Exodus 20:18-21
Holy fear is not meant to drive God's redeemed people away from covenant obedience, but to teach them that the Lord is near, majestic, and not to be treated lightly.
18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.
19 They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.”
21 The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
Holy fear is not meant to drive God's redeemed people away from covenant obedience, but to teach them that the LORD is near, majestic, and not to be treated lightly.
To show Israel's immediate response to the Sinai revelation and to clarify that the LORD's terrifying holiness is meant to produce reverent fear that restrains sin, while Moses' mediation protects the people from presuming upon direct access to the consuming presence of God.
This passage follows Exodus 20:1-17, where God speaks the Ten Commandments. It also echoes Exodus 19:16-25, where thunder, lightning, cloud, trumpet, smoke, and trembling mark the Sinai theophany. Exodus 20:18-21 narrates the people’s response and their request for Moses’ mediation. It prepares for Exodus 20:22-26, where the Lord gives further worship instructions through Moses.
The passage follows the giving of the Ten Words at Sinai. Israel has been redeemed from Egypt and brought to the mountain of God, where the LORD is establishing covenant relationship with them. The visible and audible phenomena reinforce that the covenant is grounded in the speech of the holy LORD, not merely in human religious agreement.
The Ten Commandments and the Fear of the LORD
The LORD who redeemed Israel from slavery gives His covenant law so His people may worship Him alone, live holy before Him, love their neighbors rightly, and approach Him with reverent fear.