Early in the third month of the first year of the Exodus (traditionally around the time of Pentecost), the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb), as we read in Exodus 19:1-2.
God had told Moses at the burning bush that they would reach this place. "...And this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain" (Ex 3:12).
God said this in response to Moses' concerns that he was not worthy for the job of leading Israel out of Egypt, and that the people were not likely to be willing to follow him. Readers have often asked how this sign would address these concerns.
Jewish teacher Sharon Rimon mentions several possible answers. One creative one proposes that God is telling Moses, "Just as I can appear to Israel at a rather ordinary mountain, so I can work with an obscure shepherd."
Another possibility is that when Moses tells the Israelites that they will be going to Sinai to worship God, they will understand that he does not want to bring them out of Egypt for his own personal gain. Instead, they will be going to Sinai at God's behest for a special calling.
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