Old Testament Reading: Exodus 20:18-26

“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’” (Exodus 20:18–26, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 12:18–29

“For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:18–29, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

We have been considering the Ten Commandments for many weeks now. And in our prolonged consideration of the Ten Commandments, it is possible that some have forgotten the redemptive-historical and covenantal context in which these Ten Commandments were first given by God to Israel.

Do not forget the redemptive-historical context, brothers and sisters. After Adam fell into sin, and the whole human race with him, God promised to send a Savior, who would arise from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). In the course of time, one man was set apart through whom this redeemer would come, namely Abraham. God promised that he would have many offspring, that they would possess the land of Canaan, become a great nation, and be a blessing to all the nations of the earth ultimately through the Messiah who would come into the world through them. The children of Abraham would possess the land and become a great nation, only after suffering in bondage in Egypt for a time. All of this was foretold. 

Here I am reminding you that the Exodus story is a continuation of that story, which is found in the book of Genesis. At just the right time, God sent Moses to rescue Israel from Egyptian bondage and toward the promised land. The Ten Commandments were given to Israel by God after he had redeemed them. One thing we must remember is that Israel was redeemed to worship. They were redeemed to be God’s treasured possession on earth. They were redeemed to obey the Lord as God’s chosen people until the Messiah was brought into the world through them to bless all nations.   

Do not forget about the redemptive-historical context, brothers and sisters. And neither should you forget about the covenantal context. Here I am reminding you that when God spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel from Sinai, he was entering into a covenant with them. When God enters into covenants with man he establishes how the relationship between them will work. He sets the terms of the relationship. He announces the rewards for obedience, and the punishments for disobedience. As you know, God made a covenant with all humanity through Adam in the garden before sin entered the world. Adam broke that covenant, and humanity was plunged into sin and misery as a result. But God, by his grace, did also make a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. And here in Exodus 19-24 we see God transacting a covenant with Israel. This covenant – which is commonly called the Mosaic Covenant – is an outgrowth or development of the Abrahamic Covenant made earlier. Both are the result of God’s graciousness and his promise to provide a redeemer. Both are covenants of or works, substantially (men must keep these covenants – these covenants can be broken). And both the Abrahamic and the Mosaic Covenants carry within them the promise of the gospel concerning salvation for the nations through the seed of the women, which was first announced in the days of Adam after his fall into sin. All of this has been said to you before. Here I am simply reminding you of the covenantal context of the Ten Commandments. When God spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel from Sinai, he was entering into a covenant with them. 

Please allow me to give you an overview of how God made this covenant with Israel. The covenant was introduced in Exodus chapter 19 as Israel stood at the base of Sinai, and as Moses went up into the presence of God. The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:1-17 serve as the foundation for all of the other laws of this covenant. For this reason, they were spoken directly by God, and they were spoken first. After this, in Exodus 20:18-21, Moses is established as the mediator of this covenant. In 20:22-26 we find preliminary laws concerning worship. In 21:1-23:9 God gives preliminary laws for Israel as a society. In 23:10-19 we find laws concerning worship, especially as it pertains to festival days. In 23:20-33 God renews his promise to Israel concerning the conquest of Canaan. And finally, in chapter 24, the covenant, which we typically call the Mosaic Covenant, is confirmed. This whole section is like a wedding ceremony between God and Israel, therefore. In Exodus 20-24 we are witnessing the establishment of a covenantal relationship between YHWH and Israel. This is important to remember, for this covenantal relationship is the foundation for the rest of the Old Testament. If you wish to understand how Old Covenant Israel related to God, then you must know about the covenant that God made with them.   

Today we will be considering only Exodus 20:18-26. Here we see Israel’s reaction to the giving of the Ten Commandments by God from Sinai, and God’s gracious response to them. 

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Fear And Trembling

First of all, notice Israel’s response to the giving of the moral law of God at Sinai: they were afraid, they trembled, and they stood far off. Verse 18: “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off…” (Exodus 20:18, ESV).

This is to be expected, is it not? This is how sinful men and women respond when they encounter God, who is radiant in holiness and awesome in power. This is how sinful men and women respond when they are confronted with God’s moral law, and when they come to see their sin in the light of God’s purity. When sinful men and women encounter God – when they perceive his glory and hear the power of his voice – they are filled with fear and they tremble.

This reminds me of how Adam and Eve responded to the presence of God after they had rebelled against him. When God drew near to them in the garden after they ate of the forbidden tree, they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, ESV). They were afraid. This fear that Adam and Eve felt was not a part of their natural condition. Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve had reverence for God, but they were not afraid of him. Sin alienates man from God. When sinful men and women come into the presence of God Almighty, they tremble with fear and retreat. This is due to the awesome power and holiness of God contrasted with the smallness and sinfulness of man. We stand guilty before God (if not in Christ). We deserve to be judged by him. And who can possibly stand before the Almighty One, the Creator and Judge of heaven and earth?   

