Moses was summoned by God to come up to the top of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20), and then sent back down to “warn the people not to break through to the Lord; otherwise many of them will perish” (19:21). They were to stay on the plain at the bottom, and not even touch the mountain (19:12). After Moses had given them this warning, it seems that he went back up the mountain (19:24), where God spoke the Ten Words – the Ten Commandments, as we often call them (20:1-17). They are the brief statement of The Covenant relationship between God and the people of Israel, of which the five books of the Law – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – form the fuller version.

Immediately after this, the text tells us the reaction of the children of Israel down at the base of the mountain: “When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance” (20:18). They said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak us or we will die” (20:19). At some intuitive level they recognized the holiness of the Lord, and sensed the risk not only of touching the mountain, but even of listening directly to God’s words.

Moses’ response to this is instructive. He told them, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin” (20:20). That is: do not fear; God just wants you to fear. No need to be afraid; all these signs from God are simply here so that you will be afraid.

That is, the concept of “fearing” or “being afraid” is being used two different ways. There is no need for servile terror that God is about to destroy us: we don’t need to be afraid. But we do need the fear of the Lord: a genuine trembling reverence before the splendor of our God, which rules out the glib jocularity about “the man upstairs” that we sometimes indulge in.

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You are the Lord, and our hearts tremble before the glory of your majesty. You are the Lord, and we offer you our heartfelt worship. You are the Lord, and in astonishing love you have come to enter into Covenant with frail and ragged sinners like us. Here we are, Lord. Teach us your way, and give us grace to follow you always.