Exodus 20:18-21 | Fear Not

Weekly Prayer

[Lord,] You are a great God and King, above all gods.

In your hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Your dominion is everlasting, and your kingdom from generation to generation. You do according to your will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can stop you or question you.

We know, O God, that you can do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from you. Power belongs to you, and with you nothing is impossible.

All power is yours, in heaven and earth. You kill and you make alive. You wound and you heal. No one can be delivered out of your hand. What you have promised, you are able also to do. Amen.

—Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry, “All Is in Your Hand,” in Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans, ed. Robert Elmer (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019), 238–239.

Exodus 20:18-21 | Do Not Fear

Have you ever considered what it might be like to see the Lord's glory and majesty in person? Often when we see someone in the Scriptures encounter the presence of God, it is portrayed as an overwhelming experience. The grandeur and glory of God leave them with a sense of awe, wonder, dread, and worship. It is the presence of God that His greatness overshadows an individual so entirely that it leaves them with a true sense of unworthiness to be in His company. The Scriptures describe this response as a proper fear of the Lord.

Textual Transition: We read of one such encounter in Exodus 19-20 When Israel encounters the physical manifestation of the Lord's presence in such a way, it leaves them shaken and scared. Yet the Lord's presence wasn't meant to drive them away from Him but to drive them to Him so that they may love, honor, and serve Him with all their hearts. To see His glory and to hear His voice was meant to have a life-altering impact on this fledgling nation. At this moment, they were to realize the greatness of their God so that they would continually walk in his ways. So Moses tells the people not to fear YHWH, for He was proving them so that they may fear Him.

Central Idea: Moses encouraged Israel not to fear God, for his presence should draw them to Him, not drive them away.

Proposition: Believers need to realize that our response to the Lord should draw us to Him and not away from Him.

Transition: Our text explains how two different understandings of fear will influence our response to the Lord

A Realistic Perception of Who God is

Covenant Relationship (Context): Israel's response to the Lord's presence is part of an encounter that deals with the beginning of the covenantal relationship they were entering with God."You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." (Exodus 19:4)

They had seen the power of YHWH that brought their deliverance. He redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, revealing His might over the pagan nation. He had protected them from the Egyptian pursuit and miraculously destroyed them. He sustained and led them through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai, where he would affirm His love and call them into a special relationship with Himself.

In Chapter 19, God pledges that these people would be a unique treasure to Him that would be above all other people. The foundation of a covenant is that of a promise or pledge between both parties. The Lord promised that He would be their God and that they would be His people. In return, the people pledged their loyalty to God by walking in His way and keeping the covenantal terms.

Incredible Display: The Lord's presence came to Mt. Sinai to let the people hear Him speak to Moses so that they would trust him to be their mediator. He comes physically and audibly so that the people will behold the presence of His glory and hear the basic terms of the covenant. The Scripture describes this moment as one of awe, wonder, and dread.

YHWH Draws Near: "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled." (Exodus 19:16)

YHWH Descends: "Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice." (Exodus 19:18–19)

The Ten Words: "And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:1–3)

A Fearful Response: The people tremble in fear as they see the glory of God and hear the sound of His voice. They stood back a distance, fearing to draw any closer. They told Moses that he should speak to them for God, for they feared if God spoke to them, they would die in his presence or at the sound of His voice. Moses' response to them was Do not fear. He explains that God has not revealed himself or spoken to drive them away but to draw them to Him. This statement challenges us to consider the greatness of God properly.

The greatness of God is overwhelming.

The presence of God is so threatening to [a fallen or] less than...holy people that his presence in this world, even among his own people, must be limited so as not to overwhelm humans. [Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus, vol. 2, The New American Commentary, 469.]

The purpose of God is not their Destruction but their Good

He wanted them to know who He was and live in light of that knowledge. This was a life-altering experience that draws them into a healthy relationship with Him. He wanted to test or prove them by giving them a constant reminder of Him so that they may be careful to keep His covenant. He wanted them to know the blessing and joy that comes from walking in ways. His goal was not to drive them away but to have an ongoing relationship with Him.

