Deuteronomy 32: 48-52
(sermon preached by Nathan E. Lewis at Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church in Newberg, Oregon, and at Evergreen Church in Beaverton, Oregon.)
In the ancient world, the mountain was the place where the divine would visit humanity. Moses, the great prophet of Israel, ascended Mt. Sinai to meet with God, to hear the voice of God and to receive the law of God written in stone. On the mountain, Moses requested to see God’s glory. God said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, and I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” God told Moses to hide in the cleft of the rock on the mountain, to hide there until he had passed by. As God was departing the summit of the mountain, he allowed Moses to see the trailing glory!
When Moses descended the mountain his face shown like the sun and so the people, even Aaron, his brother, were afraid to come near Moses. No one else in Israel had come so close to the glorious presence of God on the mountain. Continue reading »