Deuteronomy 5:23-33 NJKV 23 “So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 And you said: ‘Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. 25 Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.’
28 “Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’
32 “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
“For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?” (vs. 25-26).
The Israelites certainly understood the fear of the Lord. They considered Him a righteous, consuming God. How very sad that a majority of them never got to know the Gospel. There is an apologetics (defense of the faith) training device that helps to open up dialogue regarding God and it goes like this: “What good is it to know that there is God, unless He reveals Himself as being ‘for you’? Meaning, people can look around at all of creation and conclude, “Something grand or a great higher being created all of this, including humanity.” But the next conclusion would have to be “If it is such a great higher being, that can create, how do I know how it is disposed toward me? How do I know that it doesn’t want to destroy me? From the Law written within my heart I know myself to be a sinner, so, perhaps the great higher being is, indeed, going to consume me at any moment.”
Sounds, very much, like the Israelites, right? Well, here is how God reveals Himself to be ‘for you’ — by sending His Son to be the sufficient ransom payment for all of your sins! “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
If the Israelites would have had this beautiful Gospel news come to their remembrance (from the promise given at Genesis 3:15), they would have, rightly, confessed to their iniquity (and deserved damnation) — but, by the grace of God, they would have also called upon the mercy of the Lord through Him who was made the Mercy Seat to whom all can flee.
Let us pray: O Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself to be for us through the fully atoning merits of Christ Jesus. Amen.