God provided the Israelites with a demonstration of His holiness that was a full sensory experience. They heard the thunder and trumpet blast; were blinded by the flashes of lightning; smelled and tasted what was "like smoke from a furnace" that poured from Mt. Sinai ; felt the "whole mountain shudder in huge spasms". Their response was to shudder in fear (Exodus 19:16). Then in chapter 20, God begins his long and "...meticulous, some think tedious, basic instruction and training in living the saved, free life." (Eugene Peterson) He overwhelms them with His holiness and then He overwhelms them with His commandments. Why? "God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won't sin." (Exo. 20:20)
"...God is holy, all holy, only holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful and always sinful." (Puritan Ralph Venning, quoted by Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins)
"It does not matter whether our sin is scandalous or respectable, all our sin is sinful, only sinful, and altogether sinful. Whether it is large or small in our eyes, it is heinous in the sight of God. God forgives our sin because of the shed blood of Christ, but He does not tolerate it. Instead, every sin that we commit, even the subtle sin that we don't even think about, was laid upon Christ as He bore the curse of God in our place." ( Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins)As a youth, when I sang "Holy, Holy, Holy", I would yawn or look around to see who was at church that day. I didn't grasp (and still don't fully grasp) God's holiness and the depth of my sinfulness in the light of His holiness. Deep down, I can still believe that with enough self-determination I can get it all right and obey all the commandments. Functionally, I can still live as though God's holiness tolerates my subtle, respectable sins. And if these deceptions are alive and well in me, then I don't really need Christ's sacrifice - I'm no longer a great sinner who needs a great Savior.
3 comments:
Since thunderstorms have always frightened me, the description of God on Mount Sinai was vivid and impactful. No wonder the Israelites were afraid and kept their distance! It would do me some good to keep this picture of God in my head as well, because I struggle with an inadequate view of God's holiness. I excuse my "small" sins with far too much ease.
A few other verses that stood out to me:
20:6 - I'm unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments. I like that adverb - unswervingly!
20:12 - Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
21:15 - If someone hits father or mother, the penalty is death.
21:17 - If someone curses father or mother, the penalty is death.
Such a reminder of how much it matters to God how we treat our parents. My Mom is a wonderful example to me of choosing to honor her father despite very difficult circumstances and the world telling her that he doesn't deserve it.
Amen, and amen! Staci, agree with you (and you, too, Cici) about my lack of understanding when it comes to God's holiness and His intolerance for sin. And I'm so good at tolerating my sin while rationalizing it away.
What I actually do instead is function as my own defense lawyer and present a list of arguments for my own righteousness. The theology behind the defense is that the greatest problem is outside of me, not inside me. In so arguing, I'm telling myself that i don't really need to be rescued by the Lord's mercy. No, I'm telling myself that what I need to be rescued from is that sinner in the room who caused me to respond as I did.
- from Whiter Than Snow by Paul David Tripp
Lord, I want to stop rationalizing my sin. I want to confess it immediately, repenting and rejoicing over your free forgiveness. Thank you for your unswerving loyalty to your children. May I rest in the freedom of your grace and mercy, remembering that i have not earned my acceptability before you.
Will long remember ~ Exo 20:6 ~ it means a lot to this follower swerving all over the road. Unswerving Love. I can kiss my husband and be smack dab in sin, white-hot sin. Used to think sin revealed itself in wrong behavior. It's in my good behavior too. Does my love, my devotion come from good places within me? I can look pretty good, rather kind, so sweet, very ministry oriented and still "miss the mark." Thanks girls for thought-provoking me to a deeper desire by the way you live.
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