Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

SATURDAY MARCH 14


THE GO-BETWEEN

READ:
Exodus 20-21
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The people stood
afar off, but Moses
drew near...
where God was.
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Imagine standing at the bottom of a mountain, elbow-to-elbow with everyone in your community. Thunder and lightning flash; you hear an earsplitting trumpet blast. Amid flames, God descends on the mountaintop. The summit is enveloped in smoke; the entire mountain begins to shake, and so do you (EX. 19:16-20).

When the Israelites had this terrifying experience near Mount Sinai, they begged Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (20:19). The Israelites were asking Moses to mediate between them and the Almighty. "So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was" (v.21). After meeting with God, Moses brought God's messages back down the mountain to the people below.

Today, we worship the same God who displayed His staggering greatness on Mount Sinai. Because God is perfectly holy and we are desperately sinful, we cannot relate to Him. Left to ourselves we too would (and should) shake in terror. but Jesus made it possible for us to know God when He took our sins on Himself, died, and rose again (1 COR 153:4). Even now, Jesus is the go-between for us to a holy and perfect God (ROM. 8:34, 1 TIM. 25).
__Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear Jesus, thank You for laying down You life so that I could know God.
I worship You as the only one who bridges the gap between God and me.

Jesus bridges the gap between God and us.

**********************Today's Bible Reading __ Exodus 20:18-26*************************
18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the
lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they
trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses,
"You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak
with us, lest we die."

20 And Moses said to the people, Do not fear; for God has
come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that
you may not sin."

21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the
thick darkness where God was.

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you
from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me__
gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall
sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings,
your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My
name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make
Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for
if you use your tool in it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you
go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be
exposed on it.' "

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
On Mount Sinai, God manifested His presence
loudly and visibly through thunder, lightning, the sound of a
trumpet, and a smoking mountain (v.18). Moses explained that
this display of power and majesty was to demonstrate God's
incomparable holiness. His power and glory were displayed so that
the Israelites would revere and worship Him (v.20).