At the Mountain : Exodus 19 & 20

At the mountain, Israel discovered that God wanted far more than just a nation to 'sponsor' or bless. He wanted to treasure them, be accessible to them, be a Father to them and shape them in his own likeness. It is a deep and extensive work God wants to do in us and trust (faith) in him is at the heart of it.

Obedience is the proof of trust

After 3 months in the wilderness, Israel reached Mt Sinai and camped there. God spoke audibly to Moses from the mountain (3). God proposed an arrangement (a covenant) to bless Israel, on the condition that they trusted him (5). God would own and take care of Israel as long as they maintained faith in him. Faith is trust and the evidence of trust is willingness to do what the one you are trusting says. Trusting your dad is that when he said to jump off the boat into his arms, you believed he would save you from sinking, even though you couldn’t swim yet. So following the instructions of the one you trust is the evidence of your faith – you’re not claiming to earn his help because you are obeying his instructions. You are obeying his instructions because you trust him and you are expecting him to do for you what he promised.

A set of promises

God told Israel through Moses:

1. You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians. Be warned, Israel, because you have been witnesses to my judgement. You saw what I did to the mighty nation of Egypt when they opposed me – you know that I judge disobedience (4).

2. How I bore you on eagles' wings. Israel, you have experienced my miraculous deliverance out of Egypt like an eagle lifting up her young and carrying them out of danger (4).

3. And brought you to myself. You have experienced how reliable is my calling and my promise because I have brought you to the place where you could meet with me and worship me (4).

4. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant. Now, Israel, to participate in my blessings you must commit to obey my word and trust my commitment to you (5).

5. You shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. My commitment to you is that you shall be my treasured possession, ahead of all nations; and I have the right to choose you because I own everything (5).

6. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests. Israel, you will be like priests, having access to me at all times. I will make myself known to you (6).

7. And a holy nation. I will make you a holy nation, set apart for my blessings and set apart to share my holy character (6).

There is a very close match between this covenant and the one that Jesus Christ brought in (the New Covenant/Testament). 1 Cor 11.25: In the same way also Jesus took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” The gospel of Jesus Christ covers the same ground as the covenant at Mt. Sinai. Sinai foreshadowed what Christ would perfectly complete by his sacrifice for sin and his resurrection.

1. The gospel warns us of the danger of resisting God - by pointing out his judgements against rebellious sinners. (When the Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement Jn 16.8)

2. The gospel points out the evidence of God’s patient kindness towards us and his many acts of deliverance of us while we were still sinners – giving us time to come to repentance. (Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Rom 2.4)

3. The gospel shows God’s persistence in bringing us to a definite point in our lives where we face up to him. (The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3.9. Today if you hear his voice do not harden your heart. Look, now is the favourable time. Right now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6.) God not only redeems us (brings us out of slavery) but he also adopts us (takes us in as his own children). Galatians 4.10: to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

4. The gospel reminds us that obedient faith is the only way we can share in God’s blessings. (And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11.6)

5. The gospel reveals to us that God will take us as his own children; to be separated from the kingdom of darkness and transferred safely into his kingdom of light. (God has delivered us from the rule of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of is beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1.13,14)

6. The gospel gives us open access to God and close relationship with him through the Holy Spirit. (Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. Heb 4.16)

7. The gospel assures us that we will become holy as God is holy. (As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’. 1 Peter 1.16)

Looking beyond blessings

The highest value of God’s arrangement with Israel was not the protection from enemies, not the assurance of food supplies, not the promise of long peaceful lives or even the occupation of the most beautiful and productive land on earth. The highest value of this arrangement was to be in safe relationship with God! The pinnacle of the blessing (the blessing that all the other blessings served) was to know God and become like him in character! And this is where Israel would fall down. All of them, except those who responded by faith, had their eyes on the blessings that would allow them space to follow their own interests; God himself was not their highest treasure.

Forgiveness is wonderful. Deliverance from our enemies is something to celebrate. Overcoming temptation is a release. Having daily provisions is a relief. The anticipation of eternal life is exciting. But, as good as each of even these blessings is, they are just part of the chorus that sings praise to the Blessing Par Excellence: Christ! The person overwhelmed by guilty feelings or by a sense of extreme anxiety or weakness, may long to escape that pressure; but that relief (good though it is) is meant to drop the scales of our blindness so we can see that Jesus Christ is Supreme. The gospel not only opens our eyes, it fills our vision with Jesus Christ. We see him everywhere; in all things, under all things, over all things, behind all things and through all things!

If I were an orphan, blind from birth and living in a squalid refugee camp, the sudden healing of my blindness would not improve my living conditions – it might even make me more distressed. But what if, as my blindness was healed and as the bandages were unwrapped from my eyes, I saw the face of the doctor who then embraced me and told me that from now on I was his son and he would be taking me out of this place to live with him? We need to see beyond blessings to the one who blesses – that is where the blessings are leading us.

