Exodus 19:16-25

Read Exodus 19:16-25

God would appear before Moses, Aaron, and all the people of Israel. The people would know that God had spoke with Moses. In my study Bible, these words are found as a commentary for verses 16-20:

"All the sights (lightnings and a thick cloud, v. 16 smoke and fire v. 18) and sounds (thunders and a very loud trumpet blast v 16, 19) signify the Lord's presence (v. 18); the experience was to be a continual reminder to Israel that the Lord had spoken to Moses (see v. 18-21)"

These would be things that the people would never of seen or heard to such an extent. God's greatest would be shown to the people,  and they would not be able to deny it. It is through something so spectatular that the people would not be able to forget the experience that God would permanently etch in their minds!

Notice the people's reaction. Exodus 19:16 tells us how all in the camp reacted: they trembled. In my app for the Storng's Concordance, it defines that word used to mean this: "to shudder with terror; hence to fear; also to hasten (with anxiety):- be (make afraid, be careful, discomfit, fray (away), quake, tremble." In Hebrews 12:21, it states that "the sight was so frightening that Moses said he shook with fear."

In short, the people would of been terrified. They would want to run away, and would be incredibly uncomfortable, scared, filled with panic and anxiety like never before. They would see the mighty glory of God at its best, and would not be able to stand it. It says a lot about visibly seeing God's great glory and our own human fragile state...But, where are we in recognizing who God is, His glory, and holiness?

In this place of shaking with fear, Moses would bring them out of the camp to meet God. In their fear, they would meet their maker, the Creator of the Heaven of Earth! The Lord descended from Heaven in fire. The mountain wrapped in smoke. The mountain itself even trembled at the glory of the Lord! There in the midst of God's HOLINESS, His glory, the people and mountain trembled, and had great fear of the Lord. It would be an unforgetable experience. The Lord would speak to Moses then and there. It is at this point that the Lord descended onto the mountain and invites Moses up to spend time with Him~ to be alone with Him.

We need to recognize God's holiness. This is what it comes to. So often, we fail to realize God's holiness, and we keep walking in the same direction, not turning from it. We need to recognize God's holiness, and the glory He owns. Scripture teaches us that God will not share His glory with another. He is our Creator, Redeemer, and so much more. We cannot neglect this holy aspect of God and who He is!

God knows our fears and the emotions we face. He still instructs us during those people. In this place, the people were trembling with fear in seeing and hearing the Lord~ The same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians. The fear they felt leaving Egypt was much greater now when in the presence of God!

The question to ask myself is this one: Am I realizing God's holiness? Am I allowing myself to bask and treasure God's holiness? Am I giving God the glory that is His? Or, am I trying to seek my own glory? I want to be more mindful of Him, His holiness, and give Him the glory that is His! It is not mine...I want to close with Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on this set of verses:

"Never was there such a sermon preached, before or since, as this which was preached to the church in the wilderness. It might be supposed that the terrors would have checked presumption and curiosity in the people; but the hard heart of an unawakened sinner can trifle with the most terrible threatenings and judgments. In drawing near to God, we must never forget his holiness and greatness, nor our own meanness and pollution. We cannot stand in judgment before him according to his righteous law. The convinced transgressor asks, What must I do to be saved? and he hears the voice, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. The Holy Ghost, who made the law to convince of sin, now takes of the things of Christ, and shows them to us. In the gospel we read, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Through him we are justified from all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses. But the Divine law is binding as a rule of life. The Son of God came down from heaven, and suffered poverty, shame, agony, and death, not only to redeem us from its curse, but to bind us more closely to keep its commands."