Meeting God

Bible Reading: Exodus 19:16–24

The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai 

and called Moses to the top of the mountain.

Exodus 19:20

Imagine standing with Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thunder rolled, lightning flashed, a thick cloud covered the mountain, and smoke rose as the trumpet sounded louder and louder. The people trembled (Exodus 19:16–19). Boundaries had been placed around the mountain because sinful people could not casually enter the presence of a holy God. Yet within this frightening scene there is a beautiful movement: God came down, and Moses went up. God had already told Israel why He rescued them from Egypt: “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (v. 4). Their destination was not simply freedom from Pharaoh. God wanted to bring them to Himself.

C. S. Lewis, reflecting on this passage, reminds us that our language of “meeting” God can never fully describe Him. God is not simply another person standing opposite us. He surrounds us and transcends us. Yet Lewis warns us not to turn God into an impersonal abstraction. The God of Sinai speaks, calls, comes near, and desires relationship. Moses went up the mountain to receive God’s Word and bring it back to the people (Galatians 3:19). But while Moses could bring God’s law, only Christ could deal with the sin that separated us from God.

Jesus is “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15). He did more than bring us a message from God—He came from God to bring us to God. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Then Christ suffered, “the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). At Sinai, the mediator climbed the mountain; in the gospel, the Mediator came down from heaven. Reconciliation begins with that astonishing movement. We could never climb our way to God, so in Christ, God came down to us and opened the way home.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

We stand in awe of Your holiness and marvel that You desire us near. Thank You for Jesus, our Mediator, who came down to bring us to You. Help us live close to You and carry Your reconciling love to others. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen.