Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

About seven weeks after leaving Egypt, the Israelites finally make it to the wilderness of

Sinai at the base of Mount Sinai. We've seen this mountain referred to earlier in scripture as the mountain of God and it's

probably also the same place as Mount Horrib. It seems to be one of God's favorite

places. Here God calls to Moses from out of the mountain and Moses passes his words along to the people.

These people who, as far as we can tell, seem to complain more than they praise,

promise to do everything God commands of them. We'll see.

God says he's going to meet the people at Mount Sinai, so they need to consecrate themselves.

This is the same thing he called them to do for the firstborns and it basically means set them apart and prepare

them to encounter God. It usually involves a bath and some clean clothes. And Moses also tells them to

abstain from sex during this time, not because women are evil, but because

things like seminal fluids and blood are symbols of life and death.

As far as their laws for cleanliness are concerned, to be depleted of either of those things

points to the depletion of life, which wasn't considered

an appropriate way to honor the presence of the giver of life.

When the people come to meet God, they cannot touch the mountain or they'll die.

And if someone does touch it, no one is allowed to touch that person.

That would mean the transfer of both the death sentence that person was carrying

and the transfer of the power of God. It's kind of like grabbing somebody who's being

electrocuted. God's power is not hypothetical. Being in contact with it has verifiable

dramatic effects. You may have noticed that he says they have to kill

anyone who touches the mountain. It doesn't say they'll die from touching it.

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