Hebrews 12:18-21 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
The author reflects on when the event when Moses went to Mount Sinai to receive the law. This essentially was an encounter with the Holy God. The mountain was holy because of God’s presence there. God’s holiness was experienced as a burning fire and a dark, gloomy storm. Those who are sinful experience God’s presence as overwhelming fear because only that which is holy can stand in God’s presence. Even Isaiah the prophet, one of the most righteous persons in the Old Testament, fell before the holy God in Isaiah 6 and cried, “Woe is me!” The system in the law taught the people about God’s holiness. The closer people got to God, the holier they needed to be. Anything unholy was put outside the camp or had to stay off the mountain. The mountain was so holy that even an animal that touched it had to be killed. Even Moses, the one who stood in God’s presence, trembled with fear. The author is basically challenging the readers to consider carefully the meaning of holiness and seeing the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). This is impossible from a human perspective. We are sinful and cannot stand in God’s presence unless we are made holy. This holiness comes not by effort but by seeking the author of faith, Jesus. Only through him can we be made holy and thus qualified to be in God’s presence. Fear is a powerful motivation and should cause us to fall before God in dependence and repentance.
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