Lesson 8: Covenant at Sinai

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Chief

Chief

Chief of Sinners.
Lesson 8: Covenant at Sinai

Memory Text:
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:4-6, NKJV).

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Exodus 19:4-6 – God's promise to make Israel His "special treasure" and "kingdom of priests" if they obey His covenant.
Core Theme: The Sinai covenant reveals God’s desire for intimate relationship, with His law as the framework for holy living.

Key Insights by Day:​

  1. Sunday: At Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1–8)
    • Israel arrives at Sinai 2 months after Exodus; God declares His covenant:
      • Promise: "You shall be My special treasure... a holy nation" (v. 5–6).
      • Requirement: Obedience to God’s voice.
    • Purpose: To prepare Israel to reflect God’s character to surrounding nations.
  2. Monday: Preparing for the Gift (Exodus 19:9–25)
    • Consecration: Israelites wash garments (symbolic purity) and set boundaries around the mountain.
    • Divine Holiness: Thunder, smoke, and trumpet blasts signify God’s majesty.
    • The Decalogue: "Ten Words" (Exodus 20:1–17) reveal God’s character—later embodied in Christ (John 1:1–3).
  3. Tuesday: The Gift of the Decalogue (Exodus 20:1–17)
    • First Tablet (vv. 1–11): Love for God (worship, reverence, Sabbath).
    • Second Tablet (vv. 12–17): Love for others (family, life, marriage, property, truth, contentment).
    • Foundation: God’s deliverance (v. 2) precedes His commands; obedience flows from gratitude (John 14:15).
  4. Wednesday: Functions of God’s Law (Romans 7:12; James 1:23–25)
    • Fence: Protects from sin’s consequences.
    • Mirror: Reveals our need for Christ (Romans 7:7).
    • Signpost: Points to Jesus, the Lawgiver and Fulfiller (Matthew 5:17).
    • Outcome: Wisdom and life for obedient hearts (Deuteronomy 4:1–6).
  5. Thursday: The Law as Promise (Romans 10:4; 3:20–24)
    • Christ the "End" of the Law: Greek telos means "goal"—Jesus fulfills the law’s righteous requirements.
    • Law as Promise: Hebrew dabarim ("words") implies God’s covenantal pledge to shape us into His image.
    • Grace Emphasis: Salvation is by faith alone; the law guides redeemed living (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Final Thoughts (Friday):​

  • Covenant Love: God’s law is not a burden but a gift of love (1 John 5:3). Obedience is the response to His deliverance ("eagles’ wings," Exodus 19:4).
  • Christ-Centered: The Decalogue points to Jesus, who writes His law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). As Ellen White notes: "All His biddings are enablings" (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 333).
  • Call to Holiness: We are His "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), called to reflect His character through grace-empowered obedience.
"The law is God’s promise: ‘I will transform you into My holy treasure.’ At Sinai, love descended; at Calvary, Love ascended—sealing the covenant forever."
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Richard Davidson taught at one time God's original intention was to bring all the congregation up to the top of Mount Sinai, and he had a verse to "prove" it, but I cannot seem to find it. I am not seeing in the Bible where it said this. Does anybody know where it is found?
 
crystalrainfall said:
Richard Davidson taught at one time God's original intention was to bring all the congregation up to the top of Mount Sinai, and he had a verse to "prove" it, but I cannot seem to find it. I am not seeing in the Bible where it said this. Does anybody know where it is found?
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I am yet to come across the teachings of Richard Davidson. However, the nearest scriptures I could find that talk about establishment of God's temple in the mountain are as follows:
  • Isaiah 2:2-3 "In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
  • Micah 4:1-4 "But when all is said and done, GOD’s Temple on the mountain, Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains, towering above surrounding hills. People will stream to it and many nations set out for it, Saying, “Come, let’s climb GOD’s mountain. Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God. He will teach us how to live. We’ll know how to live God’s way.” True teaching will issue from Zion, GOD’s revelation from Jerusalem. He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations and settle disputes in faraway places. They’ll trade in their swords for shovels, their spears for rakes and hoes. Nations will quit fighting each other, quit learning how to kill one another. Each man will sit under his own shade tree, each woman in safety will tend her own garden. GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so, and he means what he says."
In Exodus 19, God speaks with Moses how He will meet the people and how they should prepare for the meeting. God reassures Moses that if the children would heed His voice, then they would become a nation of priests to Him. The consecration instruction points out that they were not to go up the mountain - anyone who would even touch the edge of it was to be put to death (vs 12). The wordings on the last part of vs 13 (When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain) would seem like an invitation to the mountain but there was a breach that was set for them not to cross.
 
