The journey of the Israelites, led by their humble shepherd Moses, was full of twists and turns. They had been delivered mightily from the oppressive hands of the Egyptians and were heading, guided by the mighty hand of Jehovah, towards a land promised to them. After three months of travel, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp before a mighty mountain.

One day, Moses ascended this mountain, and he encountered God who called unto him with a thunderous voice from out of the mountain. God spoke unto Moses, reminding him about how He had saved the Children of Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians and how He had carried them to safety, like an eagle carries its young ones. The Lord instructed Moses to tell the people that if they obeyed His voice and kept His covenant, they would be to Him a prized possession above all others, and they would form a holy nation and a kingdom of priests.

Obeying the voice of God, Moses descended the mountain and summoned the elders of Israel, imparting to them the message that God had given. When the people heard, they spoke with one voice and declared their willingness to do all that Jehovah had commanded. Moses returned to the Lord with the words of the people.

With an atmosphere heavy with anticipation, God spoke once again to Moses, instructing him to prepare the people for His coming. They were to sanctify themselves and cleanse their garments, and be ready for the third day when God Himself would descend upon Mount Sinai in full view of the people. But there was a stern warning: they must not approach the mountain or cross the boundary to it; anyone who did so would meet certain death.

Moses obeyed and led the people in sanctifying themselves and cleaning their clothes. He repeated God’s instructions to them, and they waited, hearts pounding, for the third morning.

The third day arrived with dread and expectation written across the morning sky. There were thunders and lightnings, and an exceedingly loud blast of a trumpet that made the people tremble in their camps. God descended upon Mount Sinai and called Moses up. The mountain was enveloped in smoke like that of a giant furnace, and it shook violently.

As the trumpet’s sound grew louder, Moses spoke while God answered him audibly. God then instructed Moses to warn the people not to break through to gaze at Him, lest they perish. God also gave stern warnings to the priests who were to come near Him to sanctify themselves, else they, too, might face His wrath.

At God’s command, Moses ascended and descended the mountain, delivering God’s messages. Amidst thunder and smoke, the divine and human met, establishing a covenant that would shape the destiny of a nation. Thus, in obedience to God’s command, they waited, prepared themselves, and bore witness to the manifest presence of Jehovah.