Exo 19:1-25 I Bore you on Eagles’ Wings and Brought you unto Myself

[Study Aired August 1, 2022]

Exo 19:1  In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 
Exo 19:2  For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 
Exo 19:3  And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 
Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 
Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 
Exo 19:6  And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 
Exo 19:7  And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 
Exo 19:8  And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 
Exo 19:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 
Exo 19:10  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 
Exo 19:11  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. 
Exo 19:12  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 the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 
Exo 19:13  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. 
Exo 19:14  And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 
Exo 19:15  And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 
Exo 19:16  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. 
Exo 19:17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 
Exo 19:18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 
Exo 19:19  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 
Exo 19:20  And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 
Exo 19:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 
Exo 19:22  And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 
Exo 19:23  And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 
Exo 19:24  And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. 
Exo 19:25  So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them. 

Exodus chapter 19 is about the preparation needed to meet the Lord as the people of Israel encamped near Mount Sinai. Our walk in Christ here on this earth is exemplified by the journey taken by the people of Israel when they left Egypt. They experienced hunger at a certain point in their journey, and later they also were without water. These are all part of the process the Lord takes us through to become mature sons. This process of maturity through judgment is symbolized by three days. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Today’s study reveals what is required of us in order to meet the Lord. Internally, meeting the Lord means the Lord coming to us to judge us. This happens when we come to see that we are the beast!! That is when the Lord comes with His brightness to destroy the wicked one within us so that we learn righteousness.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Outwardly, meeting the Lord will occur when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. That is when the purchased possession shall be redeemed.

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Exo 19:1  In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 
Exo 19:2  For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

It was in the third month that the people of Israel reached Mount Sinai after departing from Egypt. The number three means the process of spiritual completion or maturity through judgment.  The coming of the people of Israel to Mount Sinai was for the express purpose of meeting the Lord. Thus, our spiritual perfection will occur when we meet the Lord at the turn of a new age. As our Lord is, so are we. The Lord Jesus Christ was perfected when He resurrected from the dead. The first resurrection will result in the perfection of the saints.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

Rev 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 

Inwardly, our meeting of the Lord at Mount Sinai is when He comes with His judgment to destroy the old man or the flesh.

Exo 19:3  And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 
Exo 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

It is when our eyes of understanding are enlightened, and our ears hear the words of the Lord, which is symbolized by Moses meeting the Lord on the mountain, that we begin to see how the Lord has been with us all along as He carried us on eagles’ wings to Himself. Eagles are very powerful birds that have great strength and are very caring parents. They protect their young with a high nest. Both parents bring food to the eaglets and teach them to fly. If an eaglet struggles in flight, a parent will swoop under the young bird and carry them, so they don’t fall.

Here in verse 4, the Lord compared His strength and power and His caring to that of an eagle. We may feel frail, powerless and not cared for in this life, but the good news is that our Lord’s strength and power is what is carrying us in this life to Himself – not ourselves. Are you weary? Are you weak and frail? Are you going through health or financial challenges that there is no end in sight? Receive the strength and power of the Lord in the name of Jesus!! May the Lord help you to lift up your eyes from your circumstances and look up to the hills, from whence comes your help!! He will bear you on eagles’ wings and bring you to Himself, Amen!

Psa 121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 
Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 
Psa 121:3  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 
Psa 121:4  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 
Isa 40:27  Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 
Isa 40:28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 
Isa 40:29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 
Isa 40:30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 
Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Who are those who wait upon the Lord? They are those who have come to realize that of themselves they can do nothing and therefore focus on the mercies of the Lord. They are the ones the Lord will carry on eagles’ wings. That is when we can run and not be weary, walk and not faint!!

Psa 123:2  Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 
Exo 19:6  And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Being called and chosen is what qualifies us to become a peculiar treasure of the Lord above all people. How do we know that we are His peculiar treasure? When our eyes see and our ears hear, then we are blessed to be part of His peculiar treasure. The tribulation we all go through is all part of the process of possessing the kingdom of God or becoming part of His peculiar treasure. Being His peculiar treasure is the same as being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Our obedience will have to be complete to possess the kingdom of God. This is not the work of man. It is the work of God, and we have confidence that He who has started with us, will see to its completion!!

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 
1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Exo 19:7  And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 
Exo 19:8  And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

When we start our walk with the Lord, we think we can obey the Lord by our own strength. This is all because of the false doctrine of us possessing our own will in our heavens. The Israelites also taught that to obey is within their means and so they unanimously told Moses that they will do all that the Lord commands. Let’s see what the Lord think about this assertion:

Deu 5:27  Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
Deu 5:28  And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
Deu 5:29  O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

As we can see, in the eyes of the Lord, we do not have what it takes to obey Him. Our hardened hearts must be softened by His judgments before we can obey His voice.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Psa 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Exo 19:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 

His coming to us in a thick cloud means Jesus coming to us is through His elect who are symbolized by the thick cloud of witnesses. In this dispensation, it is through us, His elect, that the Lord speaks to His people since we are Jesus whom the world is persecuting.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 

Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Exo 19:10  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Exo 19:11  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.