God revealed his glory to Israel as he spoke to them at Sinai. What did the people of Israel see? They saw a thick and dark cloud, lightning, fire, and smoke. Now, please do not misunderstand. God is a most pure spirit. He is not cloud, lighting, fire, or smoke. He manifested himself in this way to show forth his power and glory so that Israel might develop a proper fear of him. And what did Israel hear? They heard the sound of a trumpet (rams horn) which announced God’s presence. And they heard the voice of God, which was said to be like thunder. And what did God say? He spoke the Ten Commandments to them. He gave them the moral law. 

Now, why did the people of Israel tremble? Certainly, the sights and sounds of the glory of God at Sinai must have been overwhelming to them. But the writer of Hebrews helps us to see that there was something else going on here. In Hebrews 12:18ff we are reminded that when Israel stood before God at Mt Sinai they saw a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned’” (Hebrews 12:18–20, ESV). The writer to the Hebrews tells us why the people trembled: “they could not endure the order that was given.” That is why they trembled. 

To understand what is meant by this, we must remember that God was entering into a covenant with Israel. In Exodus 19 God spoke to Israel through Moses, saying, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4–6, ESV). And how did Israel respond? “All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD” (Exodus 19:8, ESV). After this, the Lord appeared to Israel in glory and spoke his law to them, and they trembled with fear. They trembled with fear because they realized that they could not endure the order that was given. They could not keep God law but had already violated it in thought, word, and deed. 

Please understand this about the Old Mosaic Covenant, brothers and sisters. It could not save. It only brought condemnation. Now, when I say this I do not mean that those who lived under the Old Mosaic Covenant could not be saved. No, I mean that they could not be saved from their sins and made right with God through the Old Mosaic Covenant. The Old Mosaic Covenant brought condemnation and death. It magnified sin. It showed Israel, and through them, the world, their need for a Savior. How then could those who lived under the Old Mosaic Covenant be saved from their sins? By believing in the promised Messiah, Christ Jesus the Lord, who is the Mediator of the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. All who have ever been saved from their sins have been saved through the Covenant of Grace through faith in the mediator of that covenant, Christ the Lord. 

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A Mediator Requested

What did the terms of the Old Mosaic Covenant cause Israel to do? First, they were afraid, they trembled, and they stood far off. After this, they begged for a mediator. Verse 19: They  “said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:19–21, ESV).

A mediator is a person who stands between two other parties. A mediator is a go-between. If you have a conflict with another person, a mediator can help to reconcile you. You talk to the mediator, and then the mediator talks to the other person on your behalf, and visa-versa. Here we see that the people of Israel asked Moses to be a mediator between them and God. They could not endure the glory of his presence or the power of his voice. Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die”.

Again I say, the Old Mosaic Covenant did not provide for the forgiveness of sins. It did not clear the conscience of the people. It could not lead them, therefore, into the presence of God Almighty in a real, true, and spiritual way. Some who lived under that Covenant drew near to God, really and truly. But please understand this: they drew near to God, really and truly, not through the Old Mosaic Covenant, but through faith in the promises of God which looked forward to the New Covenant, and to the shed blood of Christ, the mediator of that Covenant. 

Clearly, you can see that Moses was the mediator of this covenant that God entered into with Israel at Sinai. It was through Moses that God redeemed Israel. And it was through Moses that God spoke to Israel and led them in the way.  God spoke the Ten Commandments directly to Israel at Sinai, and they begged that no further word be spoken to them, for they could not endure the order that was given. The people of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 

Moses comforted them with these words,  “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” I think the meaning is this: do not fear, this is not judgment day. It must have felt like judgment day to the people of Israel. The sound of the trumpet announced God’s coming. His voice was like thunder. Thick darkness, lightning, fire and smoke was all around. The moral law was declared, and all of Israel knew they stood guilty before this holy and awesome God. This must have felt like judgment day to them. They begged for a mediator. And Moses the mediator comforted them with these words: “ “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” This is not the end, in other words, but the beginning of something. God Almighty had set Israel apart to be his holy possession of all the peoples of the earth. They were to worship and serve God on earth. God’s presence would be manifest in the midst of them. They were to be a holy nation. In them, the kingdom of God on earth would be manifest. It was crucial, therefore, for Israel to begin with a healthy and reverent fear of the Lord. The Lord tested them at Sinai. He tried them as metal is tried in the fire. If God was to be their covenant God, and if Israel was to be his covenant people, then they needed to understand how awesome and holy this God was, and what it is that their sins deserved. Israel knew that they could not stand before YHWH, and so they asked for a mediator. And so “the people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.”

