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This week’s Abide comes from the passage in the Our Daily Bread devotional from Monday 24 June, and the passage is Exodus 20:18-21. 

When I was reading this passage, I was instantly drawn towards Moses’ words in verse 20. They seemed rather contradictory to me. “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’”

It’s almost like saying, “Don’t be alarmed… so you can be alarmed.” Before we look at that verse in more detail, let’s look at the whole scene. And as we’ve done before, let’s try and imagine ourselves into it.

God has just given the Ten Commandments and the Israelites then gather at the foot of this mountain, shrouded in smoke.

Imagine standing there. Lightning flashes all around, and you hear this blast of a trumpet in the air. Thunder roars and the sound shakes your insides. It’s an overwhelming, terrifying experience.

Perhaps you’ve been caught outside during a storm. I remember being on a mountaintop when a storm hit. The clouds descended, and suddenly there were flashes of lightning and claps of thunder. The lightning was so close there wasn’t even time to count a second between the flash and the roar. How did I feel? Afraid. And that’s only a little glimpse of what the Israelites must have felt.

Verse 18 tells us they trembled with fear.

They didn’t even run away; they just stood still at a distance. It’s like they were so scared they couldn’t really move. They say to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us or we will die” (Exodus 20:19).

They were so very afraid.

But then Moses says, “Do not be afraid.” If you were there, what might you say? If I was there, I’d probably think, “That’s easy for you to say, Moses.” And look at what he says next: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Exodus 20:20). Do not be afraid… so that you have the fear of God.

What does Moses mean? There must be a difference between being afraid of God and fearing God. As I’ve reflected on this passage, it seems that the Israelites were afraid of God in the way we might be afraid when we think we’re going to get hurt. For example, as a Brit living in Australia, I was told I would be bitten by a snake, a spider hiding in my shoe would bite me, and a shark would bite my leg off.

In fact, a few weeks ago, I was walking along a path in our garden and spotted a large head poking out of some leaves. It had a thin little tongue and snake-like eyes that stared at me. Like the Israelites, I trembled. Adrenaline set in. I don’t mind admitting, I was afraid. But as I stepped away, I turned around and saw it was just a very large blue-tongued lizard. My fear subsided, but for a few moments there, I was genuinely afraid.

I wonder if that’s somewhat how the Israelites felt. They were afraid of God, thinking He might hurt them. After all, thunder and lightning can do serious damage, right? It’s natural to step back and seek shelter. In that sense, it is natural to fear the power of God.

But the overarching message of the Bible is that instead of stepping away from God, we’re encouraged, even invited, to draw near to Him. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Back in our passage, just a few verses later, we see Moses doing just this. In verse 21 it says, “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”

The people stood back from God while Moses drew near. And what did Moses find? In verse 24, God tells him, “Wherever I cause my name to be honoured, I will come to you and bless you.” Moses drew near to God and heard that God would draw near to him and bless him and bless the people. The Israelites saw the thunder and lightning and were afraid, but Moses knew they needn’t be.

A few weeks ago, we read in Jeremiah 29:11 that God does not want to harm us but to bless us. We don’t need to be afraid of God, but Moses tells us we do need to fear God.

If we step back from this passage for a moment, we see that the Bible often encourages us to fear the Lord. Famously, Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This fear is not about being scared; it’s about a deep and joyful reverence for God. In Psalm 112:1 we are encouraged to “Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.” A true, right fear of the Lord includes delighting in Him.

When we truly fear the Lord, we are not driven away from Him but drawn towards Him. We recognise that He is the mighty Creator of all, and He loves us and wants to bless us. Instead of being afraid and standing at a distance like the Israelites, we should step forward, drawn into God’s presence.

So today, let’s embrace this fear of the Lord. Let it draw us closer to Him, knowing that He is good, that He loves us, and that He wants to bless us. Do not be afraid. Instead, fear the Lord and draw near to Him. Amen.