Exo. 20:18-2618And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 26Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. (Exodus 20:18‑26)
THE LAW is like God’s looking-glass. It often convinces men of their guilt. It showed the Apostle his guiltiness for he says, “I had not known sin but by the law.” And when he read, “Thou shalt not cot,” he saw that he was not only a sinner, but a helpless sinner. He could not stop coveting, for it was his nature to do so. He needed life which the law could not give; but he found life — a new life in Christ. Christ has died and we, as believers, are brought out of that place of condemnation altogether. We are now “in Christ,” in a position where we can serve Him in love.
The law is not the rule of life for the Christian; “For ye are not under the law, but under grace.” The Christian has died with Christ and lives unto God. Now Christ alone is the standard of his walk and conduct an infinitely higher standard than that of the law.
“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Such was the effect of the giving of the law. The people were filled with terror and stood afar off. The Word of God would teach us that sinners cannot stand in the presence of God.
“And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” v.19. This told out what they were, and what would become of their promised obedience. If God speaks with the sinner in his sins, he must die. For holiness and sin cannot exist together. The children of Israel declare that they were sinners in their guilt, and as such they were unable to listen to His voice.
Moses exhorted the people not to fear, saying that God was come to prove them and that His fear might be before their faces that they should not sin. God’s way was plainly marked for them in the ten commandments, and now it would be seen if they would walk in His way or not. God had drawn near to the people in the thick darkness; for Israel was before Him as a people in the flesh. But for the Christian it is not so. The veil is rent in the death of Jesus; and we walk in the light as He is in the light.
God was in the thick darkness and must remain so as long as He was on the ground of the law. But Moses could draw near to the thick darkness where God was, because He occupied the place of Mediator in the grace of God. He is a type of the “One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Only a sinner saved by grace,
Only a sinner saved by grace,
This is my story—to God be the glory—
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!
ML-01/18/1970