God’s Covenant with Moses

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After the glow of their exodus had worn off, the Israelites had to face some important questions:

-Who exactly is this God who rescued us and claimed us as His own?

-Where is He leading us and what are His intentions for us?

-What does it look like for us to live as the people of this God?

Exodus 19:2-6 ESV
They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, [3] while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: [4] 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

Here God defined Israel.

First of all, they were the people whom God had miraculously rescued from slavery. It would be impossible for God’s people to define themselves without making reference to God’s act of redemption in their exodus. But this was not all.

God had “brought them to Himself.” They were now God’s “treasured possession.” God was using this moment at Mount Sinai to identify Himself to His people and to tell them about their new identity. They could now rest in the security of being treasured and protected by God!

It was also here that God would set the terms for how their relationship would work.

Word Study: Holy

‘qadosh’ or ‘qodesh’

qadosh: sacred, holy
Original Word: קָדוֹשׁ
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: qadosh
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-doshe’)
Definition: sacred, holy – consecrated thing, dedicated thing, hallowed thing, holiness, most holy day, portion, thing, saint,

From qadash; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity — consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.

sources: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6918.htm and https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6944.htm

When the Lord calls Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, he is not referring exclusively to the role that Aaron and his sons will fill as priests (28:1) but also to what Israel’s life as a whole is to represent among the nations. By keeping the covenant (19:5), the people of Israel would continue both to set themselves apart from, and also to mediate the presence and blessing of the Lord to, the nations around them (see Gen. 12:3; Deut. 4:6; note on Isa. 61:5–7). When Peter applies these terms to the church (see 1 Pet. 2:5,9), he is explaining that the mixed body of Jewish and Gentile believers inherit the privileges of Israel, and he is calling the believers to persevere in faithfulness so that those around them “may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:12).

– ESV Stuby Bible, margin notes for Exodus 16:9

Holiness, as it relates to creatures, not only means being set apart – but being set apart ‘UNTO’ something. It is not isolationism, but rather, being designated for a special and specific function and purpose.

Additionally, how does this correlate with God telling Moses to take off his sandals when approaching the burning bush?

The covenant that God made with Moses built upon the covenant He made with Abraham.

Unlike the cove­nant with Abraham, the covenant with Moses included an extensive code of conduct.

In other words, it was conditional. Exodus 19:5 starts with ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant…’

These laws were legally binding on the people of Israel in the Old Testament. When we read the New Testament, however, Jesus explained that He fulfilled the Old Testament Law (Matt. 5:17), and it is no longer binding on us as Christians (Rom. 6:14, Gal. 5:18).

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Another thing we learn from the Law is that God has every right to dictate to His created beings how they must act. He can tell people what they can or cannot eat, what they can or cannot touch, etc. He determines what is morally right and has the freedom to set boundaries on our conduct.

This is an important lesson given the prevailing arrogance in our culture.

Instead, the Law was about maintaining a relationship with God. The Law solved the problem of how a holy God can bind Himself to a sinful people

God would always keep His promise to Abraham, but the promises He made at Mount Sinai to bless Israel were dependent on faithful obedience.

A priest has two responsibilities: to represent a holy God to sinful people, and to represent a sinful people to a holy God.

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As a kingdom of priests, Israel was meant to represent their God to the nations around them.
On the other side, God meant Israel to represent these nations to Himself

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They were meant to stand out, to be clearly different from other nations.
They were set apart for God’s purposes.

To answer this question, it might be a good idea to review the discussion on Covenant and Dispensational theological positions.