When God first gave His people the Ten Commandments, he spoke in a loud voice from the top of Mount Sinai for all to hear. Thunder boomed , the ram's horn blasted, lightning flashed, smoke billowed, and the people trembled.
"When the people heard the thunder
and the loud blast of the ram's horn,
and when they saw the flashes of lightning
and the smoke billowing from the mountain,
they stood at a distance,
trembling with fear."
Exodus 20:18 (NLT)
They were afraid to hear God's voice directly. They thought they would die, so they pleaded with Moses to speak to them, instead of God. But Moses lovingly told them to not be afraid. He knew God better than anyone. He told the people that God's desire is for them to revere Him, so they will not sin. It was God's will to always bless them and not to ever have to punish them.
'Don't be afraid,' Moses answered them,
'for God has come in this way to test you,
and so that your fear of Him will keep you from sinning!'"
Exodus 20:20 (NLT)
Unfortunately, the people of Israel could not always obey all of the Ten Commandments, and neither can any of us. But praise God, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to set us free from the bondage of sin. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, the sins of believers are forgiven and we now have God's Holy Spirit to enable us to resist the temptation to sin, to love God all the days of our lives, to keep His commandments in sincerity and truth, and to repent if we do sin.
"It is for freedom
that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
We no longer have to stand in fear of God, but rather stand firm in Him. God now lives inside each of us. There is nothing to fear. He speaks to us, comforts us, guides us, strengthens us, convicts us and counsels us. We don't have to go up to the mountain top like Moses, and enter a cloud to be in God's presence. His presence is now always with us.
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