Why did God choose to represent himself to his people in such a terrifying way? He said they were not to be afraid because God had not come to destroy them but to refine them (which is the sense of "test" [20:20] in this context). He wanted them to base their behavior on a realistic assessment of who God is. [Allen Ross and John N. Oswalt, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, vol. 1, 451.]

Preparing them to Listen and believe

Although the Sinai covenant was a good and gracious disposition, it only went part of the way toward restoring the sort of relationship our first parents enjoyed with the Lord before the fall. As sinful people in a fallen world, they could not endure the holy presence of God's glory…The Lord's solution to the problem would be a prophet like [or greater than Moses. [Jeffrey J. Niehaus, Biblical Theology: The Special Grace Covenants, vol. 3, 16.]

An Appropriate Response

A Paradoxical Statement? How are we not to fear God yet He is working in our lives so that we may fear Him? If The Scriptures describe fear as an appropriate response to the Lord, how should we understand it? "There is a fear that is slavish and drives us away from God, and there is a fear that is sweet and draws us to God." John Piper

The Fear that Drives us away: When we think of fear, it is usually in the sense of an unpleasant response to the threat of danger, pain, or anxiety. This type of fear awakens a fight or flight instinct within us that attempts to do whatever we can to withdraw from the threat we are facing. In response to this type of fear, The phrases "fear not" or "do not fear" appear quite often in the Scriptures encouraging us to trust the Lord.

The Fear that Draws us in: Yet the Scriptures also speak of fear in the sense of a healthy response of reverence, awe, wonder, and dread. In a society with no respect or fear of anything or anyone, the Scriptures teach us that it is proper to a healthy respect for authority, especially that of a Sovereign God. God wants His presence to be overwhelming so that we will never forget who he is, and we will continually live in the light of these experiences.

The fear of God generally means the combination of four things:

Deepest reverence (respect).

A feeling of awe (respect combined with fear or wonder).

Being sincerely afraid.

Careful obedience. [R. T. Kendall, Understanding Theology, 295.]

A Proper View of God and Self: A Biblical fear of the Lord has a proper view of God, especially in light of our sinfulness. Repeatedly the Scriptures teach us that God is perfect and righteousness and holiness. "When the darkened heart of man finds itself suddenly thrust into holy light, it instinctively shrinks back" [Mark Ward]. When we enter the presence of God, it's not meant to be a comfortable experience. Our passage reminds us that we don't come to God on our terms and cannot force our way into the presence of God. God's presence is an awe-inspiring, worship-inducing, and life-altering experience.

An invitation: To walk with God and enjoy Him throughout our lifetime and eternity. We cannot escape the covenantal background of our text. God longs to enter a relationship with His people. He shows them what it means to live in a relationship with him. He reveals himself to them so that they may know His glory and desire to draw near to Him. In Giving them the law, He told how they would do so. He knew they would fall short of his glory, and they would struggle to walk in His ways. Through the sacrificial system, He provided them with the means to address the problem of sin in their lives and restore fellowship with Him. Furthermore, the law was to prepare them for the coming of one who would do what they could not - keep it perfectly on their behalf. God intends the law to lead us to Christ as our redeemer, hope, and source of everlasting joy.

Summary:

God intends His glory and majesty to draw us to Him instead of pushing us away. "God's presence either attracts, or repels, charms, or frightens.

Many believers struggle with the mistaken perception of God that causes them to have an unhealthy fear of Him. They are certain God is angry with them, disgusted by them, or wants nothing to do with them. They live like he is out to get them, that he is waiting for them to mess up, and when they finally do, he is pleased to bring his judgment crashing down on them.

Yet, the Scripture reveals that God is a Covenant-keeping God. That God goes to great lengths to enter into a relationship with those who fall short of His glory. He redeems them to Himself from their captivity to sin. He reveals themselves to Him so that they may know and enjoy Him. He transforms their life entirely and writes His law upon their hearts so that they may walk in His ways.

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

So this morning, let us be drawn to God and not away from Him. Let us fear turning from Him or being disloyal to Him. Let us draw near to Him walk and glorify Him in all that we do. For perfect love casts out an unhealthy fear.