At Arm’s Length

March 2, 2019

In the Exodus story of the giving of the Ten Commandments, the author says something interesting. “But the people continued to stand a long way off, and only Moses went near the dark cloud where God was.” —Exodus 20:21 GNB

“The people stood a long way off.” They weren’t to actually ascend the mountain; only Moses (a type of Christ) had that invitation. They were however, invited to come to the foot of the mountain. But they were afraid. This mountain was volcanic, and apparently was erupting; they had ample reason to be afraid, except for one thing. They were invited, and Moses had already survived ascending into the smoke and fire. Instead of moving into the place where they could meet God, they moved away. It was a mistake they would come to regret.

“Standing a long way off” is the reason so many of us so easily fall into sin as did the children of Israel. We are afraid that if we get too close to God, we will be consumed—that the fire of his holiness will leave nothing left of what we want in life. So we stand at a distance and miss out on the glory Moses saw, and by failing to encounter the living God, we are ill-equipped to handle the challenges of life. Like Israel, we get stuck in the wilderness, succumbing to a variety of sins, stumbling over molehills of doubt when we could be tackling mountains of faith.

How often I’ve kept God at arm’s length, fearful that instead of filling me with his glory, he will destroy something I hold dear. I want God, but on my terms. Instead of coming close, I back away, and when the time of trial comes, I don’t have enough experience of his holiness and power to see me through. I don’t think I’m alone in this. 

Lent is almost upon us. The past few years, I’ve given up coffee for Lent. It’s become an easy sacrifice, which means it’s no sacrifice at all. This year, I’m going to try something different. One of the ways I think I keep God at arm’s length is by immersing myself in social media. Time that could be invested in drawing close is wasted in reading posts that serve merely to confirm the biases or convictions I already have. I need to invest more time in the Presence of the God who at times comforts, but more often challenges me. 

Tonight, I’m grateful for the Scriptures. Sometimes the little things in the text that don’t have to be there are what grab my attention and make me think. “Standing a long way off” is one of those little phrases. I’m glad it is there. It makes me want to be more like Moses and less like Israel.