Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
The verse belongs to the account of the Lord speaking to assembled Israel at Mount Sinai and giving His law and commandments, with promises connected to their obedience, highlighting the extraordinary event of God speaking from the midst of fire to the people who heard His voice and lived. It recalls Israel hearing God's voice speaking out of the midst of the fire and living, an extraordinary and solemn direct revelation without equal that no other people experienced. Moses recalls this hearing and living as evidence that the Lord had uniquely revealed Himself to Israel, who thereby were instructed directly and made witnesses to His power and presence.
God Himself spoke to the people out of the pillar of cloud, telling them the acts they should do and the actions they should not do. God took Israel as a nation from the midst of another nation by temptations, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, a stretched-out arm, and great terrors in Egypt before their eyes, and out of heaven made them hear His voice to instruct them and on earth showed them His great fire so they heard His words from the fire. This was done that they might know that the Lord He is God and there is none else beside Him in heaven above and earth beneath, because He loved their fathers and chose their seed and brought them out of Egypt with mighty power to drive out nations greater and mightier and give their land for an inheritance. The directions He gave are sacred truth, the expressions of the mind of the infinite God and the principles of the law of God, the very same principles later expressed in James 3; they never lose their force, every word is to be cherished, and the truth is to be preached.
Therefore they must take heed not to forget His covenant nor make a graven image or likeness of anything forbidden, for the Lord is a consuming fire and jealous God. The law God proclaimed at Mount Sinai in this setting is to be observed by all who identify with God's people, including the true Sabbath. They must keep His statutes and commandments, whose sacredness and binding duty the chapter sets forth, that it may go well with them and their children after them and they may prolong their days on the earth given them forever, making obedience the condition of prosperity and well-being and long life. The word so spoken was verified, for the people disobeyed and only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan while the rest died in the wilderness, and the Lord will today vindicate His word in the same way if the leaders of His people depart from His commandments.
When in tribulation in the latter days, if they turn to the Lord and obey His voice He will not forsake nor destroy them nor forget the covenant sworn to their fathers. The fourth chapter, and with it the fourth through eighth chapters that set forth what God required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people unto Himself, should be studied carefully as a whole by those who would be counted among God's covenant-keeping people. Those chapters are to be studied with profit now because the day of God's great final review is near, when the people of this world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds, in this present time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity. Israel heard the voice of God from the fire and lived because they are the people of His care, and God wants His cared-for people to improve upon His great sacrifice in giving Jesus, His only begotten Son, who came in humanity so that humanity might grasp the divinity of Christ and have no excuse for sin.
Every sinful soul can repent, and when humanity grasps divinity and humanity and divinity are combined, all the corruptions that are in the world are worked out and lust cannot overcome those who connect humanity with divinity, and this is the work before God's people. The directions are to be acted out in principle in all religious service toward God and toward one another by being Christian gentlemen, loving as brethren, doing no injustice, and always showing liberality, tenderness, compassion, and true courtesy. The infinite God will not be trifled with and would be represented by His people through correct principles in everything, and all who depart from His word in their actions misrepresent His character, while light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.
The verse belongs to the account of the Lord speaking to assembled Israel at Mount Sinai and giving His law and commandments, with promises connected to their obedience, highlighting the extraordinary event of God speaking from the midst of fire to the people who heard His voice and lived. It recalls Israel hearing God's voice speaking out of the midst of the fire and living, an extraordinary and solemn direct revelation without equal that no other people experienced. Moses recalls this hearing and living as evidence that the Lord had uniquely revealed Himself to Israel, who thereby were instructed directly and made witnesses to His power and presence.
God Himself spoke to the people out of the pillar of cloud, telling them the acts they should do and the actions they should not do. God took Israel as a nation from the midst of another nation by temptations, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, a stretched-out arm, and great terrors in Egypt before their eyes, and out of heaven made them hear His voice to instruct them and on earth showed them His great fire so they heard His words from the fire. This was done that they might know that the Lord He is God and there is none else beside Him in heaven above and earth beneath, because He loved their fathers and chose their seed and brought them out of Egypt with mighty power to drive out nations greater and mightier and give their land for an inheritance. The directions He gave are sacred truth, the expressions of the mind of the infinite God and the principles of the law of God, the very same principles later expressed in James 3; they never lose their force, every word is to be cherished, and the truth is to be preached.
Therefore they must take heed not to forget His covenant nor make a graven image or likeness of anything forbidden, for the Lord is a consuming fire and jealous God. The law God proclaimed at Mount Sinai in this setting is to be observed by all who identify with God's people, including the true Sabbath. They must keep His statutes and commandments, whose sacredness and binding duty the chapter sets forth, that it may go well with them and their children after them and they may prolong their days on the earth given them forever, making obedience the condition of prosperity and well-being and long life. The word so spoken was verified, for the people disobeyed and only two of the adults who left Egypt entered Canaan while the rest died in the wilderness, and the Lord will today vindicate His word in the same way if the leaders of His people depart from His commandments.
When in tribulation in the latter days, if they turn to the Lord and obey His voice He will not forsake nor destroy them nor forget the covenant sworn to their fathers. The fourth chapter, and with it the fourth through eighth chapters that set forth what God required of His ancient people that they might be a holy people unto Himself, should be studied carefully as a whole by those who would be counted among God's covenant-keeping people. Those chapters are to be studied with profit now because the day of God's great final review is near, when the people of this world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds, in this present time of investigation when every character will have been investigated and every case decided for eternity. Israel heard the voice of God from the fire and lived because they are the people of His care, and God wants His cared-for people to improve upon His great sacrifice in giving Jesus, His only begotten Son, who came in humanity so that humanity might grasp the divinity of Christ and have no excuse for sin.
Every sinful soul can repent, and when humanity grasps divinity and humanity and divinity are combined, all the corruptions that are in the world are worked out and lust cannot overcome those who connect humanity with divinity, and this is the work before God's people. The directions are to be acted out in principle in all religious service toward God and toward one another by being Christian gentlemen, loving as brethren, doing no injustice, and always showing liberality, tenderness, compassion, and true courtesy. The infinite God will not be trifled with and would be represented by His people through correct principles in everything, and all who depart from His word in their actions misrepresent His character, while light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.