerce. This strict reverence and sanctification stands in direct contrast to making the sacred temple dedicated to the Almighty a marketplace and a house of merchandise.