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The Story of Redemption
hear His law spoken, not by angels, but by Himself. “And the Lord
said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the
third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of
all the people upon Mount Sinai.”
The people were required to refrain from worldly labor and care,
and to possess devotional thoughts. God required them also to wash
their clothes. He is no less particular now than He was then. He
is a God of order, and requires His people now upon the earth to
observe habits of strict cleanliness. And those who worship God
with unclean garments and persons do not come before Him in an
acceptable manner. He is not pleased with their lack of reverence
for Him, and He will not accept the service of filthy worshipers, for
they insult their Maker. The Creator of the heavens and of the earth
considered cleanliness of so much importance that He said, “And let
them wash their clothes.”
“And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying,
Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch
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the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put
to death: there shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be
stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live:
when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.”
This command was designed to impress the minds of this rebellious
people with a profound veneration for God, the author and authority
of their laws.
God’s Manifestation in Awful Grandeur
“And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there
were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount,
and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people
that was in the camp trembled.” The angelic host that attended the
divine Majesty summoned the people by a sound resembling that
of a trumpet, which waxed louder and louder until the whole earth
trembled.
“And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet
with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And Mount
Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon