Friday, April 12, 2013

God Is Holy - Exodus 19


QUESTION RECEIVED:
Why did God put such harsh limits on His people in Exodus 19 at Mount Sinai?

MY ANSWER:
Why did the Lord put harsh limits on the people?
Because the people did not know who and how He The Lord is.
-The King of His creation, who is holy, merciful, gracious yet serving justice

The people did not understand who or what they were.
-Created beings made from dust and lost in sin.

(Read Exodus 19.  The Lord placed limitations on where the people could go, what they could see and on their personal behavior- or they would die if they approached the presence of the Lord wrongly- as they were in an unholy state and The Lord is Holy.)

The problem was God called His people to be Holy and they are not.

Leviticus 20:26 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
26 Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

Mankind had sinned and lost the relationship with God.  God was and is Holy.
In the fall (When the first man Adam sinned) humanity could no longer approach God.  Humanity had to be redeemed from their sin to draw close to a Holy God.
Man would be destroyed if in his sinfulness approached the Holy.
God sent a Redeemer a Savior.
When sinful humans repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior who paid for their sins they are declared righteous before God.  They can therefore one day approach God in Heaven.

God was not being harsh to sinners here.
In Exodus 19 He was being merciful.  

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