Not Safe, But Good

NOT SAFE, BUT GOOD

In C.S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan is the rightful king and ruler of Narnia. He is both intolerably severe and irresistibly tender and not to be trifled with. All throughout the Narnia Chronicles we encounter a being who is wild and on the loose. He is not to be tied down, he cannot be controlled, manipulated, or bullied. He commands reverence and obedience. When the Pevensie children first hear about Aslan, they are unsure what to think. Should they be afraid? Susan asks, “Is he—quite safe?” I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” Mrs. Beaver responds, “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” Then Lucy asks, “Then he isn’t safe?” To which Mrs. Beaver responds, “Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

In our scripture today, found in Exodus 19:16-25, the Israelites are going to meet Yahweh close up for the first time. He had proven his love, care and concern for them as he heard their groanings in Egypt, bringing them out of slavery and bringing them salvation at the Red Sea. ​​ He has proven his provision, protection and his presence with them by guiding them in the wilderness by a pillar of fire and cloud, providing water, manna and quail and defeating the Amalekites in battle. Last week, Pastor Doug taught us about how the Lord brought the Israelites to Mt. Sinai. He called them a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The Lord then commanded Moses to prepare the Israelites to meet Him at the mountain. Moses consecrated the people for two consecutive days, having them wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations. They were to be ready to meet the Lord on the third day. Moses also put limits around the mountain and commanded the people to not go up the mountain or to even touch it or they would be put to death.

This is because Yahweh was not safe. He was not to be trifled with. He commanded reverence and obedience and awe and holiness from those in covenant with him. The Israelites could not meet him and worship him the way they were. They needed to be consecrated and made clean in order to meet with their holy God. But he commanded the Israelites to do this because he was good. He is Holy and Just and the Israelites were sinful, human beings. The two could not come together without dire consequences. So, the Lord, because he is good, commanded Moses to prepare the people to meet him in this way, because he is a Holy God.

As Pastor Doug also mentioned last week, we were made to worship God and it is a daily worship, not just a Sunday and or Wednesday thing. But unlike the Israelites we don’t not need to fear coming before him, because Jesus has paid the price for our sins and is now our perfect mediator. But we must have a “fear of the Lord” when we approach Him. We must come before him in reverence. We must come before Him in awe of who he is and what he has done for us. We must come before him in holiness, consecrated, with a clean heart. The question for each one of us this morning is “Do we come before the Lord, in daily worship, with reverence, awe and holiness?” I must admit that I don’t always do that, but I am striving for that each and every day and I hope you are too. I implore you this morning to think on that question and to search your hearts, minds and souls to see if your daily worship measures up to God’s standards. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God demands that His people approach Him in reverence, awe and holiness.

Let’s pray:

Our first point is “Storm” found in Exodus 19:16-19. This is what God’s Word says, “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.”

The people have been consecrated for the past two days. They have washed their clothes which was an outward preparation symbolizing an inward consecration that was required to meet with God at the mountain. They are now ready, and God shows up at the exact time he said he would. His terrifying presence coming down from heaven is announced in a number of ways. First, there was a storm of thunder and lightning. Second, there was a thick cloud that enveloped the mountain. Third, there was a very loud trumpet blast. Thunder, lightning and clouds are signs of the power and presence of God, signaling that a theophany was about to take place. Dunnam states that this “theophany was an emphatic appearance of God to Israel.” The presence of God was coming down from heaven to earth to meet with his people. The Lord had been guiding his people in the wilderness by a pillar of cloud and fire. Now a thick cloud covered the mountain shielding his “glory” from the people so they could not accidentally gaze upon Him. There was also a very loud trumpet blast. But it didn’t come from the camp, it came from heaven. This supernatural trumpet blast signaled that God was approaching them and that they could approach God at the foot of the mountain.

The effects of the thunder, lightning and the cloud, caused the people to tremble with fear. They trembled with fear but also with reverence and awe for what they saw before them. There were terrifying sights and loud sounds going on around them. Even though it’s probably sometime after dawn, the thunder, lightning and thick cloud amplified the effects of the storm and the intermittent darkness. We notice how scary the storm is because everyone trembled, even Moses. We see this in Hebrews 12:21 which says, “The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’” Moses was even afraid, and he had been in God’s presence before at the burning bush. When the trumpet sounded, signaling the people could approach, Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with Him and they stood at the foot of the mountain. They had already been warned not to even touch the mountain because it was holy. It was made holy because of God’s presence on it. They had been consecrated and had washed their clothes in preparation for this meeting with God. Their reverence, awe and holiness were the only way they could even hope to approach the Lord, but they still had to be careful to be obedient and not go onto the mountain.

