Readings for today: Exodus 19-21
I remember visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time. I stood on the south rim. I looked out over the vast expanse. My heart was struck by the sheer immensity of it all. I felt so small. So insignificant. The depth and breadth of the canyon was simply beyond my ability to comprehend. The beauty and splendor of it all was overwhelming. The forces involved in the shaping of this natural wonder over millions of years were simply awe-inspiring. Now imagine you are standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Imagine the summit of the mountain bursting forth into flame as God descends. Smoke like a furnace pours forth. Lightning flashes. Thunder shakes the very ground. Is it any wonder the people drew back in fear?
“All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid - they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we’ll listen, but don’t have God speak to us or we’ll die.” Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin.” The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick clouds where God was.” (Exodus 20:18-21 MSG)
We simply do not appreciate the enormous gulf that exists between God and us. He is wholly other. He is transcendent. He exists on a plane that is inaccessible to us. He is immortal, invisible, and eternal. He is as far from us as the East is from the West. He is above us and beyond us as the heavens are above and beyond the reach of earth. His purity cannot stand even the least amount of corruption. His holiness will not tolerate even the slightest of sins. He is light in whom there is no darkness at all. Not even the briefest of shadows. The only way we can meet this God is by undergoing an intense purification ritual. It’s why the people of Israel had to spend days washing their clothes and preparing their hearts to meet with Him. It’s why they had to protect themselves by posting boundaries around the mountain, lest someone accidentally stumble into God’s presence and be consumed. The threat of death was actually for their own protection, to communicate the seriousness of what was about to take place. Meeting with God is not for the faint of heart!
Now fast forward several thousand years. Listen to the words of the writer of Hebrews as he unpacks what Christ has done for us. “Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—“If an animal touches the Mountain, it’s as good as dead”—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified. No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace…Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (Hebrews 12:18-24, 28-29 MSG) Friends, Jesus has done what we could not do. He has bridged the gulf. He has spanned the gap. He has crossed the divide. When He hung on the cross, He held the heavens in one hand and the earth in His other. He laid hold of the East and joined it together with the West. He exchanged His righteousness and purity and holiness for our unrighteousness, impurity, and unholiness. He became sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. And it was this beautiful and glorious exchange that opened the way for us to enter into God’s presence unafraid.
As you gaze upon the cross of Christ, do you find your heart brimming over with thankfulness? Do you find yourself falling to your knees in worship? Do you find your soul responding in awe and wonder at all God has done? If this is not your experience, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and heart to the mystery of grace God offers you in the gospel of His Son.
Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 22-24