How Do We Respond to the Presence of God?

Throughout Scripture, God encounters people. Their responses vary based on their circumstances and belief. How do we respond to the presence of God?

Scripture:       

Exodus, chapters 17-20; Acts, chapter 2

Exodus 20:18-26 (NASB):

And all the people were watching and hearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us, or we will die!”

However, Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you will not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness were God was.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. You shall make an altar of earth for Me; and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’”

Observations: How Do We Respond to the Presence of God?

By this point in the story of Israel’s travels from Egypt, they arrive at Mount Sinai. Along the way, God has revealed Himself to them in numerous ways:

• The ten plagues designed to provoke Pharaoh to let them go (Exodus 7-11)
• Leading them in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22)
• Parting the Red Sea so they could escape Pharaoh’s armies (Exodus 14)
• Providing water for the people (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:1-7)
• Feeding them with manna and quail (Exodus 16)
• Giving them victory over the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16)

Now, as they gather at the foot of Mount Sinai, God promises to make Himself known to them as He speaks to Moses. He warned the people to prepare themselves to come into God’s presence, and to not go any closer to the mountain that God had decreed. Exodus 19 describes God’s appearance: “Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain quaked violently. When the should of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder” (Exodus 19:18-19).

Understandably, the people were a bit afraid! They implored Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us, or we will die!” They experienced the power of God’s presence, but their overwhelming reaction was fear. Moses, on the other hand, encouraged them to not be afraid: “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you will not sin.”

“The Fear of the Lord”

The concept of “the fear of the Lord” is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts in Scripture. Moses wants the people to respect God by honoring God’s commands. God began the Ten Commandments with the statement, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:1-2). God delivered them from their former state of bondage through powerful work on their behalf. What God had promised, He had done. There is no reason for anyone who serves God to be “afraid” of Him!

But when sin enters the picture, fear results. It has been that way from the beginning. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were afraid (Genesis 3:10). Our awareness of our own sin causes us to fear God. Even when we’ve “tried our best,” we despair – because we know we can’t completely obey God in our own strength.

The key, however, is that we don’t have to; God has provided the remedy for our sin. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled lean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-21).

Application: How Do We Respond to the Presence of God?

Our New Testament reading from Acts 2 shows us the difference that Jesus makes. On the day of Pentecost, God’s Spirit shows up in power:

• A violent rushing wind (Acts 2:2)
• Tongues that looked like fire resting on each of the believers (Acts 2:3)
• The believers speaking in all the languages of the people gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:4)

Peter explains to the gathered crowd what this all means: God is pouring out His Spirit on His servants, just as He had prophesied.

The Holy Spirit enabled Peter to boldly declare God’s truth to those gathered at the Temple. Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. You handed Him over to be crucified, but God has validated Him through His resurrection. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

How did they respond? “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what are we to do?’” They reacted to God’s presence exactly how God desires – by coming to God, rather than running away. The Israelites didn’t want God to speak to them; those who were convicted by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost wanted to know how to respond to God.

How Do We Reflect the Presence of God?

That brings us to the ultimate question: how do believers reflect the presence of God? How do we help people to draw near to God, as Moses and Peter tried to do? I think there are two critical ways. First, by reflecting the joy of the Lord in our lives. The people could see that both Moses and Peter were empowered by God – yet God’s power did not kill them. Why? They drew close to God in response to God’s invitation.

Second, they focused on God’s faithfulness and God’s promises rather than God’s judgment. That doesn’t mean they minimized God’s judgment or neglected it; it simply means that they focused more on God’s blessings. Moses told them that God’s goal was that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you will not sin. When the people asked Peter and the others what they should do, Peter said: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, emphasis added).

There is no “good news” without the “bad news.” We cannot remove the reality of judgment and eternal separation from God from the Gospel, but we also should not focus primarily on judgment. Jesus came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10). That life begins when we start our discipleship journey with Jesus. When we repent – turn from our sin and turn toward God – we receive life. Even more, we receive the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to reflect that presence, and we should never be afraid of God’s presence in our lives!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding us that You are the Lord our God. Through Jesus, You offer freedom from bondage to sin for every person who believes. You also give us Your Holy Spirit to be in us, to lead us in all truth, and to empower us to live as You created us to live. Help us today to reflect the joy of Your presence to those we meet, that they might be drawn to You. Amen.