God's Covenant

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This is Day 16 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

When Moses and the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, God commanded Moses to consecrate the people. He then warned them that anyone who touched the mountain would be killed. On the morning of the third day there was great thunder and lightning around the mountain and the mountain was covered in smoke and a loud trumpet blast came from it. Moses spoke to God and was answered in thunder and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain. God told Moses to warn the people not to follow him up the mountain or they would see the glory of the Lord and die.

And God told the people that He was their God and they should worship only Him and not make graven images like the other nations did. And God told the people that they should never take His holy name in vain. He told them to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. He told them to honor their mother and father. He forbid them to murder, to commit adultery, to steal, or to bear false witness again their neighbors. And he warned them not to covet, either their neighbors possessions or his wife. And God gave Moses these commandments as well as laws concerning many other subjects.

And the Lord placed the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets and Moses took them down the mountain to the people, but when he got there he discovered that the people were worshiping a golden calf that Aaron had made at their request. Moses was so angry he threw the stone tablets down on the ground breaking them.

Moses went back to the Lord to beg his forgiveness on behalf of the people and to get two new tablets. When he did, he asked God if he could see Him, but God told Moses His glory would kill the man. But God did allow Moses to gaze upon His back. And standing in the presence of the Lord, Moses' face became so bright that he had to wear a veil so as not to blind the people who saw him.

God also instructed Moses to make an ark, but while Noah's ark carried people through the waters, this ark would carry the covenant God made with Moses as well as some manna (the bread from Heaven) and Aaron's staff. And it was called the Ark of the Covenant.

Then God gave Moses instructions on how to construct a tabernacle for Him and the garments for the priests and all of the other religious items that would be used in worship of the Lord. And when it was completed, a cloud descended upon the tabernacle and glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

And once God had established His covenant with the people, it was time to lead them into the Promised Land.

Next: Wandering in the Wilderness.

R.C. VanLandingham is a Catholic homeschool dad just trying to make it through this life and into the next! He has written a Christian children's fantasy series about a boy named Peter Puckett!