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Exodus 20:18-20

¹⁸When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." ²⁰Moses 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."

The people continually had a problem esteeming the word from Moses to be the Word of God. We must remember that this is the age of the prophet, when God spoke to us through men. (Hebrews 1:1-3) Today God speaks to us through the Son. His Spirit indwells us so that we can commune with Him. The reason is still the same. He is testing us. He is instilling the fear of God in our lives to keep us from sinning. Do not think of God as being like sinful man. He is not holding a whip and commanding you to do His bidding or be beaten. He is showing you that the Father knows best. He can see the past, present and future. He sums up all that is truly good. The fear He wants to instill in us is that of His awesome understanding. He tells us to obey because it is best for us.

Imagine how much better off the Children of Israel would have been IF they had obeyed the word from Moses. There would have been no plagues upon them. All their enemies would have been defeated. They would not have had to wander forty years in the wilderness. The older generation would have lived to see the Promised Land. IF only they had the fear of God to keep them from sinning!

Their sinning says they either did not believe God's good motivation for His commands or they thought they knew better than God. Our sin says the same today. We have His word. His Spirit speaks to our heart, so that the fear of God will be with us to keep us from sinning. We stand at the same crossroads of blessings or trials.

Meditation: God's instructions teach me what is best for my life.