How does Exodus 19:15 emphasize the importance of preparation for meeting God? Setting the Scene at Sinai Moses has just delivered God’s instruction to Israel: in three days the Lord will descend on Mount Sinai. The moment will be so weighty that borders are set around the mountain, the people must wash their clothes, and even casual approach would mean death (Exodus 19:10-13). Verse 15 captures the climax of these preparations: “Then he said to the people, ‘Be ready for the third day; do not draw near a woman.’ ” (Exodus 19:15) “Be Ready”: The Call to Holiness • Readiness is not optional; it is commanded. God ties preparedness directly to His unveiled presence. • The command spans outward actions (washing garments) and inward attitude (reverent expectancy). • Other passages echo the link between holiness and encounter: • “Consecrate yourselves today… that He may bestow a blessing on you.” (Exodus 32:29) • “Pursue… holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) “Do Not Draw Near”: Specifics of Purity • The temporary abstention from marital intimacy is not a judgment on marriage but a symbol of single-minded focus (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:5). • Physical purity laws (Leviticus 15:16-18) foreshadow the deeper moral purity God desires (Psalm 24:3-4). • By limiting even legitimate pleasures, the text highlights the surpassing seriousness of meeting the Holy God. Transferable Principles for Us Today • God still deserves intentional preparation—setting aside distraction, confessing sin, ordering life around His holiness. • External actions (clean spaces, ordered schedules) should mirror an internal cleansing by the Word (John 15:3). • The greater the anticipated manifestation of God—whether corporate worship, personal study, or life’s decisive moments—the more deliberate our readiness should be (James 4:8). • Jesus fulfills Sinai by granting access through His blood (Hebrews 10:19-22); yet that very access intensifies, rather than lessens, the call to approach “with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28-29). Exodus 19:15 therefore underscores that encountering God is never casual. Preparation—body, mind, and spirit—is the fitting response to His majesty. |
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