Fear God and Love the World
"And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.' And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin." So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was." Exodus 20:18-21
As the people draw back from God, Moses goes forward. We need in our community, people who will not become discouraged when they see others retreating from God, but who, in response to the withdrawal of the others, will push further toward God. I need, in my life, someone or ones who will go to God on my behalf when they see me falling back. Perhaps we do not even know who this person is who intercedes for our sake.
It is a very dangerous thing to approach God in "the thick darkness" for who can see His face and live? But Moses loves the people more than his own life. I, too, need to be going forth on behalf of the others in my community, my church, my small group. And when I do this, I become closer to God myself, even though that was maybe not my main intent.
Moses says to the people in verse 20, "Do not be afraid," but then goes on to say that "the fear of God" will be with them, an at-first-glance contradiction. It is as though for Moses, the fear of God and the love of God are the same thing, so "Do not be afraid". An old teacher/master here said, "Don't love God and hate the world; rather fear God and love the world." ...we should not replace our fear of other things with our own courage, but with the fear of God; and we should not replace love of the world with hatred of the world, but with love of God.
[AV, (c)2003]
As the people draw back from God, Moses goes forward. We need in our community, people who will not become discouraged when they see others retreating from God, but who, in response to the withdrawal of the others, will push further toward God. I need, in my life, someone or ones who will go to God on my behalf when they see me falling back. Perhaps we do not even know who this person is who intercedes for our sake.
It is a very dangerous thing to approach God in "the thick darkness" for who can see His face and live? But Moses loves the people more than his own life. I, too, need to be going forth on behalf of the others in my community, my church, my small group. And when I do this, I become closer to God myself, even though that was maybe not my main intent.
Moses says to the people in verse 20, "Do not be afraid," but then goes on to say that "the fear of God" will be with them, an at-first-glance contradiction. It is as though for Moses, the fear of God and the love of God are the same thing, so "Do not be afraid". An old teacher/master here said, "Don't love God and hate the world; rather fear God and love the world." ...we should not replace our fear of other things with our own courage, but with the fear of God; and we should not replace love of the world with hatred of the world, but with love of God.
[AV, (c)2003]
posted by CS at 11:38 AM
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