I have been reading through the middle chapters of Exodus. I know what it coming, the giving of the 10 Commandments. If I didn’t, I could suspect something important. In Exodus 19, God gives Moses elaborate instructions with regard to their approaching the mountain. Moses is to up the mountain, in order to speak to God. The people are to stay away from the mountain, on fear of death.
The details recorded for us in this section of scripture underscore the significance of what is about to happen. The Decalogue does more than outline the morality of God’s people; it is the covenant between God and the people of Israel which symbolizes their selection. The buildup ensures that no reader will miss the significance of what it about to happen.
At the same time, it underscores what everyone should remember with regard to God, or coming into God’s presence. To encounter God is a mighty thing. To encounter God is an overwhelming thing. To encounter God is a matter of life and death.
God always welcomes us into His presence. God is forever prepared to receive our prayers and our meditations. As I stated in yesterday’s offering, it is our time with God which gives purpose to life and brings calm to our day. However, coming into the presence of God has the potential to expose all those parts of ourselves which are not of God. It has the potential of changing us and changing our self-understanding. Encountering God is a risky thing.
I am not warning anyone to stay away – far from it. I am reminding us all that God is God and therefore time with God has the ability to create something totally new. Time with God changes things; changes those things God sees the need to change. Coming into God’s presence means that we are opening our lives up to that change. As we approach, we need to be prepared for what it is that God might do.
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