As we have indicated in previous studies, Moses represents Christ. It is the Lord who comes to us with the spirit of His mouth (His words) to sanctify us with His judgments. Sanctification means to be cleansed or purified. Jesus Christ is our sanctification.

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

The whole process of being sanctified takes a symbolic three days. The first two days indicated here in verse 10 as today and tomorrow refer to our sanctification through judgment while we live in this tent of flesh. The third day is when we are perfected as we meet Christ face to face just as the Israelites were being sanctified to meet Christ on Mount Sinai on the third day. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Washing our clothes in verse 10 is the same as making them white in the blood of the Lamb, which means being sanctified through Christ.

Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 

Rev 22:14  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

As indicated, it is on the third day that we shall be perfected as we meet the Lord. This is what Paul said about this:

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Exo 19:12  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 the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 
Exo 19:13  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. 

To understand why the Israelites were forbidden to go up the Mount and to touch the border of it except Moses, we need to know what the people of Israel represent and what Moses represents in these verses. On a negative note, the people of Israel represent Babylon, the mother of harlots. Moses on a positive note stands for the elect. It is the elect that have access to the Mountain of God or the presence of the Lord. Our brothers and sisters in Babylon are forbidden to go up the mountain of God or even to touch it. The reason they cannot come before the Lord or touch anything Holy is that they have been carried away by false doctrines, thus making them unable to eat at the altar.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

The attempt by our brothers and sisters in Babylon to come to the Lord, signified by the Israelites trying to come up the Mount, or touch it is met with death. This mountain of God represents the Lord’s dwelling which is our body. To come up the mountain or to touch the mountain is to touch us and therefore Christ who is the word. To Moses (the elect), the experience of meeting the Lord brings him to know the Lord through His words. To our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the experience of meeting the Lord (His words) brings darkness which brings them into spiritual death.

Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 
Exo 14:20  And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

Exo 19:14  And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 
Exo 19:15  And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

As we indicated earlier, Moses coming down to sanctify the people is Christ coming to us with His judgment to teach us righteousness as we wait for our perfection on the third day. In the twinkle of an eye, we shall be raised incorruptible from the dead. 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

In verse 15, we are told that as part of sanctification, the people of Israel must not come at their wives. This is another way of saying that if we are to be sanctified, then we must leave Babylon, symbolized by wives. In other words, we must have no union with Babylon.

1Co 6:16  What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 
1Co 6:17  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Pro 7:10  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. 

Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 

Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 

Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

Exo 19:16  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. 
Exo 19:17  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

Outwardly, the third day is when we redeem the purchased possession. That is when we shall be raised incorruptible.

1Co 15:42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 
1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Here is what Apostle John has to say about this:

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Inwardly, meeting the Lord is when He comes with His judgments to destroy all that is within us that resists Christ from establishing His kingdom within us. As we are aware, thunder and lightning are all indications of His judgment of our old man or the beast within.

Exo 19:18  And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 

Smoke is an indication of burning by fire. As the scriptures say, every man’s work shall be burnt. However, in this age, it is the elect that are being judged. All that is hay, stubble and wood shall be burned out of our lives when the Lord comes to us. As indicated, Mount Sinai represents figuratively the habitation of God which is our body. In order for Christ to come and live in His temple, it must be cleansed, and the smoke is an indication of the burning that is going on in our lives as we are being judged.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Exo 19:19  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 
Exo 19:20  And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 

When the Lord comes to us with His judgment, one significant result is that we end up hearing the voice of the Shepherd clearly as we come to understand more of the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This is what it means when the Israelites heard the voice of the trumpet sound louder and louder. As we are aware, the voice of the trumpet is the voice of Christ or His words.

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Outwardly, when we meet Him face to face we shall know Him fully.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Exo 19:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 
Exo 19:22  And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 
Exo 19:23  And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 
Exo 19:24  And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them. 
Exo 19:25  So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

As we have observed earlier, the camp of the Israelites represents Babylon while Moses and Aaron represent the elect. This is made clear when the word of the Lord in Hebrews compared the camp of Babylon to that of the general assembly of the firstborn as follows:

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
Heb 12:19  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 
Heb 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 
Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 
Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

We thank the Lord for delivering us from Babylon and bringing us to the church of the firstborn. May He grant us the grace to know Him more as we go through the fiery trials marked out for us. Amen!!