The Glorious Cloud Is Divine Revelation!

Last Sunday after Epiphany, Transfiguration, 2/26/17
Exodus 24:12, 15-18


The Glorious Cloud Is Divine Revelation!
I. It declares God’s law.
II. It proclaims God’s grace.


When traveling by air, I always select a seat by the window because I like to look at the earth below. But that view isn’t guaranteed. A thick deck of clouds means there won’t be anything interesting to see.

The same thing from the ground. When I hear an aircraft above me, I like to look and see what type of aircraft it is. Living near Wright-Patterson AFB as we do, there have been some amazing displays of both fighter jets and cargo jets in the skies above us. But on more than one occasion, I was only able to hear what was flying above me. Again, the clouds completely blocked my vision of it.

The same can be said for glimpses of the space shuttle flying overhead, unusual positions of the planets of the solar system, solar and lunar eclipses. They’re wonderful to view, if the skies are clear. Otherwise, the clouds hide our view.

But can you think of a situation in which the clouds actually reveal something to us? A few come to mind. You might look at a cloud formation and exclaim that it resembles something familiar to us on earth. The clouds at sunrise or sunset can paint pictures that are dazzling. An angry cloud formation can reveal an impending storm.

On this Transfiguration Sunday, clouds are an integral aspect of our worship focus. Matthew informs us that a cloud enveloped Jesus and three of his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. In the text before us this morning, Moses writes that a cloud covered Mount Sinai. These clouds were the result of an act of God. So, what was God trying to hide? Not a thing.

Instead, he was using the cloud of his glory to reveal something to Moses, to the disciples, and to us. He was using the cloud to tell us something about himself. The glorious cloud is divine revelation. Join me is seeing what our God was revealing about himself through this glorious event with Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Part I.

Your superior—a boss, a teacher, a coach—informs you, “I want to meet with you.” Their facial expression—if they’re even standing in front of you when they make this known to you—is uninformative. There’s no smile, no glistening in their eyes. There’s no body language that informs you they are going to enjoy this meeting with you. But, on the other hand, there’s nothing informing you that they won’t, and, by extension, that you won’t. But we tend to assume the worst. Dread begins to fill us. We’re not looking forward to that meeting.

The event described in our text takes place at Mt. Sinai. In a way, God was informing his people, the Children of Israel, that he wanted to meet with them. His purpose for doing so was to get a commitment from them. In fact, that commitment was critical for his relationship with them.

The words of our sermon text are from the end of Exodus 24. The events prior to this were significant. This wasn’t the first time Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord. In a previous meeting, the Lord established his covenant with the Children of Israel. He had Moses write down what he promised to do for the Children of Israel and what he was expecting from them as his people. Moses then went down the mountain to the people and read to them everything God had told him. And the people responded as the Lord desired. They proclaimed, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey (Ex. 24:7).

Moses then ascended Mt. Sinai again and brought to the Lord the people’s response. This time Moses had Israel’s 70 elders, or leaders, with him, as well as Joshua, his young aid. The verses before our text describe how they saw the Lord, although not the fullness of his glory. They also saw what appeared to be a pavement of sapphire under his feet. And they ate and drank in his presence. That’s where the opening verse of our text breaks in. The Lord said, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.” Moses was in the presence of God to receive from him the two stone tablets with the Commandments written on them with the finger of the holy God. Can you imagine such a meeting? Moses never informs us how he felt, but can you imagine it? How would you feel? I’m sure I would be so filled with fear at being in the presence of the holy God that I’d pass out.

In fact, that was the reaction of the Children of Israel who were gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai. Our text tells us, “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.” Wasn’t that rather rude for the Lord to cause such fear? How could he be so unconcerned about their reaction to this appearance of the glory of the Lord? Why did he have to reveal himself as a consuming fire? Wouldn’t a small, glowing, friendly fire have been better?

Absolutely not! Our text informs us that Moses spent 40 days and nights on top of Mt. Sinai with the Lord. While he was there the commitment to the Lord that the Children of Israel had just made wilted. In fact, they trashed it. Do you remember what they did? They asked Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make a golden calf for them so they could bow down and worship it. Moses had shared with them God’s very first commandment—that they should have no other gods and that they should not make any graven images. They had promised to do everything the Lord had said. So, while God is writing that commandment with his finger on that first tablet of stone, his people are committing spiritual adultery. That’s something that the holy God will not tolerate. That’s what the glorious cloud proclaimed. He is the holy God who demands that they keep his commandments.

The glorious cloud is divine revelation. It declares God’s law.

The Children of Israel, I’m sure, had the best of intentions. They were sincere when they promised to keep God’s commands. But by nature the human heart is exceedingly wicked. And their commitment to the Lord quickly vaporized. We know what that’s like, don’t we? Like you, I promise that I’m not going to fall into that sin again. I’m going to do what God expects of me. And it works…for a while. But it isn’t long before materialism, greed, covetousness, discontent, a foul attitude, lust, worry or pride get the best of me. And once they’ve captured my heart, they quickly become evident in the sinful way I speak and act. Can you identify with that? We all can. The Children of Israel could, too. The cloud of God’s glory reveals that he is serious about sin. But he also knows our utter inability to do what he demands. So, he promised and sent the Commandment-keeper for us. He’s the One who appeared in glory of the Mount of Transfiguration. He’s the One with whom God is well-pleased because he kept every one of God’s demands for us.

Part II.

The reaction of the Children of Israel to the glory of the Lord is predictable. It’s the reaction of every sinner in the presence of God’s glory. We’re terrified. It’s been that way ever since the fall into sin. Recall what Adam and Eve did when they heard the Lord walking in the garden. They didn’t run to him for help; they fled from him into hiding.

The Children of Israel had told Moses soon after their arrival at Mt. Sinai, “Tell the Lord not to speak to us. Have him speak to you and then you tell us what he said.” They wanted Moses to be their mediator.

And that’s what Moses was doing for them at the top of Mt. Sinai in the event described here for us. The Lord’s main objective was not to frighten the Children of Israel so that they fled from him. No, he wanted to have a loving relationship with them. That’s why he called Moses to himself. The Lord wasn’t revealing his glory to Moses and the Children of Israel in order to condemn them, but to save them. What amazing grace!

So, he called Moses to himself as the Mediator for the people. And this wouldn’t be the last time Moses ably served God’s people in this way. I referred earlier to their worship of the golden calf. Do you recall the Lord’s reaction? He was so filled with righteous anger that he threatened to wipe them off the face of the earth. But Moses pleaded with the Lord to relent and he did. Because that’s who the Lord is. He is the God of free and faithful grace. And that’s what the glorious cloud reveals about our God.

The glorious cloud is divine revelation. It proclaims God’s grace.

And that’s what the Transfiguration of our Lord is all about. The Lord appeared there on that mountain is all his divine glory to be prepared for the final segment of his work as our Savior—the hell that he would suffer on Calvary’s cross. On that mountain he also received his Father’s divine approval. That glory and that approval are exactly what we need to see and hear as well. Here’s the One who is going to battle with Satan for us. Here’s none other than God’s own Son. The outcome was never in doubt. His sufferings and death earned our forgiveness. His resurrection assures us that we are not guilty before our God. Forgiveness and eternal life. That’s what God’s glory is all about. See it in these coming weeks of Lent in the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Savior! Amen.