Just three months earlier, after God's twelve-month devastation of Egypt's Pantheon slapped Pharoah's face back and forth in nine plagues, in the tenth he stuck fingers in the king's eyes. THAT opened his mind to SEE—he perforce let Israel GO!
Then...three months later, and on the third day since God promised an appearance to Israel, the Hebrews awakened to an unaccustomed darkness. When they ventured outside their tents, a dreadful darkness confronted them, hovering over and descending on the 7300 foot elevation known as the Mountain of God, Sinai the barren—settling 100 to 200 feet above its base on the plain. Meteorological phenomenon never before experienced by them followed:
What did it mean when even the man who needed no deeper fear of God than Moses possessed shrank timorously when seeing God's use creation in such belligerent force at Sinai? At least this, for Moses and Israel: a difference exists in God's Unapproachable Majesty when it WORKS for us, and when it CONFRONTS us. We love miracles, being surprised and being impressed. But, like Simon Peter, when seeing Christ's Majesty, we plead, "GO away Lord, I am a sinful man, Luke 5:8." Israel watched in glee when God wrecked Egypt, but felt sudden fear when challenged to become God's chosen people. Then sheer pleasure at seeing God work for them quickly became discomfiture when demanding they WORK for him. In Egypt God showed Israel the privilege of being his. At Sinai he revealed the obligation privilege entailed. And much more than this blog can recite. Christians, take note, however. Let us keep ourselves in the privilege of belonging to Christ BY assuming the obligation of service the privilege imposes.
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