Good Morning.
“Now all the people witnessed the thundering, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.” (Exodus 20:18)
That God appeared to them in this manner is to emphasize that the God of Israel speaks to His people directly and not through the mystical methods employed by the magicians and necromancers of Egypt and the other nations. Thus the thundering, the lightning and other dramatic components of the Sinai experience that caused them to tremble in fear was intended to make it clear that He alone is God. The gods of Egypt and the other nations were not gods at all and therefore should not be honored.
To say that the events of Sinai were sensory is an understatement. They heard, they felt and they saw things that caused them to reel in fright. Adding another layer to this awe inspiring scene is what is hinted at in the Hebrew text. The words translated as “witnessed the thundering” is rendered literally as “they saw the voices.” This literal reading gives credence to the Jewish tradition which says the people saw God’s voice manifest as 70 tongues of fire speaking in 70 different languages. Of course, that would sound very familiar to most of us and is strikingly similar to what happened on the Day of Pentecost after Messiah’s ascension into heaven.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred the multitude came together and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language.” (Acts 2:1-6)
There are several different interesting and important points that can be gleaned from this connection but the one that stands out to me is the fact that God is committed to reaching all of mankind with His Word. He didn’t have to speak in the different languages under heaven when He spoke to Israel in the wilderness. Likewise, He didn’t have to speak in all the known languages represented in Jerusalem at that feast — but He did. Why? Because He wants the whole world to know Him. That is why He sent His Son — that the whole world could hear of the promise of redemption and restoration.
While it might be that He may yet manifest His power and authority in similar fashion as He did at Sinai and then again in Jerusalem, the fact is He has a body that exists in every nation on earth. Furthermore, He has ambassadors able to speak in every language under heaven for the benefit of those who have not yet heard the Good News. It is our mission to be His Voice — to be those thunderings that declare the wonderful works of our God and of the salvation made possible through His Son, Yeshua. Let us be about our Father’s business.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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