Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Exodus 20:18: “And all the people were seeing the thunder voices and the torches and the voice of the shofar and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.”
The remez is obvious here, how could people see the thundering voices. Many translations will simply render this as “thunder and lightning.” Still you can not get away from the fact that the words here are “raim eth equloth” which literally means “see the voices.” Jewish sages teach that this is expressing a sensory experience beyond the normal division of the five senses. It is an overflow of experience that superactivates all the senses merging them together. In this case you are actually seeing a sound. Your eyes are hearing and your ears are seeing. Then there was the sound of the shofar and the people “yarah” the sound of the shofar. They “saw” the sound of the shofar. “Yarah” can mean both physical seeing and spiritual seeing.
What is most likely happening here is that the people were seeing into the invisible, supernatural realm . Their five senses were merged into one super sense. They did not like it, it terrified them such that in verse 19 they ask Moses to speak to them, they did not want to hear directly from God. Moses told them not to be afraid, yet in verse 21, the people stood at a distance and only Moses entered the cloud.
What was so terrifying? The word “qol” for voices is plural. The thundering voices may be the sound of everyone’s thoughts, reactions, and feelings. In that cloud, there were no secrets, no playing games. They were just given the ten commandments, such as “Thou shalt not commit adultery. A man glances at his neighbor’s wife and immediately all know what he is thinking. “Thou shalt not steal” and a woman looks at her neighbor and instantly knows what happened to that coffee pot.
If next Sunday you have an experience of the cloud or glory of God descending upon you and your congregation, what would happen? Most likely there would be rejoicing, celebration, book deals movie rights. I don’t think any of us would have a problem entering that cloud or glory of God. In fact we seek it, pray for it. It is no big deal that God would know our thoughts, He will forgive, it will remain just between us and Him. I don’t think the children of Israel were much different from us.
But what if your congregation enters that cloud and suddenly everyone knew your thoughts about that deacon, or they knew about that little lustful thought you recently had? You might be making for the exit very quickly. Maybe we should not be too harsh on the children of Israel asking Moses to be the spokesmen. “Uh, Moses, why don’t you go it alone here with God. I just as well not end up as one of God’s sermon illustrations.”
You know, sometimes I think I am really getting close to the heart of God. But then I think, “Oh my gosh, what if God repeats the Exodus 20:18 experience at the next church service or even my next class. Am I that sanctified in my thoughts and motives that I would not mind who knew my heart? If not, is my heart really one with God’s heart? If my heart and motives were one with God’s heart and motives I could easily say: “Let the cloud descend for all to know my heart and motives.” But if I am hiding something unclean in my heart, I wouldn’t mind that cloud as long as it was a feel good cloud of God’s presence. But if it was the Exodus 20:18 cloud where everyone could “see a voice” I would most likely make a quick exit.
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