I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Exodus 20:2
Today’s text begin’s God’s great opening address to His earthly people at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments! As they listened to the unveiling of the Decalogue, those Israelites must have quaked at the words, at the unveiling of the absolute holiness of the God they faced. Their feet were already vibrating with the constant earthquakes, their eyes were shaded against the lightning flashes, and their ears were ringing with the crashes of thunder and the overpowering voice proceeding from the smoke and darkness. They were afraid, and some of them were terrified. So would we have been had we been there. Not like today.
It is the very same Lord Whose presence we enter today, but the atmosphere could not be more different. Reverence fills the hearts of the Lord’s people today as we gather to worship the Lord, but the dread that filled the hearts of the Israelites at Mount Sinai is gone. As our hearts grasp the pure holiness of our God, we rejoice that the need to meet that absolute standard has already been met for us by God’s own Son. We respond to God’s great provision and welcome with love for our Lord, an emotion unlikely to occur to the multitude at Mount Sinai.
As the Lord’s people worship today, our gatherings are marked by peace. We smile at each other and join our voices in songs of praise that mark our sweet fellowship. The handshakes and hugs that were missing from the mountain mark our love for each other. The words of our text – I am the Lord thy God – draw us near in blessed thanksgiving. -Jim MacIntosh