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Exodus Chapter 19
Many compare the events at Mount Sinai to a marriage between Yahveh (the groom) and Israel (the bride).
What happened at Mount Sinai that caused the 'Bride' to run away?
The Abrahamic covenant included not only a promise of redemption, but also the promise that Israel
would become Yahveh's special nation in their own land, Canaan. On the way to the Promised Land, the children
of Israel stopped at Mount Sinai, in order to learn the specific laws that will mold them into that special nation. The
primary purpose for their Mount Sinai experience was to receive Yahveh's laws. Yahveh called Moses to
the mountain with a proposition, instructing him to relay it to the people.
"Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel:
You have seen what I have done to Egypt, so now: if you will obey Me faithfully, keep My Covenant and
be My treasured nation, then You shall be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:4-6
The 'if / then' clause proves that these instructions constituted a
proposal to which Israel was required to answer either yes or no.
"And the people answered together and said: Everything that Yahveh has spoken
we shall do; and Moses brought the people's answer back to Yahveh." Exodus 19:7-8
Should Israel
agree to obey whatever Yahveh commands, and be His treasured nation then they will represent Him
before the other nations.
"And Yahveh said to Moses, I will come to you in the thickness
of a cloud, in order that the people hear when I speak with you, and in order that they believe that you are My spokesman
forever." Exodus 19:9
Even though Moses was to be an intermediary, Yahveh wanted all Israel to
'overhear' the conversation, so that they will believe that these laws truly originated from Him, and not from Moses.
"Then Moses reported the people's words to Yahveh." Exodus
19:9
Exactly what were the "people's words" that Moses relayed to Yahveh's? The people decided that they didn't
really like Yahveh's idea and refused the intermediary. They responded: "We want to hear from Yahveh directly."
Yahveh's
response to that idea was: "OK, Go to the people and get them ready, for on the third day Yahveh
will reveal Himself in view of all the people on Mount Sinai." Exodus 19:10-11
Israel had to ready
themselves, for in three days time they will actually see Yahveh convey His commandments directly to them, without an
intermediary as was originally planned. Could Israel truly be ready for this personal revelation? If so, why didn't Yahveh
suggest it in the first place?
What happened at Mount Sinai that caused the 'Bride' to run away?
"And
it came to pass on the third day in the morning, and there were loud sounds and lightening, and a thick cloud on the mountain,
and the shofar sounded very strong, and the people in the camp all became frightened."
Exodus 19:16
The people never came near to the Mountain that morning. They were so frightened
of Yahveh's revelation that they remained in the camp. Moses had to go back to the camp and bring them to the foot of
the mountain. (Exodus 19:17) What happened then?
"And Mount Sinai was full of smoke,
for Yahveh had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke was like a furnace, and the entire mountain shook violently."
Exodus 19:18
This was only the begining of Yahveh's revelation. "The sound of the shofar
grew louder and louder; and as Moses spoke, Yahveh answered him with an audible voice." Exodus 19:19
But where were the people?
Towards the end of Exodus chapter 20, immediately after the Ten Commandments, we find yet another story
concerning what transpired at Mount Sinai:
"And the people all saw the torches, the sound of the
shofar and the mountain smoking and moved back and stood at a distance. And they told
Moses, why don't you speak to us, and we will listen to you, but Yahveh should not speak to us, lest we die. And
Moses said: do not be fearful, for Yahveh is coming to test you and instill fear within you so
that you will not sin. But the people stood at a distance, and Moses alone entered the cloud where Yahveh
was." Exodus 20:15-18
The people changed their mind about wanting to speak directly with Yahveh without
an intermidiary, because they were frightened and overwhelmed by this intense experience.
The Ten Commandments ~ Exodus Chapter 20
The text of the Ten Commandments shifts from first to third person after the second commandment. Whereas
the first two commandments (Exodus 20:2-5) were written in first person, indicating that Yahveh spoke them
directly to the people, the last eight commandments (Exodus 20:6-14) were written in third person, suggesting indirect form
of communication. "Face to face Yahveh spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire. I stood
between Yahveh and you at that time to convey His words to you, for you were afraid of the fire and did not
go up the mountain." Deuteronomy 5:4-5
Here too, we see both plans describing the giving
of the Torah. What can we learn from Israel's encounter with the Almighty? On the one hand we share the desire
to come as close to Yahveh as possible. On the other hand we, too, must acknowledge our awareness
of Yahveh's greatness and our own fears, shortcomings and unworthiness.
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