Christ in Darkness, Altar & Fire

Christ in Darkness, Altar & Fire 

Exodus 20:18-26

Today’s passage is packed full of the hope and horror of the redemption story of Scripture. In it we find the ominous rumblings of the coming crimes, trials, verdict, sentencing and execution, as well as the ultimate deliverance of God. 

They are tense spots when the reality of who the people are, and the expectations of God’s will and law, reveal their incompatibility, in the sense of the expectations of perfect obedience. These places are often connected to christological allusions, which offer us hope that One is coming who will fulfill it all and lead us into the promised land of blessing by His perfect obedience. 

But these are also sad eddies in the river of narrative, that expose our sinful weakness, our culpability, our rebellion, and our self-revealing witness to deserving Divine wrath. They also reveal the long suffering, mercy and grace of God in the face of our fickle affections, thin commitments, incomplete actions, and half-hearted, hard-headed waywardness. 

In these passages we see the broken promises of God’s people and the suffering that results. God as Husband: abandoned, cheated on by an adulterous people who cannot stay faithful in a world of so many opportunities to indulge and inflame themselves at the altars made or altars found, leftovers of an idolatrous people destroyed by their own wickedness.  

Reading the Old Testament is an exercise in repentance for anyone who reads it devotionally. If you read it as a Spouse in spirit, you will feel the shame and remorse of seeing the One you love treated in a manner that shocks you, rocks you and often, convicts you. 

These wanderings lead us in an ascent into the furnace fire of God’s mountain dwelling, where He has hid Himself mercifully in “thick darkness”. For He is a God who if looked upon, one would be struck dead by the unapproachable light, the eternal perfection of holiness. 

Paul, who was struck blind by the glory of God in the face of Christ, wrote:  “He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16)

At various places in the Old Testament story of God’s work and wonders among His people, we encounter portions of the narrative that have obvious allusions to the person of Jesus and His work of fulfilment of the Old Testament laws, types and shadows. He is seen and heard all over the Old Testament for those who have a deep and long familiarity with the Scriptures and a relationship with the Holy Spirit, for Jesus said:

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-15 )

This ministry of revealing Jesus to us is primarily centered in the Spirit’s work of revealing to us the gospel of God’s saving work for us, in and through Christ. Jesus knew who He was, what He had come to do and the plans and purposes of God’s redemptive will (Luke 24:27) since the foundations of the world (1 Peter 1:18-21).  

As we read the scripture for today, I want to look forward to how Jesus fulfills these in light of dramatic failures this passage ominously prepares us for with the upcoming golden calf story. 

Exodus‬ ‭20:18-21

“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites this: “You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

24 ‘“Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honoured, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.”

Christological Allusions in the Exodus passages:

-God Spoke: 

Matthew 17:5-6 “But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.”

-Christ beaten, bruised, spit upon, but the word was not broken, literally, no bone broken. (Matthew 27:27-31)

-Golgotha (hill of the skull), a mound of earth, (Matthew 27:23)

-Iron tools, Christ nailed to the cross. (Matthew 27:35)

-Human made cross, lifted up (idol)

-Soldiers played games at the cross (Matthew 27:35-36)

-Hung naked on cross (Matthew 27:28, John 19:23)

-Mockery, insults, sacrifice, sacrilege, (Matthew 27:39-40)

-Christ’s name placed on the cross (Matthew 27:37, John 19:19)

-Distance: The Disciples watched from a distance. (Luke 23:49)

-Darkness (Mark 15:33)

-Earthquake (Matt. 27:51)

Pentecost: 

Fire falls, the finger of God writes on heart, The voice speaks, thousands of people are saved and not destroyed.