Moses mediated between God in heaven and Israel on earth. From this point onward God would speak to Israel through Moses. And Israel was invited to approach God through Moses and through the laws for worship that were revealed to him from heaven. Please do not miss this point: Through Moses’ mediation Israel was able to approach God on earth, but not in heaven. Moses, and the covenant he mediated, were earthly. Through Moses, and the order that was given to Israel through him, provision was made for Israel to approach God on earth, to be cleansed on earth, but not to be cleaned and reconciled to God in heaven in a real and eternal way. 

If you wish to learn all about this you may read the book of Hebrews. There, Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, is contrasted with Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant. In brief, through Moses and the Covenant he mediated, the people of Israel were able to be cleansed and draw near to God in an earthy and temporary way. But through Christ and the covenant he mediates, worshippers are able to draw near to God in a heavenly and eternal way. 

Christ takes us all the way home, in other words. In Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins. Through Christ, we are reconciled to the Father. In Christ, we have adoption as sons. These spiritual, heavenly, and eternal benefits come to all who have faith in Christ. This was true of those who trusted in him before he was born into this world through the promises that were made. And this is true for all who trust in him now that he has come.

It is true that Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant, but note this: Moses was not the Messiah. He was not the Savior. He was not the Son, but a faithful servant in God’s house. This is not to demean Moses or the Covenant he mediated. Moses was good and faithful. The covenant he mediated was good in and of itself. But we must remember its purpose. Its purpose was not to provide eternal salvation and the forgiveness of sins. No, under the Old Covenant Israel was set apart as holy on earth, the kingdom of God was prefigured on earth, and sins were magnified on earth, until the promised Messiah would come into the world through them, to make real atonement for sins, and to reconcile the elect to God the Father really and truly for all eternity. 

If you need an illustration of this, consider the Old Covenant temple. Worshipers drew near to God through the blood of animals which could cleanse them in an earthly way, but not their conscience. The construction of the temple itself communicated this reality. The holy of holies was closed off to the people of Israel, remember? Only the high priest would go in once a year and not without blood. The message was that the way to God had not yet been opened up. But what happened to the curtain that divided the holy place from the holy of holies when Christ breathed his last? It was torn in two from top to bottom, for the way to the Father had been opened up, not through the blood of bulls and goats, and not through the order of the Old Covenant, but through the blood of Christ and through the New Covenant which he mediates. It is not Moses, but Christ, who brings us to God. It is not Moses, but Christ, who is the Savior. It is not the Old Covenant, but the New, that saves us from our sins and reconciled us to God the Father. 

When Israel saw the glory of God, the holiness of God, and the reality of their own sin and guilt through the declaration of the moral law, they knew they needed a mediator – a go-between – someone who could work reconciliation on their behalf. The one true mediator between God and man was not given to them on that day (Moses was a mediator, not the mediator), but he was present with them in the form of type and promise. They had the promises of God concerning a coming Savior. They had a type of the one who was to come in the man Moses. If Israel was to be saved from their sins and reconciled to God really and truly, they were to trust, not in Moses, but in the Messiah to whom Moses and the Old Covenant pointed.

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Invitation To Draw Near To God Through Sacrifice

Not only did Israel need a mediator because of their sin, they also needed a way to draw near to God in worship.  

Worship is the proper response to revelation and redemption. God had redeemed Israel from bondage, and he revealed himself to them. What then should their response be except to worship? And so here God gives them preliminary instructions for worship. 

Verse 22: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it’” (Exodus 20:22–26, ESV).

I have said that these were preliminary instructions for worship because soon God would instruct Israel to construct a tabernacle, and later a temple, for worship. But Israel was to worship God immediately, and so these instructions were given.

God’s people had worshipped at alters from the time that sin entered the world. Adam, Eve, and their children knew how to offer sacrifices to God. The patriarchs, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob worshipped at alters. Here Israel is instructed to do the same. When they approached God in worship they were to bring a sacrifice of animal blood. Animal blood could not take away human sin. But it served to remind the worshipper of their sin, and of the wages of sin, namely death. It also reminded the worshipper that God had promised to provide a Savior who would crush the serpent’s head, whose heal would be bloodied in the process. 

Israel, like those who lived before them, was to worship, not with idols, but on simple alters made of earth and uncut stone.  In other words, Israel was to worship YHWH, not according to the customs of the nations around them, but according to the commandment of God. YHWH is to be worshiped… in the way that he prescribes. 

The LORD reminds them here not to worship with idols. We will need to remember this when we come to the episode of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Not only had God forbidden idolatry in the second commandment, he reminded them of this prohibition here while giving positive and preliminary instructions for the worship of his name. The people of Israel would soon rebel, choosing to worship according to the customs of the nations around them rather than according to the command of God. 

