Exodus 19: Between Cold and Hot Waters, the Unbridgeable Abyss of Being
Exodus 19: Between Cold and Hot Waters, the Unbridgeable Abyss of Being
"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession... Moses replied to the LORD, 'The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, "Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy."'" (Exodus 19:5, 23, NIV)
The author in chapter 19 alternately plunges readers into extreme cold and hot waters, completely disorienting them. Mount Sinai, where God's presence dwells, carries a severe electric current of death. God says "Come to me," yet anyone who crosses the mountain's boundary, even an animal, must be stoned to death. A desolate mountain of stones, thick darkness with thunder and lightning, and a command prohibiting approach. This is the cold water revealing the overwhelming otherness of the Creator that creatures dare not touch.
Yet from beyond that chilling boundary line comes God's first words that are far too warm: "You will be my treasured possession (Segullah)." "You will be a kingdom of priests." Before this cold barrier through which high-voltage current flows, Israel hears the hottest covenant of love. What does this paradoxical arrangement mean?
We often romantically interpret this boundary line as God's consideration to protect us. However, the author's intention lies in a place far more fundamental. Through this dramatic contrast of cold and hot waters, the author seeks to imprint deeply the fact that "there exists an ontological gap between God and Israel that can never be bridged." Holiness (Kadosh) is essentially separation. This boundary line is a solemn ontological declaration: "You are different from me."
The reason the author establishes such a fearsome distance is, paradoxically, to maximize the weight of the treasured possession covenant. "This absolute being whom we dare not even look upon has chosen worm-like us as His own possession." This shocking grace can only be grasped by those who have passed through thorough fear (Mysterium Tremendum). The higher the boundary line, the more wondrous becomes the hand of covenant reaching out from beyond it.
Amidst this deadly tension, there is one person who freely moves back and forth: Moses. He is not a hero wearing special protective gear but rather "the only exception" established by God. Moses symbolizes the image that was good (tov) in God's sight at the first creation. His freedom is proof of the authority God has granted him. The boundary of Mount Sinai is not meant to push us away. It is God's holy shock therapy to make us know before whom we stand, so that the coming Ten Commandments will be received not as mere advice but as life-and-death commands. Amid all the chaos of the trembling mountain, like a frozen frame, Moses stands face to face with God.