Author: Beth Duncan

Exodus 20:18 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 

Today’s reading has me thinking about intermediaries – those who stand in the middle and act as a bridge from one person to another. Biblical intermediaries include religious persons, devotional writers, even translators of the Word. If you are reading this, I am currently acting as an intermediary for you as I am giving my thoughts on His Word.

Exodus 20:19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

For me, it’s important to hear what others have to say about God and His word, what they think it means, their interpretations, and ideas. However, for me, it’s important that I spend time in His word, too, so that I can test other’s ideas against my own, against my idea of who God is, who Jesus is, what they mean and stand for, how They love me and others, what They are calling me to do in this life. 

Exodus 20:20 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.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that I can’t just rely on intermediaries when it comes to my relationship with You. I need to spend time with You, spend time in Your Word, read and write,  study and ponder. That is the only way that I can draw closer to You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 20:21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Reading commentary on scripture can be interesting. There is often a certain backhandedness when commentary talks about the way some religions interpret scripture. It isn’t difficult to ascertain that this commentary has a certain slant, a certain belief system that is definitely at play.

Exodus 20:8-9 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 

And that’s really difficult for me because I don’t think God works that way. He’s not elitist. He doesn’t play favorites. He’s not secretly laughing at folks who are trying their best to honor Him, nor is He busy constructing obstacles to keep out those who are not yet ready for relationship with Him. I feel like that is incredibly important to remember. 

Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 

Precious Savior, When I start to put up barriers or think I’m better than others because of how I worship You, help me to realize what I am doing, to kneel at Your feet, to refocus on You. You are the God of all creation, and I am Your deeply loved child, but You are not exclusionary. Help me to show Your love to all. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:22 Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”

As I read today’s verses, I am struck by how vastly different the Old Covenant is from the New Covenant, how incredibly different interaction with God in the Old Testament is from interaction with Jesus in the New. 

Exodus 19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”

With the birth of Jesus, everything changes. The old ways are gone, the distance, the separation. Jesus–Immanuel, God with us–walked among us. He was here on this earth. He interacted with the religious and the destitute, the healthy and the lame. Truly, it’s mind-blowing.

Exodus 19:24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for a glimpse into the relationship of You and Your Father. Thank You that You removed the distance between us and Him. Help me to sit at Your feet each morning, to draw closer to You each day, and through You, draw closer to the Father. Amen.

Exodus 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 

Today’s got me thinking about donning our “Sunday best” for the Lord. There is nothing inherently wrong with dressing up on Sunday to go to church. It is an expectation in many churches and an expectation I grew up with myself.  

Exodus 19:15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

I think the problem comes when I am dressing up to impress others or to flaunt my wealth or status or fashion sense or when I judge others based on how well (or not) they are dressed. Also, if I lose the belief that God will see me and love me exactly as I am regardless of what outfit I’ve picked out, I’m in trouble. I’ve moved from “trying to please God” to “the trappings of this world.” 

Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 

Precious Savior, In this world, we often get caught up in the trappings, the appearances. Thank You that You see all of us. Help us to approach You, always, with a humble and contrite heart. Help us to see others as You see them, not just because of what they wear. Help us to be more like You. Amen.

Exodus 19:17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

Commentary says of this section that humans need boundaries and that even those who didn’t want to submit to those boundaries “were to submit their feelings to obedience.” It made me think of a lesson I learned way later than was probably proper: God is bigger than my feelings. 

Exodus 19:10-11 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 

I feel everything to the extreme: Big joy, big despair, big anger. And I was taught to be meek before the Lord, not to show my true feelings as a sign of respect. I didn’t think God could handle my emotions. My anger would break Him, would cause Him to turn His back. But the truth is, God is bigger than every emotion I possess, and He loves me eternally. He is bigger than my feelings.

Exodus 19:12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that You are bigger than my feelings. Thank You that I can be my authentic self with you–happy, sad, angry, confused, and You can handle my every emotion. Thank You for the reminder to feel my feelings, to submit them to You, and to trust You as the sovereign and loving God that You are. Amen.

Exodus 19:13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 

The NLT translation of verse 5 includes this gem: “…you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth…” How beautiful is the thought that, out of all the people on the earth, *I* am God’s own special treasure. And I am. And so are you. We are His beloved creations, and I love that.

Exodus 19:6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

But here’s what always trips me up. That person who is plucking my last nerve, that person who is doing everything that to me seems wrong in this world, that person who seems to have targeted me or those I love or those I believe in most….those people are God’s own special treasures, too. They may not be currently living as such, but God loves them just as fiercely, just as completely. He wants a close, loving relationship with them, too.

Exodus 19:7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the joy that comes from knowing that I am Your own special treasure. Help me when I balk that the same is true for those folks whom I don’t like, don’t care for, don’t understand. They are Yours just as surely as I am. Help me to know what to do with that. Helped me to love like You do. Always. Amen.

Exodus 19:8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

Have a blessed day.