By Chalcedony Williams
10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:10-11 (NASB 1995)
“Holy, holy, holy,” the worship song of heaven. The repetition of the word “holy” elevates and emphasises the magnitude of God’s holiness, as though the seraphim in Isaiah 6 are crying “holy, holier, holiest”. Holiness is the only attribute of God in the Bible that is elevated to this level and therefore, it is described as God’s defining characteristic. All that God is and all that He does emanates out of His holiness. The mere realisation of this should render us speechless, awestruck, terrified even.
We often lose the sense of the otherness and holiness of God due to the personal relationship we now have through Jesus Christ, whose vicarious death on the cross has broken down the barrier between us and God. We now have free access to the holy of holies, the very presence of the holiest God.
Israel’s experience was vastly different. The people could not have personal contact with God. Only Moses and the high priest had that access and for the high priest, it was only once a year. However, on this occasion mentioned in Exodus 19, God made an exception, He would come down on Mount Sinai for all the people to see. Why? So that they would recognise Moses as His mouthpiece (verse 9) and revere His Words forever as though hearing them from God Himself. This was especially important as God was about to give Israel His commandments, revealing in them the blueprint for all human relationship with God. God knew that a one-off experience of the thundering of His mighty voice would be enough to solidify Moses’ position, and therefore the commandments God would establish through Moses, for eternity.
Of course, Israel could not just stand before God’s holiness as they were. They had to undergo three days of preparation – consecration and washing. This consecration was external. The consecration that we undergo in order to dwell in God’s presence is internal. Consecration of our hearts, as the writer of Hebrews says,
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV)
Jesus, our High Priest, shed His blood to cleanse us from the guilt and punishment of sin. Therefore, our hearts have been sprinkled and we are cleansed to live Coram Deo. The Latin term Coram Deo refers to something that takes place before the face of God. To live Coram Deo is to live with the awareness that we are in God’s presence and that everything we do must be under His authority and for His glory. As R.C. Sproul put it “there is no place so remote that we can escape His penetrating gaze” (Sproul, 2017*). This awareness changes everything about the way we live our lives. We are created to do good works in Christ Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In the wilderness, God’s voice thundered down from the mountain. Those same words are recorded for us today. God’s voice thunders from the pages of the Bible, the scripture breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Are our hearts prepared to encounter a holy God? It is an encounter that will leave us with no choice but to heed His holy Word.
*(Sproul, R.C. (2017) What does “coram Deo” mean?)
Ask – Why did God want to come down on Mount Sinai before the people?
Seek – If I lived coram Deo, what would be different in the way I live?
Knock – God, you are holy, holier, holiest. May I always have an awareness of your holy presence and be empowered to live my life in accordance with your Word. May your Word convict me of the sin in my life and lead me to repent and trust in the blood of Jesus which frees me from condemnation.
(Upper Photo by James Barr on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash)
