Through mighty signs and wonders in the form of 10 plagues, God revealed Himself not only to Pharaoh and the Egyptians but also to His people, Israel. Experiencing the first three plagues with Egypt was enough proof to Israel of the POWER and MIGHT of their God. It brought hope to suppressed people who trusted in the hand of the deliverance of their Creator. With hope and trust, they could start to rebuild a relationship with their King.

No longer did they doubt in Moses being His agent; they were willing to do what it takes to follow His instructions to get out of slavery. Under the guidance of Moses, they still struggled with the same problem most of humanity still faces today. They did not fear God; they heard the tales told by their parents, saw His hand in the plagues, but did not fear Him yet.

What did it take in our lives to truly fear Him? Do we know what it means to fear Him? By fear, I do not mean an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. Not fear of the possibility of eternal hell, punishment and suffering if you do not obey.

To fear God is a positive and not a negative expression of your relationship with the Almighty Creator and King of the Universe.

The fear of God in Israel’s life after Egypt started at Mount Sinai. Here, they experienced His presence, not just signs, wonders and miracles.

His presence came down on the mountain with a demonstration of His POWER. It was like all “natural disasters” at once. No wonder insurance policies refer to natural disasters as acts of God.

It felt like a massive earthquake as the mountain and surroundings trembled in the presence of the Almighty. The earthquake was accompanied by a type of cyclone as storm winds blew, accompanied by lightning. Like a volcano, the mountain was on fire and covered with a thick cloud.

And then, as if these were merely background sounds, He called out to Moses in a loud voice and asked him to come up the mountain.

Moses was instructed to go down and tell the people and even the priests not to try to break through the barrier at the foot of the mountain. Even though they prepared themselves and washed for 3 days, they would surely die if they come into His holy presence. Only Moses and the High Priest, Aaron, were allowed to break through the barrier and come into the manifested presence of the Almighty.

Israel experienced a negative fear at first, begging Moses not to let God speak to them again directly. They respected the boundary that was put in place and knew without doubt that the boundary was there for their protection.

They lived at the foot of this mountain, and negative fear, where their safety was their focus, was slowly turning into fear of God. Respect and reverence formed the foundation for their relationship with Him. They were ready for Him to come and dwell in their midst.

Let us skip forward to this week’s Torah piece. In Exodus 40:34–38, they finished the building of the Tabernacle exactly as instructed by God through His prophet Moses. And then it happened: The presence of the Almighty moved from the mountain to the Tabernacle. It is not described as when He descended on the mountain—no earthquake, no thunder, no loud noise. It was just the cloud of His presence that moved. No longer is He on the outskirts of the camp on top of a mountain, but now He is in their midst.

The cloud was not just an umbrella over the tent. Not like a location pin—the familiar red dot we find on Google Maps pointing to a location.

On the mountain, He had to reveal Himself in might for them to understand the fear of Adonai. A mountain where only Moses and Aaron could come close to His presence. A place where He talked to His people via Moses, His prophet.

Now things have changed. A healthy relationship is being restored. They got to know and fear Him, they had respect and knew the boundaries without the need for a fence to keep them out.

He moved into their midst. There is no record of His strength or might, only of His love, mercy, kindness, protection, and character.

The cloud is now over the tabernacle by day to draw those in need of shade closer, and a pillar of fire at night to provide light and warmth in a cold desert at night. Being close to His presence was no longer threatening or scary; it did not cause negative feelings of fear.

They knew Him and had a positive fear or respect for Him. They were willing to move when He moved and camp where He settled without a need to question why or give opinions on better-suited locations.

The questions that come to mind if I ponder on this is:

Do we know the boundaries?

Do we truly fear Him?

Do we truly respect Him as the ALMIGHTY God?

Do we serve Him to secure our place in heaven, or do we serve Him for who He is?

Do we see Him as kind of our equal, our friend, and even our servant?

Is He there to give us what we ask for, or is He our provider, the one we thank for what we have not demanded?

Is He there for us to vent our anger and disappointment to, or is He the one we cry out to for comfort?

In summary, who is the focus, or God, in our relationship? Do we fear for our lives or have reverence or fear for who He is?

The Word says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The Wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

After we master fearing God, His Spirit shall rest upon us and will be visible as we display it and live it out to the world through our works. We will reflect His image and be worthy image bearers as the spirit or Wisdom, Understanding, Counsil, Might, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord guide us in all our actions and reactions. Guide us in how to live a Kingdom live within the boundaries of the Kingdom rules written in His Word.

All to the glory of our Creator, King and Father.