The Holiness of God (Exodus 19:21)
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down and warn the people lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.
—Exodus 19:21
Reading Exodus 19:21, I am overwhelmed. That is why I want to begin here. There is so much in Exodus 19, but this verse in particular arrests me. God is speaking to Moses as he meets with his people at Mount Sinai. He has already made clear, “You cannot see me and live.” He invites Moses to come up the mountain, yet in verse 21 he says, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.”
Exodus 19:21 warns against irreverence before the Lord.
In his holiness, God cannot be approached casually. He is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12 refers back to this scene, describing how God’s people could not endure even approaching the mountain. The picture just before this verse is stunning: thunder and lightning, Mount Sinai wrapped in smoke because the Lord has descended on it in fire, and the sound of his voice like thunder. It is an awesome, majestic scene.
I imagine the vast multitude at the base of the mountain beholding this and trembling with fear. “We cannot go near.” And God commands, “Do not break through.” Exodus 19 confronts us with the terrifying holiness of God.
Then we consider what we are about to do even now. Through the blood of Jesus shed for our sins, we can enter the presence of God. We can behold the glory of God. We can commune with God.
What Moses experienced on that mountain was partial and mediated. What the people feared to approach, we have been invited to enter. At any time, on any day, in any place, we may draw near to God. This morning, as I spent time with him, I was struck by that reality: the God of the universe—the One who created all things and rules sovereignly over all—is the One with whom I am speaking.
He hears me. He speaks through his Word, works in my heart, bears my burdens. This is the God we are talking about. All who have trusted in Jesus know this communion. Do not lose sight of how astounding this privilege is—day by day, moment by moment.
Consider also the message we carry to the people around us and to the nations: “You can come to God. You can know God. You can enjoy God. And you can experience eternal life in God. But apart from Jesus, you will perish.”
A Prayer for the Tamboli People
Think of the Tamboli people in Bangladesh—approximately 230,000 who have not heard the good news of the gospel, that a way has been opened for them to know God. O God, we pray for the Tamboli people of Bangladesh. Please send someone to tell them the good news of how they can know you, enjoy you, and experience communion with you as we do.
I pray for every follower of Jesus listening right now: grant us fresh awe at the privilege of prayer. We draw near to you, and you draw near to us. Let us experience that nearness in fullness—what Moses longed for and what the people at the base of the mountain could scarcely imagine in Exodus 19:21.
Even now, we commune with you. You hear our prayers. You speak to our hearts through your Word. God, we praise you for communion with you. Jesus, we praise you for making this possible—through your death on the cross, covering our sins and opening the way into the presence of God. We praise you for the promise that this communion will one day be experienced in total fullness.
All glory be to your name, O God, for the privilege of being invited into your presence, to experience life with you. Help us to extend this invitation to others—where we work, where we live, to the Tamboli in Bangladesh, and to the ends of the earth.
We pray these things by the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus, with reverent awe before you. Amen.