Chief said:
I am yet to come across the teachings of Richard Davidson. However, the nearest scriptures I could find that talk about establishment of God's temple in the mountain are as follows:
  • Isaiah 2:2-3 "In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
  • Micah 4:1-4 "But when all is said and done, GOD’s Temple on the mountain, Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains, towering above surrounding hills. People will stream to it and many nations set out for it, Saying, “Come, let’s climb GOD’s mountain. Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God. He will teach us how to live. We’ll know how to live God’s way.” True teaching will issue from Zion, GOD’s revelation from Jerusalem. He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations and settle disputes in faraway places. They’ll trade in their swords for shovels, their spears for rakes and hoes. Nations will quit fighting each other, quit learning how to kill one another. Each man will sit under his own shade tree, each woman in safety will tend her own garden. GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so, and he means what he says."
In Exodus 19, God speaks with Moses how He will meet the people and how they should prepare for the meeting. God reassures Moses that if the children would heed His voice, then they would become a nation of priests to Him. The consecration instruction points out that they were not to go up the mountain - anyone who would even touch the edge of it was to be put to death (vs 12). The wordings on the last part of vs 13 (When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain) would seem like an invitation to the mountain but there was a breach that was set for them not to cross.
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Thank you very much for your answer. Those are good answers. They are probably talking about the final kingdom of God.
You are right about Exodus 19. I was able to find the answer, which is in Exodus 19:12. "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death."
You can probably see the word "not" is added. I disagree with professor Davidson, though. I read the context, and it is clearly saying not to go up ever. I think a better translation would have been, "see that you be careful about going up the mountain" - in other words, DON'T go up.
Logically speaking, Moses represented Christ, and therefore, he was acting as the high priest who goes behind the veil. Even Joshua and his other companions were not allowed to go inside "the veil."
We do not have to worry about going to the Father anymore, because "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51) when Jesus died. Also, "We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." (Hebrews 8:1,2).
Jesus is the bridge between earth and heaven, which was revealed to Jacob in a dream, "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." (Genesis 28:12).
I read before and after the key verse in Exodus 19:12, and from the context it is clear he was not suggesting they were all going to go up in three days, which is what Richard Davidson teaches. I think Richard Davidson is an excellent preacher and teacher, definitely not heretical, but I do not agree with him on this particular point.
Thank you looking up to try to find the answer for me. I appreciate it.
 
crystalrainfall said:
Thank you very much for your answer. Those are good answers. They are probably talking about the final kingdom of God.
You are right about Exodus 19. I was able to find the answer, which is in Exodus 19:12. "You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death."
You can probably see the word "not" is added. I disagree with professor Davidson, though. I read the context, and it is clearly saying not to go up ever. I think a better translation would have been, "see that you be careful about going up the mountain" - in other words, DON'T go up.
Logically speaking, Moses represented Christ, and therefore, he was acting as the high priest who goes behind the veil. Even Joshua and his other companions were not allowed to go inside "the veil."
We do not have to worry about going to the Father anymore, because "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51) when Jesus died. Also, "We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." (Hebrews 8:1,2).
Jesus is the bridge between earth and heaven, which was revealed to Jacob in a dream, "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." (Genesis 28:12).
I read before and after the key verse in Exodus 19:12, and from the context it is clear he was not suggesting they were all going to go up in three days, which is what Richard Davidson teaches. I think Richard Davidson is an excellent preacher and teacher, definitely not heretical, but I do not agree with him on this particular point.
Thank you looking up to try to find the answer for me. I appreciate it.
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You have illustrated it more eloquently than I ever could.
 
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