😊 Let’s walk through Exodus 20:18–21 This section is incredibly meaningful—it shows how God’s holiness affected the people and how Moses’ role as mediator was affirmed.
📖 Exodus 20:18–21 — The People Tremble at God’s Presence
⚡ Verse 18 — “They trembled and stood afar off”
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.
- The people see the lightening flashes and smoke, and they hear the thunder. These are not symbolic metaphors.
- The effect? They tremble (Hebrew: נֽוּעַ – nua, to shake, stagger, or reel) and move away from the mountain.
💡 This reaction is natural—God’s holiness is terrifying when seen clearly. They understood they were in the presence of almighty, consuming power (see Hebrews 12:18–21).
🙌 Reverence and awe are appropriate responses to God’s holiness. He is not to be approached lightly, even though He invites us into relationship.
19 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
🗣️ Verse 19 — “You speak with us… lest we die”
🔍 Observation:
• The people beg for a mediator. They no longer want to hear directly from God—they fear death.
• Their first encounter with divine communication has left them overwhelmed.
🎯 This highlights the need for a go-between—someone to represent God to man, and man to God.
In the Old Testament, that’s Moses. In the New Testament, it’s Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,).
This really grabs at my soul. All my life I have wished that God would speak aloud and these folks had it and wished it away. Oh the ways we sometimes waste our gifts!
This moment beautifully illustrates why we need a mediator:
• Under the Old Covenant, Moses temporarily filled this role.
• Under the New Covenant, Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 2:5
We don’t go through priests, saints, or popes—we go to God through Christ alone. ✝️
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.”
🔥 Verse 20 — “Do not fear… that His fear may be before you”
21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
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