Exodus 19:9, commentary and pictures

God promised to come to Moses in a thick cloud so the people themselves would hear Him speaking with Moses and would trust Moses as His authenticated spokesman and leader forever. This came after their deliverance from Egypt to Sinai, where Moses alone was called up into the cloud of God's presence to receive the condition of obeying His voice and keeping His covenant and the promise to be a peculiar treasure and a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, which the people pledged to do and Moses carried back to the Lord. By that pledge with upraised hand they entered a solemn perpetual covenant to accept God as ruler and obey all His commandments as His church and nation in peculiar relation to Him. The thick cloud veiled His glory so it would not destroy them while bringing them near His power and majesty to prepare them to receive His law in awful grandeur and preserve them from apostasy. What He then spoke to ancient Israel He speaks just as truly now, calling for reverent obedience to His commandments and for keeping holy His memorial of creation, the seventh-day Sabbath, and warning that as He punished the idolaters at Sinai so He will deal with those today who despise His Word.

Sinai Setting and Covenant

Israel had been delivered from Egypt by mighty power despite Pharaoh's opposition, in order to be brought to Sinai to hear and keep the law that had been given in Eden, with the promise that God would continue to guide them under the conditions stated in verse 5. Moses was called up alone into the mountain to meet God at the cloud marking His presence, where Israel was to be taken into close and peculiar relation to the Most High. There God gave Moses for the people the reminder of deliverance on eagles' wings, the condition of obeying His voice and keeping His covenant, and the promise to be a peculiar treasure above all people and a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Moses returned and repeated those words to the elders of Israel, and they answered that all the Lord had spoken they would do, and Moses carried their words back to the Lord. It was after that promise, made with upraised hand, that God answered with the promise to come to Moses in a thick cloud so the people would hear God speak with Moses and believe Moses forever. By that pledge the people entered a solemn covenant to accept God as ruler and obey all His commandments, becoming in a special sense His subjects under His government.

In that act they were incorporated as a church and a nation in close and peculiar relation to Him as His covenant people and denominated nation, and this public coming in the cloud so they could hear and trust Moses as His messenger accompanied and confirmed that commitment. The verse begins the preparation for God's descent on Mount Sinai, where His glory was revealed in a cloud and He gave Israel His law with promises connected to observing His commandments. For that proclamation in awe-inspiring grandeur the mountain and even its foot were made holy, and people and animals were forbidden to approach or touch its boundary.

The covenant made there between God and the people was to be perpetual, to be held sacred to a thousand generations. The divine speaker from the pillar of cloud was Christ, who later came to earth in human form as Jesus.

Hearing and Trusting Moses

God in grace promised to come to Moses in a thick cloud so that the people themselves would hear Him speaking with Moses. By letting them hear that converse He gave them evidence that Moses received instruction from God and confirmed him as His authenticated spokesman, messenger, appointed servant and visible leader. They were thus to believe and trust Moses forever and continually, relying on his instructions. This public honoring and confirmation showed them that He had put His Spirit upon Moses. It accompanied their pledge to obey and marked their identity as His nation and covenant people.

It was needed because Israel was inclined to murmur against Moses and Aaron whenever difficulties arose. They accused them of leading them out of Egypt to destroy them and repeatedly showed unbelief when tested. God would therefore publicly honor Moses before them to lead them to trust his instructions instead of blaming him.

The thick cloud veiled His glory so that it would not destroy the people while still allowing them to hear His voice. In this way He brought them near His power and majesty and prepared them to receive His sacred law and to recognize its sacredness. The verse thus begins the preparation for His descent on Mount Sinai, where the law would be proclaimed in awe-inspiring grandeur, the mountain and even its foot were made holy, and people and animals were forbidden to approach or touch its boundary. The covenant made there was to be perpetual, to be held sacred to a thousand generations. Its word about the seventh day is to be read before congregations instead of entering controversy with those determined to enact Sunday laws, exalting a plain Thus saith the Lord so that the burden falls on those who reject it and their controversy is with God and not with men.

That divine establishment of Moses before all Israel made their failure inexcusable when, while Moses was only forty days in the mount receiving the tables of stone, they demanded gods of Aaron and worshiped the golden calf. The promise had been given after they pledged, All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do, as part of the covenant promise conditioned on obedience to His commandments.

Reverence and Obedience Today

The speaking of the law in the hearing of all Israel was purposed to be a scene of awful grandeur in keeping with its exalted character, displaying divine authority. That grandeur was to impress that everything connected with divine service must be regarded with the greatest reverence, and to preserve the people from apostasy. The impressions of that scene were never forgotten by those who saw it.

The voice heard at Sinai is the highest source of instruction, and obedience to the commandments is the highest education. The instruction of Exodus 19 remains needed and is to be taught carefully to congregations, cherished as a remarkable manifestation of God in glory revealed in a cloud. Together with Exodus 20 it is of great importance and should be often repeated with its instruction sacredly observed.

The words then spoken to ancient Israel are spoken just as truly now. The instruction in Exodus and Deuteronomy connected with the proclamation of the law presses obedience to the commandments, diligent heed lest the things seen depart from the heart, and teaching them to sons and sons' sons. This centers especially on the day at Horeb when the covenant of the ten commandments written on two tables of stone was declared.

That obedience means standing on the Lord's side as the only true God who demands obedience to His Word. It requires keeping holy the memorial of creation, the seventh day which the Lord of heaven and earth appointed as a day of rest after working the work of creation in six days, and which He blessed and sanctified. His word about the seventh day is to be read before congregations, exalting a plain Thus saith the Lord instead of entering into controversy with those determined to enact Sunday laws, so that the burden of responsibility falls on those who reject it and their controversy is with God and not with men.

As the idolaters at Sinai were punished, so it will be dealt with those today who despise the Word of the Lord and refuse to humble their proud hearts. Those in positions of responsibility must not follow Aaron's weak and yielding example but stand firm for the principles of righteousness. The same divine speaker who gave Israel the law, including its command to show mercy and kindness, later came in human form as Jesus, and the priest and Levite's failure to help the wounded man violated that law.