Exodus 20:18-21

Exodus 20:18-21

[18] And all the people  saw  the thunderings,  and the lightnings,  and the noise  of the trumpet,  and the mountain  smoking:  and when the people  saw  it, they removed,  and stood  afar off.  [19] And they said  unto Moses,  Speak  thou with us, and we will hear:  but let not God  speak  with us, lest we die.  [20] And Moses  said  unto the people,  Fear  not: for God  is come  to  prove  you, and that his fear  may be before your faces,  that ye sin  [21] And the people  stood  afar off,  and Moses  drew near  unto the thick darkness  where God  was.

What does Exodus 20:18-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The rest of this section contains the record of the Israelites" reaction to the giving of the Law and God"s reason for giving it as He did. He wanted the people to reverence Him and therefore not to sin ( Exodus 20:20).
"It can be argued that in the present shape of the Pentateuch, the Decalogue ( Exodus 20:1-17) is intended to be read as the content of what Moses spoke to the people upon his return from the mountain in Exodus 19:25. After the Decalogue, the narrative in Exodus 20:18-21 looks back once again to the people"s fear in Exodus 19:16-24. In retelling this incident, the second narrative fills the important "gaps" in our understanding of the first." [1]
Similarly Genesis 2retells the story of creation in Genesis 1to fill in important gaps.
"The Book of the Covenant begins technically with Exodus 20:22, having been separated from the Decalogue by a brief narrative ( Exodus 20:18-21) describing the people"s response to the phenomena accompanying Moses" encounter with Yahweh on Sinai (cf. Exodus 19:16-25). The technical term "ordinances" (mispatim), which describes the specific stipulations of the covenant, does not occur until Exodus 21:1, so Exodus 20:22-26 serves as an introduction to the stipulation section. This introduction underlines Yahweh"s exclusivity, His self-revelation to His people, and His demand to be worshiped wherever He localizes His name and in association with appropriate altars." [2]
God evidently spoke the Ten Commandments in the hearing of all the Israelites ( Exodus 19:9; Exodus 20:19; Exodus 20:22) to cause them to fear Him ( Exodus 20:20). The people were so awestruck by this revelation that they asked Moses to relay God"s words to them from then on ( Exodus 20:20), which he did ( Exodus 20:21).
"This verse [3] contrasts two types of "fear": tormenting fear (which comes from conscious guilt or unwarranted alarm and leads to bondage) or salutary fear (which promotes and demonstrates the presence of an attitude of complete trust and belief in God; cf. the "fear of the LORD God" beginning in Genesis 22:12). This second type of fear will keep us from sinning and is at the heart of the OT"s wisdom books (cf. Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13 et al.)." [4]
"Whereas Exodus 19:16-24 looks at the people"s fear from a divine perspective, Exodus 20:18-21 approaches it from the viewpoint of the people themselves. What we learn from both narratives, therefore, is that there was a growing need for a mediator and a priesthood in the Sinai covenant. Because of the people"s fear of God"s presence, they are now standing "afar off" ( Exodus 20:21). Already, then, we can see the basis being laid within the narrative for the need of the tabernacle ( Exodus 25-31). The people who are "afar off" must be brought near to God. This is the purpose of the instructions for the tabernacle which follow this narrative." [5]