Art Toombs Ministries
Online Bible Commentary
Come to the God of Grace
Hebrews 12:18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow." 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.") (NKJV)
The early Eastern Church (Dionysius and Clement, both of Alexandria), from the second century, claimed Paul was the writer of Hebrews. The Western Church later agreed.
Luke translated the letter to the Hebrews into Greek, according to Clement in the second century. Luke was with Paul during his second Roman imprisonment and was his amanuensis during Paul’s final days (2 Timothy 4:11).
It is likely that Luke was also Paul’s amanuensis for this letter. My conclusion is that this was Paul’s last writing, written in late 67-early 68 A.D.
In this letter, Paul is writing to Hebrews who have converted to Christianity from Judaism. Family and friends are likely pressuring them to return to Judaism, so Paul is writing to these Hebrew Christians to encourage them to remain steadfast in their faith and not to return to Judaism.
The book of Hebrews is divided into two main topics Through Hebrews 10:18 the topic is the superiority of Christ to Judaism. The rest of the book is devoted to exhortations to obedient living, a fitting conclusion to Paul’s writings.
Initially, in this second topic, Paul gave examples of great men and women of faith who were honored for their obedient living. Now, he turns to exhorting Christians to obedient living.
In this passage, Paul continues the warning that he began in verse fifteen. The warning was not to miss out on our salvation.
Here, he recalls the giving of the Law by God on Mount Sinai, and its meaning. His purpose is to discourage the Hebrew Christians from forsaking Christianity and returning to the Law, to Judaism.
The time was shortly after the exodus of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. They had escaped the Egyptian army, crossing the Red Sea as God parted the waters.
Now, they were on their forty-year, round-about, journey to the Promised Land. They were traveling southward on the Sinai Peninsula.
The Sinai Peninsula is the western part of Egypt, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, south and west, and Israel to the northeast. Mount Sinai, aka Mount Horeb, is located towards the tip of the peninsula in the central part of the peninsula.
Mount Sinai played a significant role in Moses’ life. It was the place of the burning bush, the rock that Moses struck to receive water, and the giving of the Ten Commandments.
Paul introduces this passage with the words “For you have not come to the mountain“ (v. 18a). He is reminding the Hebrew Christians that, as Christians, they have not come to the kind of God described in this passage.
They have not come to the God that is portrayed on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Ten Commandments. There is another side of God.
Paul draws from Old Testament descriptions of the giving of the Law. At the time of the giving of the Ten Commandments by God to Moses, Paul describes Mount Sinai as “burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm” (v. 18b). Paul is referring to Exodus 19:16-18: “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently”.
Also, Deuteronomy 4:11 describes the scene: “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.”
Next, in this passage, Paul writes “and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore” 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow." (vv. 19b-20).
Here, Paul is citing Exodus 20:18-19: “When 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 and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die’ “, and Exodus 19:12-13: “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.’ “
Paul concludes this passage by writing “And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.") (v. 21).This is taken from Deut. 9:19a: “I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord.”
This quote is from Moses’ interaction with God after the Israelites worshiped the Golden Calf, not at the giving of the Ten Commandments. However, it is another description of a judgmental and fearful God.
This passage portrays the full power of God. It was threatening, scary, not at all the picture of a loving God of grace, but instead a picture of a fearful God of punishment.
This was the Old Covenant God, the God of the Jewish religion. Paul did not want the story to end for his Hebrew Christian friends with this portrayal of God.
He did not want them to see only this God, the God of the Torah. He did not want them to know God as being only a God of judgment and punishment.
That was not the God that he knew. He knew the God of the New Covenant, which is written of in the New Testament. That is why he reminded them, in this passage, of the kind of God they would be returning to if they returned to Judaism.
As Christians, thankfully, we know God as more than a God of judgment and punishment. That side still exists, and we should always respect God for His power.
But, we know God as a God of grace and goodness. We know God as a loving God who has a plan for us all, a plan to bless us and not to harm us, a plan to give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).
We have not come to a God who only judges. We have come to the God of Grace.