That dark cloud is horrifying!
I don’t want to go near it!
I don’t want to go near it!
Just imagine it – you have been summoned to the foot of the mountain for a meeting. And not only you, but your entire community. You are all there – waiting. A barricade has been set up to prevent anyone from getting dangerously close to the mountain. Suddenly, the mountain starts to quake violently. You hear thunder and see lightning flashes. Smoke is billowing from the top of the mountain and the mountain is engulfed in a dark cloud. And if that isn’t intimidating enough, now there is the sound of a trumpet. But not just any trumpet – this trumpet is sounding louder and longer than anything you’ve ever heard before! That was the signal to draw near the mountain. But it’s all too frightening! You do not want to go near it.
A path through the sea.
But wait a minute, you remember that the One who summoned you here is the God of the universe. This is the same God who caused the sea to open and reveal a path through on dry ground. This is the same God who made the waters return and drown the enemy army that was chasing you. This is the same God who made bitter waters sweet. And of course there is the bread that appears every morning on the ground so that you are never hungry – and the quail that come in the evening. This is the same God who quenched your thirst with water from a rock! What a God!! He is the One who summoned you here.
He is also the same God who said you were His “special treasure”. He is the God who has cared for you in the desert for three months, and made sure your every need was met. He has given you protection from your enemies, and guided your way with a cloud by day and fire by night. This is the God who wants to meet with you. You have spent 3 days preparing for this special meeting. You have obeyed His commands and done everything He required of you, so there is no reason to be afraid, right? (Paraphrased from Exodus 14 -20)
They had obeyed the instructions.
That is the way it would seem to be. Yet, if you read the rest of the story in Exodus 19-20, you will see a very different reaction. When the Israelites saw the evidence of God having descended to the mountain, they were terrified. God told them that He was coming down to meet with them. He sent instructions through Moses for them to sanctify themselves and be ready. They were obedient and did everything according to His instructions. Yet, they are still terrified. They move away from the mountain and tell Moses that they do not want God to speak directly to them. They are afraid that if He does, they will die.
This is the same God who has just told them in chapter 19 that they are His “special treasure”. (vs. 5, NKJV) He had reminded them, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” That doesn’t sound like a God who wants to kill them. It sounds like a God who loves them dearly.
Do not fear!
Moses tells them in Exodus 20:20, “Do not fear for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” I cannot help but wonder what blessings the Israelites might have missed because they were afraid to draw near to the mountain where God was. Instead, they distanced themselves from His presence, and quickly fell prey to disbelief. In Numbers chapter 14, they had forsaken the Lord by refusing to believe His promises. God was so fed up with their sin of unbelief that He said to them, “I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.” Is it possible that a whole generation of Israelites might have been spared the 40 years of wondering and dying in the desert if they had not been afraid to go to the foot of the mountain?
Of course there is no way to know the answer to that question. But we do know that part of the reason God descended on that mountain with such a grand and glorious display of His power, was to keep the Israelites from sinning. (Ex. 20:20) Perhaps if they had not let fear control them, their faith might have been fortified and they could have been spared many of the hardships that their unbelief caused.
I have seen people set free!
Moses’ reaction was totally different. He was not afraid. Exodus 20:21, says, “The people stood afar off while Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.” I can honestly say that I have never seen a display of God’s mighty power unleashed like the Israelites saw in the desert. I have not seen a mountain billowing smoke and quaking, or heard the heavenly trumpet blast. I have not seen a dry path appear in the middle of a sea, and I have not seen water come from a rock. But I have seen people set free from a lifetime of hatred and unforgivingness by the power of that same God! I have seen drug addicts delivered by the omnipotent power of that Almighty God. I have seen evil hearts changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen bodies healed by the hand of this amazing God. I have seen impossible situations totally turned around by His miraculous intervention. And yet, sometimes it is still tempting to want to be afraid – to doubt His plan or His goodness.
We will all face dark clouds. We will all face circumstances and decisions that are unpleasant, or even horrifying. And we will all have times when the next step is completely hidden by the dark. But we can never let the things around us make us doubt that God is in control or that He is taking care of His “treasured possession”. Our God loves us dearly and when He allows challenges in our lives, He wants us to look to Him and not be afraid. Moses “drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” We, too, need to draw near to God’s presence and not be afraid. Your path may be covered in a dark cloud, but God is in the darkness waiting for you!
GUARD RAIL: Do not fear to go wherever God is leading.
The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:21