So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.
Living in North America, I have had the
pleasure of watching some incredible firework displays. But as I read this passage of Scripture, I
realize that even though millions of dollars were spent to put these shows on,
they pale in comparison to what God did on Mount Sinai.
The event begins as the right time had
elapsed and morning had come. The two
day waiting period in which the Children of Israel were to consecrate and
prepare themselves to hear God when He came down on Sinai were over. The big day had arrived. Showtime.
The text says there was thunder and
lightning flashes. I remember my
experience recently at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on New Year’s Eve when the
sky was lit up like a Christmas tree. I
believe it was nothing compared to what was going on here, since the “whole
mountain shook violently”. Can you
imagine thunder and lightening that effective?
David Guzik says these were meant to signal the power and glory of God’s
presence.
And then there was the “thick cloud” upon
the mountain just as God had promised (verse 9 of this same chapter). God was in that cloud. That must have been quite a sight. Here is a mountain out in the desert and on
it, and it alone, was this thick cloud.
Possibly there was sunshine all around the mountain, but not on it.
And then a very loud trumpet sound was
heard. There are differences of opinion as
to its source. Some think it came from
heaven and not the camp. Others believe
it was a sound blown from a trumpet played by angels. If either possibility is true, it is no
wonder the people trembled. They had
never heard anything like this before.
It is also possible that this was a sound from the priests of Israel as
orchestrated by Moses or as was their custom on such impassioned religious
occasions. But regardless of its source,
we note that God had (in verse 13) told Moses that this would be one of the
signals for the people to approach the mountain.
Capture in your imagination the
scene. At the appointed time, there was
thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, and now the awaited blast from a trumpet or
ram’s horn. Was there really anything
left for the people to do but to tremble as they realized what was about to
happen? And tremble they did. The text says “all the people” in the camp trembled.
So Moses calls them all to come out from
the camp and “meet God”. I am sure they
moved forward with great fear of not knowing what to expect, like children who really
wish to get closer to the activity taking place before them at some amazing
exhibit they have never seen before, but at the same time wanting to cling onto
and hide behind their mother or mother because all this was new to them. Can you imagine the experience the children
of Israel were having? And given what
did occur next as we find out in the passages still to come, is it not
surprising that it would not be long before they would forget it? Many of us do exactly the same thing
today. We forget the time that God was
so real to us. We forget His mighty show
of presence in our own lives. When there
is no thunder, no lightning, and no mountain shaking to be seen, we think God
is nowhere to be found and does not care.
Oh, that we would remember that day when we were called to come out of
our camp.
So the children of Israel stood at the
foot of Sinai and waited. I am reminded
of going early to my seat at a concert or where someone famous was about to
make an important speech and just waiting for him or her to appear on the stage. The more unique the event we were about to
experience, the more that those with me and I talked about what we imagined we
were going to see. The Israelites could
see the thick cloud be overtaken by smoke because God had come down on Sinai in
fire. I wonder what they were saying to
each other as the excitement mounted.
The smoke from the fire went up “like
smoke from a furnace”. I picture a
vertical column of smoke shooting up, perhaps through the thick cloud, almost
like a volcano erupting and spewing its lava, and causing the whole mountain to
shake “violently”. Can you imagine the
scene before their eyes? Most of us have
very little to compare it to. The best I
can do is to reflect on my seeing the life performance of what the Disney
people bill as a “breathtaking
30-minute fireworks and water extravaganza” called Fantasmic. Those of you who have seen it will know what
I mean. But I assure you it does not
compare to what was happening on Mount Sinai.
While the Disney World audience got to see Mickey
Mouse emerge from the man-made display that took millions of dollars, thousands
of hours, and hundreds of people to produce, the children of Israel were about
to hear the voice of the living God in a solo performance – where He alone
designed, produced, and starred. What a
sight that must have been!
Then one could hear that trumpet sound
that was heard earlier get louder and louder – and as a result longer and
longer, just as God had said there would be.
And as if by cue, Moses spoke, the Scriptures tell us, and God answered
him with thunder. What possibly could
this servant have said to God at this point?
He knew what God had said would happen, but what does one say to God
right at this moment? “Okay, God, we’re
here. Show up please.” I doubt it.
Guzik hypotheses that Moses may have been asking God to stop everything
that was causing the people to tremble.
Matthew Henry indicates that some believe this is when Moses uttered the
words ascribed to him in Hebrews 12:21, “And so terrible was the
sight, that Moses said, “I am
full of fear and trembling.” Did
he say that directly to God? Perhaps
this was that time. It just blows
my mind thinking about how Moses must have felt at that very instant. How amazing is it to have such a relationship
with God that a whole nation could be brought to the point of hearing Him? Henry points out that here was a man who led
the people out of their bondage and was now leading them to receive the law
from God. What I see in that suggestion
is the very order in which we should do God’s work today. First, address the physical basic needs of
people; then provide them the opportunity to accept God’s solution to their
spiritual needs. For years, we
evangelicals have ignored that approach, often going only for the latter.
I cannot wait to ask Moses about that
day.
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