Showing off God’s character in our lives

Moses reported the Lord’s words to the people and they gave their agreement to obey and trust God (8). God then instructed Moses to have the people clean themselves up and to stand reverently and quietly at the foot of the mountain so that they too could hear God’s voice directly as he announced his first commands to them. They had said YES to his covenant and now they were to receive the commandments that required their faith and obedience.

The mountain shook and the fire, smoke and lightning announcing God’s presence was felt and heard. A heavenly trumpet blast grew to a crescendo. These awesome sights and sounds sent a shiver through the people as they stood exposed and over-awed at the foot of the mountain. God called Moses alone up onto the mountain (20) where he was warned not to let any of the people set foot on the mountain itself. Moses went down to make sure that the people remained at the limits set for them. Then the voice of God began declaring his commands to this people who had committed to obey and trust him.

The 10 commandments are a summary of all the more detailed instructions for Israel’s worship of God and their national life that followed.

1. No other gods may be set up in competition with God – because he delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery and Israel exists only because God has declared his ownership and protection of them.

2. No images of anything may be made for inspiration or worship – because to do so is to challenge God who blesses the faithful and judges those who set up idols.

3. God’s name may never be used without recognising who he is – it may not be attached to anything or any project without actual dependence on him to work – it may not be used insincerely or without faith in him – because God will judge the person who uses his name in any shallow or empty manner.

4. The seventh day is a Sabbath – because God’s people must always remember that it is God’s power and blessing that provides for them.

5. Parents must be treated with respect – and in this way their society will endure and their lives will be long.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not tell lies to get advantage over others.

10. Do not be greedy for the things or lifestyle of others.

These commands show how God’s holiness must be reflected in the daily lives of his people. God is not interested in pretending that we are his children; he intends that we should demonstrate our family likeness by our actions. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then your daily life will reflect the character of your God! 1 John 3.10. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

On hearing these commands from the voice of God as they stood at the foot of the mountain, the response of the people was fear. They backed off (18) and begged Moses to act as their go-between with God. They felt that if they God continued to speak to them, they would die. It seems that the strength, truth, total holiness and conviction with which God spoke, caused them to feel that their own lives were draining away. Standing in the presence of one so substantial and so insistent made them too conscious of their mortality and shallowness. They were trembling uncontrollably and shrinking away from the foot of the mountain. This entire event sparked a fear of God that was intended to kindle a fear of sinning against him.

The people fell back but Moses drew near. The more of the world and its thinking that has room in our lives, the greater the distance we will want to maintain between ourselves and God – because we will sense the opposition between our preferences and HIS will. The more our eyes are opened up to the beauty of Christ’s holiness, his purpose, his vision, his zeal for righteousness – the closer we will want to be to him. That closeness is expressed in the way we open our minds up in readiness to be taught from his Word; the way we pray at all times about everything; the way we delight in doing everything in the name of Jesus Christ and living to a quality that pleases him; the way we eagerly discover how he is adding people to his church and growing the whole Body; and the way we worship him.

Running down the path of God’s commands

If we see the Bible and the 10 Commandments as instructions to be followed so as to attract God’s blessing - we have missed the point. The Scriptures, including these commands, are lighted pathways for us to run along. They are lit from the other end. They lead to Christ who is at the centre of everything God intends for his creation. Christ is the source of light. On these lit paths we have fellowship with him. (I am the way). It is not enough to recognise good teaching or value the Bible. We must follow those paths to the Light himself. This is the goal: We want to walk in the light, as he is in the light. We want to be in worshipful, loving, excited, mind-expanding, heart-satisfied relationship with Jesus Christ at all times.

Comparing two mountains

Jesus Christ has taken the Mt Sinai event to another level. The themes are the same for us, but the blessings are now more precise and the object of our faith (him!) is more clearly revealed.

Hebrews 12.18-29

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

The person writing to the Hebrew Christians (people who were in danger of growing lukewarm and drifting away from their faith) contrasts the two mountains: Sinai and God’s hill (Mt Zion - the New Jerusalem – God’s Kingdom). The same God was behind both and his pure, fiery righteousness is unchanged. But the advantage (and greater responsibility) we face since Christ came, is that the blood of Christ does not demand retribution on us sinners – it declares the availability of forgiveness to all who will trust and obey. Christ does not command us to stand back from the mountain. He beckons us to come close to himself. Which fool will take lightly Christ’s gracious appeal and risk facing a fire that burns up the shallow and disobedient? Who will ignore the Mediator who can make things right for us with God? (Unmediated holiness is consuming. Mediated holiness is comforting.)

Both Mt Sinai and Mt Zion (God’s hill) call us to face up to God, the judge of all, and receive his grace. His grace is received by faith. We stand in his grace; we are in secure relationship with God in his grace. Romans 5.1,2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.