The Lord descended on the mountain with smoke and fire. Smoke and fire are further signs of God’s presence. Fire represents God’s purity and magnifies that the presence of God is threatening and dangerous. The smoke billowed up from the mountain like smoke from a kiln furnace. The Hebrew “from a furnace” is used only one other time in the OT in Genesis 19:28, referring to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. DeYoung says, “They must have thought, “Who is this God of great judgment, power, might, and unrivaled strength? Is it safe to be here at the foot of this mountain?” It would not have been safe because Yahweh was not safe. Then the whole mountain itself trembled violently from the presence of the Lord upon it. The added effect of an earthquake meant that all the forces of nature had come to bear upon the mountain: lightning, thunder, darkness, smoke, fire, and earthquake. And then the sound of the supernatural trumpet grew louder and louder. All of the people’s senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch were being assaulted as they came into the presence of the of the Lord. This scene shows how important what was about to happen, the giving of the Ten Commandments, would be for Israel and all humanity.

Then the people were witnesses to something spectacular. Moses spoke with God and God spoke back to Moses. The Hebrew has the meaning of an ongoing conversation. The people seemed to have heard the words that were spoken but we the audience were not told what was said. This conversation served a couple purposes. First, this verified and vindicated Moses as God’s chosen leader of the Israelite people. In the wilderness the people had grumbled and complained against God’s chosen leader and now God is setting them straight. The journey is not over by a long shot, and they need to know that Moses is God’s chosen prophet. The second reason is related to the first. Back in Exodus 3:12, God told Moses that the sign to the people that he was sent by God was that they would worship God on this very mountain. God was gracious to Moses in that he not only fulfilled his promise to him from chapter three, but he verified and vindicated Moses’ position with God and the people.

Because they approached God in the correct way, in reverence, awe and holiness they were able to stand before him and witness his glory. (Big Idea). We must approach the Lord in the same way. We must approach the Lord in reverence, awe and holiness. But we can’t even begin to approach him in these ways if we don’t have a relationship with Him. If we haven’t accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we won’t revere Him or stand in awe of Him and we can’t be holy before him. We must first accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior which allows us to come into His presence. We must admit that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We must believe that Jesus died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin, was buried and rose again. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Lastly, we must confess Jesus as the Lord of our life. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” This brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card and it is for those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My next step is to Admit I am a sinner, believe that Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again and confess Jesus as Lord of my life.

Now even though we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we still can’t just rush into God’s presence willy-nilly and with reckless abandon. We must, like the Israelites, also prepare ourselves daily to be in His presence. We must approach the Lord in reverence, awe and holiness. We must have a healthy respect and fear of the Lord God Almighty. We must search our hearts for unconfessed sin and confess it before the Lord and then with a cleansed heart we can approach Him. We can do this because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and is our perfect mediator. That brings us to our second next step which is to Approach the Lord, daily, in reverence, awe and holiness. This is not just a Sunday and/or Wednesday thing. We are not to limit our reverence, awe and holiness to the Lord only when we come into the church building. We are called into a lifestyle of reverence, awe and holiness. The holiness of God demands that of us.

That brings us to our second point this morning, Sanctity, found in Exodus 19:20-25. This is what God’s Word says, “The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’” The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.”

After the people hear Moses and the Lord speaking, the Lord comes down to the top of Mt. Sinai and calls Moses to the top of the mountain to meet with him. We then get this seemingly weird interaction between Moses and the Lord. As soon as Moses gets up to the Lord, the Lord tells him to go back down and warn the people to not force their way up the mountain to see Him. And if they do they will perish. Even the priests who would be allowed to approach the Lord in normal circumstances had to consecrate themselves or the Lord would “break out” against them. Even they couldn’t take their sanctity for granted and that they were ready to be in the Lord’s presence. This again underlines the uniqueness of Moses’ role as God’s mediator with the Israelites. It gets stranger as Moses seems to disagree with the Lord about going back down to warn the people again. He reminds the Lord that he followed His earlier instructions. That safeguards and limits had already been set up around the mountain to keep the people from forcing their way through to see Him. Moses had put “sentries” around the base of the mountain who pretty much had “shoot to kill” orders if anyone tried to cross the boundary and touch the mountain. We see this earlier in 19:12-13. ​​ 

