Good Morning.
“Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:19)
It is very important to notice the reason given by the people for requesting that God stop speaking directly to them — they didn’t want to die. Apparently, they were convinced that God’s Voice and His Word meant death; His silence meant life. Think about that: they thought they would live if only God would stop speaking to them. Consider what they told Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 5.
“Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.” (Deuteronomy 5:25-27)
Based on this account, it is likely that the true motivation for agreeing to do whatever God spoke to them through Moses was the fear of dying, not necessarily because of a desire to be obedient. That appears to be validated later. As soon as the perceived “danger” had passed — Moses went to the top of the mountain to speak to God at their request — they forgot their promise to hear and obey and bowed down to the Golden Calf.
Let’s face it — when God speaks to any of us, it is usually to bring correction and direction, albeit lovingly so. Still, when He speaks we feel the intensity of knowing that the Word of God is requiring us to make changes. Far too often, men will say what they think needs to be said but without really meaning it in their hearts. “If you’ll just make this stop, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” The point is this then: let us not be the kind of people who do and say such things. We should never ask God to stop speaking just to alleviate the pressure we may be feeling at the moment. We need God to speak to us and render the necessary changes in our lives that we may truly live.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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