The Aftermath (Exodus 20:18-21).
This passage immediately follows the glorious and awesome experience that has been theirs in the proclamation of Yahweh's covenant. The people are trembling in fear, and are not sure that they can bear any more such experiences of Yahweh. So in it Yahweh gently brings them down to earth and assures them that that they need not be afraid.
We can analyse it as follows:
a The people are awed by the splendour and glory and move and stand far off (Exodus 20:18).
b The people promise that they will obey God but plead that they may no longer be required to experience the awful voice of God (Exodus 20:19).
b Moses assures them that they need not fear. The reason that Yahweh has given them this experience is so that they recognise the awfulness of sinning against Him (Exodus 20:20).
a The people stand far off and Moses draws near into the thick darkness. Their request is answered (Exodus 20:21).
Note the reversal in ‘a' of the people awed by God's glory and moving to stand far off with, in the parallel, the people standing far off and Moses entering to meet with God in thick darkness so that the people are shielded from His glory. In ‘b' the promise to obey is paralleled with the awfulness of not obeying but of sinning against God, while their plea is responded to by Moses' assurance.
‘And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it they stood afar off.'
It would appear that the people heard the thunder but did not understand what God had been saying. We can compare with this John 12:28-29 where again the voice was heard but the people did not understand. But they were very much aware of the external signs. They heard the thunder and the trumpet sound, they saw the lightning and the smoke (compare Exodus 19:16). And they were afraid. Those who had been growing bolder now cowered back trembling, and drew away. They no longer wanted to climb the mount.
We note that at this stage no response is required to the covenant. They have already made their choice in response to a shortened form of the covenant (Exodus 19:8). Now the more detail has been laid out with no choice available, although final response will come later once they know the full terms (Exodus 24:1-11).
‘And they said to Moses, “You speak with us and we will listen. But do not let God speak with us or we die.” '
So great was the effect that they no longer wanted even to hear the voice of God. They were terrified and pleaded to be spared such an ordeal. Rather let Moses be God's mouthpiece. They did not want to go through another experience like the one they had just been through. For their fuller speech see Deuteronomy 5:24-27.
The use of the term God is significant. It is the awesomeness and the otherness that has impacted on them. They recognise that they are dealing with the God of all things.
‘And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come to test your obedience and so that his fear may be before you so that you do not sin.” And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.'
Moses tried to calm their fears. He pointed out that the purpose of God in what they had experienced was to test their obedience, whether they would respond to His covenant or not, and to make them aware of His awesome presence so that they would not fall short of His requirements. If they obeyed Him they would have nothing to fear. This was Yahweh's third ‘proving' of their obedience. Compare Exodus 15:25; Exodus 16:4, each connected with the proving of obedience.
“That His fear may be before you.” God wanted them ever to remember what they had seen of His awesome presence so that fear and awe of Him might be constantly before them lest they treat His words lightly. He was giving them every chance.
“The people stood afar off.” They no longer wanted even to approach the mount, and retired to the entrance to their tents (Deuteronomy 5:30). This was in stark contrast to Moses who advanced into the thick darkness to meet with God.
“Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.” For Moses was unafraid. He responded to God's command and entered God's temporary abode. For thick darkness compare Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 5:22 where the cloud is mentioned separately. Thus it would appear that He was enveloped in the ‘smoke', possibly misty vapour.