Ep. 34. Exodus 19-20 | Mt. Sinai and 10 Words
EPISODE 34
MT. SINAI AND TEN WORDS: EXODUS 19-20
Now, three months out of Egypt, the Hebrews are gathered around Mt. Sinai. God showed up in power. Thunder and lightning swallowed the mountain whole. The sound of trumpets echoed down from the top while the entire mountain, covered in smoke and fire, trembled and shook. It was an ominous sight. The people drew back in fear. They told Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."
God instructed Moses, "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.'" What a fearful prospect. If someone touched even the edge of the mountain, they were to be put to death. It always made me wonder, how do you know where a mountain begins? I mean, wouldn't you want to know where the mountain started so you wouldn't be guilty of drawing too near to God and thus be sentenced to death?
And there is the beautiful point of this story: under this first covenant, the people weren't allowed to draw near to God, but under the second, God graciously receives us into his presence. We have got to quit thinking that we relate to God under the rules of the first covenant rather than the second. You and I have not come to a mountain ominously covered in smoke and fire. There is no instruction for us to stand at a distance lest we die. There is no inclination in our hearts to cry out, "Don't let God speak to us; let Moses speak instead." Instead, we have come to the heavenly Mount Zion. The living God welcomes us into his presence. We have no fear of death or punishment before him since perfect love has cast out our fear, and condemnation has been removed. We have been consecrated, anointed, declared holy, righteous, forgiven, and loved. We belong to the family of God. This is another picture of the contrast between Law and Grace. For far too many years, I considered my approach to God to be more like Exodus 19 rather than coming before him in confidence. The very throne room of God is opened to us now. We don't have to stand at a distance and hide our faces from him. We don't have to stop up our ears at his voice for fear of reprisal. We are bought by Christ's blood and brought near to him through it. There is more to say in this section, but let's just rest on this truth today. Let's take a deep breath, close our eyes, let loose a smile from our lips, and recognize that we are welcome here and now in the very presence of God. Our faith in the work of Jesus has brought us near.
ADDITIONAL READING: 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 12:18-24; Deteronomy 5; Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 4: 16-18; Romans 8:1