Why did the LORD command Israel to construct simple alters made of earth and uncut stone? Undoubtedly this was to guard against idolatry. Where was Israel’s focus to be when worshipping? Not on their creativity and craftsmanship, but on God who is in heaven. Some may object to this saying, but the tabernacle and later temple were elaborate. Yes, but they were constructed, not according to the creativity of man, but by divine revelation. God revealed to Israel what the design of the tabernacle should be. And the design of the tabernacle was to remind the worshiper, not of their own creativity, but of God wor of creation. The tabernacle and temple were miniature replicas of the heavens and earth that God had made.  

And what is the meaning of this prohibition: “And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it”. Ritual nakedness was common in the worship of the pagan nations. Here YHWH forbids it. The people of Israel were to be modest as they approached the LORD in worship. 

I have already said that Christ was prefigured in the mediation of Moses. Moses the mediator anticipated Christ the mediator. Now I will say that Christ was prefigured in the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant too. Those animal sacrifices cleansed the worshipper on earth, but they could not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper before God. Only the blood of Christ, the God-man, could do that. Those sacrifices of old pointed forward to him. 

This is the point that the writer of Hebrews makes so beautifully in chapter 10 of his sermon. In 10:4 he says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4, ESV). And then after arguing for the superiority of Christ and the New Covenant he says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have the confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…” (Hebrews 10:19–20, ESV).

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Suggestions For Application

Please allow me to now bring this sermon to a conclusion with a few suggestions for application. 

One, consider the wisdom of God in bringing salvation to all the nations of the earth through Israel. God’s plan of redemption is truly marvelous to consider. He promised to send a savior in the days of Adam. He set aside one man, Abraham, and promised to make a great nation of him and to bless the nations through his offspring. He redeemed the children of Abraham from Egyptian bondage and entered into a special covenant with them – a covenant that set them apart as holy, that magnified sin, and vividly held forth the promises of the gospel through faith in the Messiah. I’ve said enough about this already. Here I am exhorting you to contemplate the wisdom of God in his plan of redemption. Christ, the Savior of the world, did not appear out of the blue, but in fulfillment to many promises, prophecies, types, and shadows. The Old Mosaic Covenant was particularly beautiful in this regard. Christ was vividly pictured in the Mosaic Covenant, and we are beginning to see that even here in the passage that is before us today. Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, was a type of Christ, who is the mediator of the New. Moses mediated between God and man in a typological and earthy way. Christ mediated between God and man really and truly. Through Christ, we have the forgniss of sins, a cleared conscience, and reconciliation. Christ brings us all the way home by the sacrifice of himself in obedience to the eternal covenant. Here I am urging you to contemplate it God’s plan of redemption and the unfolding of it, so that you might grow in your love for Christ and stronger in your faith in him, seeing that he came in fulfillment to promises previously made. 

Two, I urge you to fear the LORD.  And by this, I mean two different things for two different groups of people. 

To those not in Christ I say, fear the LORD and tremble just as Israel did. When Israel saw the glory of God, considered his holiness, and heard the moral law by which all men will be judges at the end of time, they feared, trembled, stood afar off, and asked for a mediator. If you are not in Christ – if you are in your sins – this should be your response too. You have reason to fear the LORD, for on the last day he will come with the sound of trumpet to judge all people in righteousness and holiness. None will be able to stand before him, unless they are found in Jesus Christ the Messiah, the only mediator between God and man. So I say to those not in Christ, fear the LORD, and take refuge in Christ the mediator to be shielded from the wrath of God that is to come.

Those who are in Christ must fear the LORD too, but not in quite the same way. Fear the LORD, knowing what it is that your sins deserve. Fear the LORD – that is to say, have a deep reverence for him. But do not fear him as you would a judge, for if you are in Christ, God is not your judge, he is your Father in heaven. Fathers should be respected and feared by their children, but not in the same way that guilty criminals fear a righteous judge. Judges condemn; Fathers lovingly lead, provide, and discipline. As the Proverb says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” And it is also the fear of the LORD which does drive to faith in Christ, the only mediator between God and man. 

Three, having been delivered from the domain of darkness, having beheld the glory of God Almighty, having acknowledged our sin, and having run to Christ the mediator for refuge, my we also be compelled to worship the Lord. And may we worship and serve the Lord in the way he has prescribed. You will notice that God is to worshipped… and he does always reveal the way of worship. There was a way to worship from Adam to Moses. There was a way to worship from Moses to Christ. And there is a way to in these last days from Christ to the consummation of all things. We are not free to decide how God is to be worshiped but are to submit to his word in this. God is to be worshipped always through faith and obedience. But he is especially to be worshipped by his people as they assemble Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day to pray, to hear God’s word read and explained, to sing, and to observe the Supper. All of this is to be done to the glory of God through faith in Christ.