King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, February 05, 2026
Chapters: Exodus 19-21
Message: Exodus: God Gives His Law
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of Exodus, it had been three months since the Israelites were freed from Egypt. God had led them to Mount Horeb, the very place He first met Moses, just as He told him. Now they stood on the far side of that same mountain, known as Mount Sinai. There, Moses went up the mountain and met with God.
[Exodus 19:2–6 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. 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; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 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: 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.]
God was preparing to establish a new law, one unlike anything they had ever known. It would govern not only the Israelites, but anyone who dwelt among them. If they obeyed this law, they would become His peculiar treasure above all people. The word peculiar means, exclusive property; that which belongs to a person in exclusion of others. Surely, every saved, born again Christian is a peculiar treasure to Jesus, not to mention a holy nation of priests. Yes, we are all priests, meaning ministers or servants, [I Peter 2:9-10 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: 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.]
How amazing is that! There are two grave misconceptions about God. The first is the belief that He is a tyrant who strikes a person down for the slightest misstep. The second is the notion that one may worship Him in any manner one chooses, so long as one claims to believe in Him. God is about to end both of those stereotypes. God was about to do something else that He had never done, show Himself to the people. Yet before God would reveal Himself to them, there were specific instructions they were required to follow.
[Exodus 19:8-10,12 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. 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. 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, 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:]
There is absolutely no one who can stand before God in His unveiled glory and live to tell about it, except Jesus Christ in His earthly flesh. No human being could endure such holiness unless he were sanctified—cleansed in spirit, body, and soul from the corrupting elements of the world, especially sin. Yet Jesus made that sanctification possible, [Hebrews 10:9-10 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.]
When Moses came down from the mountain and relayed God’s words to the people, they all agreed to the terms of the covenant. If we have accepted Christ as our Saviour with all our heart, then we will follow His commands faithfully, for His commandments are not grievous. In truth, they spare us from much needless suffering. Now it was the third day, and God called Moses up to the mountain first.
[Exodus 19:16-19 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. 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. 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. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.]
Those who hear God and recognize His voice are truly His peculiar treasure, for they are the only ones who can discern Him when He speaks. Though His voice goes out into all the world, to those who do not belong to Him it is nothing more than noise. Right away God notices something, some were tempted to touch the mountain.
[Exodus 19:21-24 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. 22 And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them. 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. 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.]
Why was it so important that they not touch the mountain anyway? And why would it bring instant death to anyone who even touched it by mistake? The command not to touch the mountain was about God revealing the absolute purity of His holiness. Mount Sinai had become the place where His presence descended, and anything unclean that came into direct contact with that holiness would be consumed instantly. The people were unclean, and still unprepared. To touch the mountain in that state would be like stepping into the heart of a blazing fire. Ignorance saves no one, [Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.]
God was teaching them reverence, boundaries, and the seriousness of approaching Him. He was also teaching them that access to Him must come through sanctification and through a mediator. At Sinai, that mediator was Moses. For us, that Mediator is Christ, [I Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;]
God had gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to both Egypt and Israel, showing who He is, what He is capable of, and why He had chosen Israel in the first place. He had endured their tendency to do whatever seemed right in their own eyes, but now the time had come to establish clear boundaries. It was time for His people to understand His holiness, His authority, and the covenant responsibilities that came with being chosen. That was when God spoke to the people the first ten commandments. The first four, written on the first table of stone are directed toward our walk with God.
[Exodus 20:2-6 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.]
While we are each responsible for our own sin, much of the affliction we face in life is connected to the sins of those who raised us, and many times they will live long enough to see it. Scripture even speaks of how some of these parents lived long enough to witness the consequences of their own sin reaching into the third and fourth generation. I saw this truth in my own family. Before my father passed away, he suffered greatly as he watched two of his sons fall into addiction, and one die before his time. Yet, by the grace of God, my father came to salvation before he died. In the end, that is what suffering is all about, [II Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.]
God’s purpose in giving His commands was never to save a soul. Salvation has always come by grace through faith. His commands were given to set His people apart, to mark them as distinct from the world, and to show that they truly were a peculiar people belonging to Him. Through their obedience, the nations would see the difference and be invited to become His people as well. The third commandment concerns the manner of our worship, requiring that it be offered with the utmost reverence and seriousness.
[Exodus 20:7-11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.]
God’s name is not to be taken lightly, spoken carelessly, or used in a way that diminishes His holiness. Our worship must reflect the weight of who He is, for His name represents His character, His authority, and His glory. As for the Sabbath, while God is to be served and honored daily, one day is to be set apart in a special way—dedicated wholly to His honor and spent in His service. Following God’s commandments has never been about maintaining our salvation. Rather, they teach us to fear God in a healthy, reverent way so that we do not bring unnecessary pain upon ourselves through the consequences of sin. The final six commandments focus on how we are to treat one another.
[Exodus 20:12-17 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.]
