What is the setting of Exodus 19?
Exodus 19 is set after Israel's deliverance from Egypt under Moses. The people have become a nation and are gathered around Mount Sinai. They have not yet received the Law or Ten Commandments. God is telling Moses what to tell the children of Israel about obeying His voice and keeping His covenant.
Les explains that in Exodus 19 the Israelites have just recently come out of Egypt under Moses and are now a nation of people. They are gathered around Mount Sinai, and in the next chapter they will receive the Law and the Ten Commandments, with all the other ramifications of the Law to follow. At this point, the Law has not yet been given, and God is telling Moses what to tell the children of Israel. Les notes the setting: they are out of Egypt and gathered around Mount Sinai. In Exodus 19:5, God says that if they will obey His voice indeed and keep His covenant, then they shall be a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people. Les emphasizes that God is setting Israel aside above all other nations as the chosen people, the favored nation, the covenant people, sovereignly designating this little nation for a unique role in His overall program for the whole human race. Les also points out that while God will deal with the Jew only for a time, He has not blanked out the Gentile, and the purpose is to prepare this favored nation to bring all other nations to a knowledge of Israel's God.