Exodus 19:9b-15

When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

To emphasize the importance of the covenant and what’s about to happen, Moses instructs the people to prepare themselves—even to the point of abstaining from sexual activity. They are going to learn that the Lord is not to be trifled with, but that he must be respected. The Lord is approachable, but He’s still holy.

I think we modern Christians sometimes make the mistake of losing a sense of reverence in our worship of God. Because we know Jesus, we have seen what the Lord is like and we know that He wants us to approach. But respect is not the same thing as standoffishness. What would it look like for you to prepare for Sunday worship in a deliberate and reverent way this week?