Perhaps one of the hardest things about being a Christian is watching those who are not faithful to God receive things we have worked so hard for, yet have not obtained. Over time, I have learned a valuable lesson about why God withholds certain things from us: some blessings would change us for the worse. What we see as a loss is often God’s protection. He knows what success, comfort, or abundance would do to our hearts, and in His mercy He keeps us from becoming someone we were never meant to be, [Psalms 73:2-3,16-17 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. 3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; 17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.]
Another reason God does not give us everything we desire is that He uses restraint to humble us, so that we might fear Him rightly and be prepared to receive what He intends to give. When the people saw the thunder and lightning upon the mountain, they were terrified. Their fear was so great that they begged that God would not speak to them directly. His presence exposed their frailty, their sinfulness, and their deep need for a mediator.
[Exodus 20:19-22,24 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.]
The fear of God teaches us that He truly does desire a one‑on‑one relationship with His people. Yet there are reasons why God sometimes does not respond to the prayers of those who are saved. First, a believer may be living in sin without repentance. Second, they may be asking for something that is not within His will for them. Third, their prayers may lack sincerity. If we desire God to hear us, we must not only have faith in what we ask of Him, but we must also ask according to His will for our lives, [I John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.]
When we first get saved, most of us are not yet familiar with the details of God’s Word. As we grow, we begin to discover that many things we once thought were acceptable are, in fact, sin. Yet this is part of how God proves us. Through obedience to His Word, we are shaped and refined, becoming more like Christ. By the way, to fear God means to honor, respect, and worship Him alone. Again, God’s commands are not grievous; they are given for a very good reason. Since God had seen firsthand what their fathers had already done, He found it necessary to address the issues at hand, beginning with their treatment of slaves and servants.
[Exodus 21:1-6 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. 2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.]
In a profound and sacred way, this is what Jesus does with us. We are not only His servants, we are His bride. The very moment we receive Him as our Saviour, His blood is applied to our soul, and we become His forever. His covenant with us is immediate, eternal, and unbreakable, for it is sealed not with ink or stone, but with His own blood, [II Corinthians 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.]
Since Israel had just come out of slavery and carried with them the complicated history of Jacob’s household with its wives and concubines, God found it necessary to give specific judgments for those who were not following the Ten Commandments. These additional laws addressed the very issues that had shaped their past. Although some of these regulations may seem unorthodox to us today, they served a vital purpose in that time. As you read them, you will begin to understand why God established these laws and how they protected His people from repeating the sins of their fathers.
[Exodus 21:7-11 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. 8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.]
This refers to a young girl who had been sold by her parents because of financial hardship. When she reached the proper age, she would become the man’s wife. Until then, she remained in her parents’ home. However, if when she came of age the man decided he did not want to marry her, she was to be redeemed—she could not be sold to a foreigner or treated as common property. God built these protections into the law to prevent the kind of injustice Joseph experienced when he was sold into slavery. This is actually in regards to when Joseph was sold as a slave and his strange situation can be relatable to Jesus actually, [I Corinthians 7:22-23 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.]
Some of God’s commandments may seem obscure or unusual to us, but each one had a very good reason behind it. These laws were not arbitrary; they revealed the seriousness with which God views human life and the sacred authority He established within the family. In a nation freshly delivered from slavery and shaped by generations of disorder, God was laying down the foundations of justice, respect, and accountability. God then goes on to give commandments concerning murder and the dishonoring of parents, both of which carried the penalty of instant death.
[Exodus 21:16-21 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. 18 And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: 19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. 20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.]
God even addresses what we might call “workers’ compensation.” Whatever laws man has created, God was already one step ahead of them. And He is far more merciful than we often realize. It is the fear of death, the fear of the consequences of sin, that ought to keep us from doing the things we should not be doing in the first place.
[Exodus 21:22-26 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.]
There comes a time in every person’s life when they must recognize that their actions do not affect only themselves; they affect everyone around them, including how they stand before God. Ignorance can only go so far. Whether saved or not, the day will come when every individual will be held accountable for what they have done. God’s patience is great, but His justice is certain, and He reminds us that our choices ripple far beyond the moment in which they are made. God, even had rules set for animals that killed or hurt a person.
[Exodus 21:28-30 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.]
If the sentence of death was reduced to a fine, with the consent of the family of the deceased, who in such a case were willing to show mercy and accept compensation instead of the offender’s life, it was understood that the death had resulted from carelessness or negligence, not from malice. These cases established principles of justice that were used then and still guide similar judgments today. Through these laws we are taught to be exceedingly careful that we do no wrong, whether directly or indirectly. And if we have done wrong, we must be willing to make it right, desiring that no one should suffer loss because of us.
[Romans 12:9-10,16-18 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You call on us to be separate, to be different from the world, and to them we are very peculiar, but You are okay with that because that is how You prefer us to be. In order for us to be Your peculiar people we need to obey Your commands, and if we love You we will obey them, and they will not be grievous to us. Jesus, You have cleansed me through Your death, burial, and resurrection, and I thank You and praise You for that. Lord, Lead me and guide me, ingrain Your commands in my heart, teach me, and give me the strength, power, and wisdom to follow them, not to keep my salvation, but to show everyone watching that I belong to You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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