Project 119: Heaven and Nature Sing | Exodus 24
| Project 119 | Tim Sanderlin
Reading for Monday, November 30: Exodus 24
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
-"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
Here is the moment before Moses is to go up to Mount Sinai and receive the Ten Commandments from the Lord Himself! What a pivotal moment for the Israelites. These commandments that are to come will be crucial for the Israelites to understand more fully just how holy, perfect, and blameless their God is and how wretched they truly are.
Before this momentous encounter between Moses and the Lord however, there is a scene where God instructs Moses to come near and worship Him, but the others in the group are to “worship at a distance” (Exodus 24:1 NIV). During the days of COVID-19, “at a distance” is a key phrase to keep in your pocket. Everything (interaction with people, work, birthdays, hugs, conversations, etc.) is to be done from a distance. It is dangerous to draw near to people. Only a select few are allowed within six feet and the main criteria is they must be family members. And, for those in the Old Testament living under the old covenant, it was the same way when coming before the Lord. No one outside the family of Israel was allowed near, and even then the Lord (for our own sake) said we might need to stay back because we are not fit to be in His presence!
But God, in His grace and love, came to us in the person of Emmanuel, God with us. He brought Himself low, into flesh, and drew near to us, so that now we too can draw near to Him in worship. No longer do we worship at a distance! Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you.