Notice God doesn’t rebuke Moses or even acknowledge that he said anything. He just told Moses to go down and bring Aaron back up with him but to warn the people and the priest to not force their way through to come up to the Lord. If they did, he would break out against them. This would be a different punishment than stoning or being shot by an arrow. The Lord himself would be the punisher of the person or priest who tried to force their way up the mountain to see him. There are a few things we can glean from this exchange. First, Moses is the only one who can approach God all the way up the mountain. Not even the priests can go up, again showing the privilege that Moses had as God’s mediator and leader. Second, Moses will not bring Aaron up right away. He will bring Aaron up with him the next time he meets with the Lord. Third, Moses and Aaron will receive the Ten Commandments with the people at the bottom of the mountain. Fourth, the Lord knew the Israelites better than Moses did. He knew what kind of people they were. He knew they were willful, stubborn, overconfident and arrogant. He knew that human nature might cause some of them to try and come up to see God if they thought they could. Maybe they felt that if Moses could go up the mountain then they could too. The Lord was all about teaching His people about Himself. This was just the beginning of teaching them about his holiness and their sinfulness and depravity. ​​ 

As we close out the chapter, we notice that Moses obeyed the Lord and went down and warned the people again. We should truly take this to heart because we are no different than the Israelites. We are willful, stubborn, overconfident and arrogant, as well. We complain and grumble against each other and against God too. God in his goodness sent Moses down to the people again because he didn’t want them to perish. God in his goodness, gave us his Word and his Son, Jesus, so we can know Him more and be obedient to his commands. We still need to be continually reminded which is part of why we come to church, go to Sunday school and listen to his Word preached. It is why we strive to be more like Jesus every day. In doing these things we are reminded of God’s holiness and what He requires and demands of us as his children, made in His image, and saved for his glory.

So, how should we respond to this narrative this morning? Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Our God is a consuming fire, so we must still be careful how we approach the Lord in worship. Acceptable worship must be in reverence and awe. But we do not need to be afraid to approach the Lord, as the Israelites were, because Jesus took the punishment for our sins. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Acceptable worship must be with obedience and holiness. We are commanded to stand in awe of the Lord, but we are also given access to Him. So, we come in awe, trembling in His presence because we are treading on holy ground. And we come with access, because we have been made righteous through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his shed bled. God loves us and cares for us and is concerned for us, so he calls us to himself as he called Moses into his presence. But again, we never want to take our access to God the Father lightly or flippantly.

Next Sunday, we will begin our study of the Ten Commandments and the Law given by God to the Israelites. He gave his law to them so they would know how to be holy and then be able to approach him in daily worship. He gave His law to them so that they would “know” who he was and what he expected of them as his chosen people. I challenge all of us to prepare ourselves this week to meet with the Holy God who gave the Ten Commandments. This week let us daily approach the Lord with reverence, awe and in holiness and prepare our hearts and minds to meet our Awesome God as we start to study the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are not about a bunch of rules, they are about God himself. He gave them to the people and to us so that they and we would come to “know” him more. That brings us to our third next step which is to Prepare my heart and mind to meet with the God who gave the Ten Commandments, so I can “know” Him more.  ​​​​ 

I am going to finish this morning with this description of God from the Westminster Confession of Faith, and I want you to dwell on the awesomeness of our God as I read it. “There is only one living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection. He is the purest spirit, invisible, with neither body, parts, nor passions. He is unchangeable, boundless, eternal, and incomprehensible. He is almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, and most absolute. He works all things according to the counsel of His own unchangeable and most righteous will, for His own glory. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He is also most just and terrifying in His judgments, hating all sin, and will by no means acquit the guilty. God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself.”

Our Holy God demands reverence, awe and holiness from us (Big Idea). He is not to be trifled with. He is not safe, but he is good.

As Gene and Roxey, come to lead us in a final song and as the ushers come to collect the tithes and offering. Let’s pray:

Introduction: www.summit.org; “Not Safe, But Good”, Ben Keiser, November 6, 2020