The Holiness and Majesty of God

Exodus 19:1-9, 16-20; 20:18-20

The morning after a big snowfall, and the ground is blanketed in many inches of snow, when you step outdoors, if it is a bright sunny morning, you often have to shield your eyes, as the bright whiteness of the snow is too much to initially look at.  It is the same with really bright light.  The bright, white light is too much to look at.  Pure white snow, pure white light, our eyes have a difficult time looking at them.  It is the same with the holiness of God.  Our sinful beings cannot look at the holiness of God, nor can we stand in His holy presence.  This is something that the Church today has often brushed aside, in favor of making God our “buddy” or our “pal”.  In our Scripture passage today we will look at a portion of Scripture where we see God’s holiness and majesty, and yet He wishes to make us His people.

Earlier in the Book of Exodus, the Lord God had brought the people of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand.  They had been slaves there for several generations.  God brought down plagues upon their captors, and then parted the Red Sea for their safe crossing out of bondage.  It is now approximately three months later, and they have arrived at the foot of Mt. Sinai.  Yahweh is preparing them to become His covenant nation, a people set apart to show other nations and people the way of the Lord, pointing them to Him.  It is here that He gives them His Law, not as a means of salvation, but as a revelation of His holiness and their calling.

As our Scripture opens in Exodus 19, the Lord calls Moses up the mountain.  There He gives him a message for the people.  He reminds Israel what He has already done for them - bearing them like an eagle on its wings (vs. 1-4).  He brought the people to Himself, redeeming them before He ever gave them the commandments.  Salvation is always by God’s grace.  Obedience follows redemption, it never precedes it.

Yahweh then offers Israel a unique identity (vs. 5-6).  If they will obey His Voice and follow His Word, He will make them His special possession.  They will be His special treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.  God repeated His Word through the Apostle Peter, stating that all those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s own special people (I Peter 2:9).  The people agreed to do all that God had said (vs. 7-9).  They may have been sincere, but this reveals human inability, as Israel will fail repeatedly, showing their need for a Savior.

As we continue on a little further in chapter 19, we see the terrifying holiness of Yahweh (vs. 16-20).  There was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud.  A trumpet sounded loudly, and the mountain began to violently shake.  Then the Lord descended upon the mountain, bringing fire and smoke.  This was not just something symbolic.  It was a literal, physical manifestation of God’s glory occurring.  This fearful display teaches us that Yahweh is a holy God.  He is unapproachable apart from His appointed Mediator.

Sinful people cannot just casually approach Him.  Some may say that this is just in the Old Testament, that things changed in the New Testament.  God’s holiness is not diminished in the New Testament.  We read in Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.”  God called Moses up the mountain.  He was able to approach, but not the people.  Moses was the people’s mediator at the time.  He foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ, our greater Mediator.

In the final portion of our Scripture we see that the people are trembling while observing this terrifying display of God’s majesty (vs. 20:18-20).  They beg Moses to speak instead of the direct Voice of God.  Their fear is real and justified.  God’s holiness exposes human sinfulness.

Moses tells them not to fear, as God has come to test them, to refine and teach them.  When we fear God, that fear should bring reverence, which leads to obedience.  It should not be a fear that leads us to run away from God.  There is a terror-type fear that drives people away, and a holy fear which causes reverence and draws people to obedience.  God wants us to have this second type of fear.

Besides just reading about the event that took place at the base of Mt. Sinai, we see in this Scripture passage the holiness of God.  God’s holiness is not abstract.  It is terrifyingly real.  Sin cannot stand in His presence.  We also see our need for a mediator.  Israel could not approach God directly.  Moses needed to stand between God and the people.  This points forward to Christ, the perfect Mediator (I Timothy 2:5).  It was at this time that the Law was given.  The Law reveals God’s character and exposes human sin.  It shows us the need for grace.  A right fear of God will produce obedience, and will guard us against deliberate sin.

Yahweh is still a holy God.  Our worship of Him should never be casual or flippant.  Just as Israel was redeemed before receiving the Law, as believers today, we are saved by grace before being called to obedience.  We cannot approach God on our own merit.  We must come to God through Christ alone.