The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”…When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:12,15-18
On Good Terms with God
Who is God? What is God like? Am I on good terms with God? These are natural questions that bubble up from the depths of the human soul.
God found a way to reveal himself to his people without overpowering them by the sheer magnitude of his sinless Self. On Mount Sinai, God introduced himself to his rescued people in a way they could endure, without unveiling his full glory: the LORD hid himself in a cloud.
From the cloud, the LORD spoke to Moses and set the terms of the relationship with his people. He had already committed himself to the role of Rescuer, Savior, Deliverer. He had brought his people out of Egypt, opened a dry path through the Red Sea for them, conquered the forces of Pharaoh for them. Now he gave them their role, spelled out in the commandments: obey, be faithful, love the LORD, love others.
Guess who lived up to their side of the agreement. Guess who didn't. The LORD remained faithful. The people sinned and broke his commands.
So do we. We cannot be on good terms with God if it depends on our faithful commandment-keeping. We would be confronted with God, the consuming fire. But being on good terms with God doesn't depend on us. He has promised that we are on good terms with him because of his Son. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
Remember how the glory of the LORD shone again in a cloud on a different mountain? This time, the LORD did not reveal himself through laws and commandments and the consuming fire of his holiness. He revealed himself through Jesus. He spoke, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him." (Matthew 17:5)
Through Jesus, God's Son, we see who God is. Through Jesus, who reveals God's grace, we know what God is like. Through Jesus, our Rescuer, Savior, Deliverer, we can have confident faith that we stand forever on good terms with God.
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I shudder at the consuming fire of your holiness. I confess that I have sinned and broken your commandments. But I trust that you will remain faithful to your promises and be gracious to me through Jesus Christ. I rejoice to be on good terms with you through faith. Amen.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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