O Come O Come Emmanuel: Pt 3

We’re going to take the next verse out of order and today we’re going to look at stanza five. It says, “O come, O come, great Lord of Might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.” This verse focuses specifically on the events of Exodus 19-20 (and beyond depending on how far you want to take the notion of the “Law”). These chapters are such a challenging look at the difference between people who want to draw near to God by way of a relationship with him versus those who are merely satisfied with knowledge about him.

The lyricist again invites God to come, to intervene, and to have a personal encounter. Instead of addressing him as Emmanuel this time, he invites the Lord of Might to come down. This form of address immediately brought Genesis 17:1 to my mind. God comes to Abram (his name is changed four verses later) and reiterates the promise that Abraham first received in chapter twelve. However, remember, Abraham is old now. There is no physical way that he and Sarah could have children at this stage of their life. Yet God comes to him with a reminder that the fulfilment of the promises is not dependent on Abraham or Sarah (or us). God specifically introduces himself as “God Almighty” or El Shaddai. If God’s promises were reliant on our performance or ability, most would never come to pass. However, it is not by our strength or might. God is looking for obedience. He is not interested in a substitute of our own effort, our agenda, or even sacrifice. Rather, he is seeking hearts that will follow him.

An easy to overlook verse comes a little later in the chapter. I shared this on a previous blog post but it is relevant here so I want to include it. Abraham requests, “O that Ishmael might live before you!” (Gen. 17:18). We ask our own version of that question all too often. We want our effort, our work, and our sacrifice to be recognized. We want God to bless what we have produced. Ishmael was a living example of Abraham’s lack of trust and rest in God’s faithfulness…yet he was living. He was already there. If God was just going to give another son…why couldn’t he use the one who was already present? However, Ishmael (self-effort), was never the plan for the establishment of the covenant. God won’t bless what he didn’t produce. I’m not saying our self-effort can’t meet a measure of success. However, the fruit that remains, the covenant that produces life, and the true blessing from God can only be granted when we faithfully wait for what God has called us to. God blesses obedience, not our hard work (although obedience often involves action). This is the same reason he accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s.

This truth should be incredibly freeing to us! It isn’t our self-effort that determines our acceptance. Sometimes though, instead of being freeing, obedience is the last thing we want to give. After all, we want to be in charge. We want our own way. We want our Ishmael’s (i.e., our favorite program, our service in “x” ministry, our plans, etc.) to be used. We don’t want to admit that we may have wasted so much time. Yet we do not serve a God who can be bargained with. We serve God Almighty. We serve El Shaddai and El Elyon (the Highest High One). He is not in the business of negotiation. He is only interested in surrender. That is the essence of what Israel struggled with. They wanted an Almighty God who would work on their behalf…but not an Almighty God who demanded obedience in return.

This great and mighty God comes down in Exodus 19 to reveal something new about his nature and character. Israel had seen God work, deliver, judge, and provide. In the short time they had been away from Egypt, they had encountered God so many times but never quite like this. When I read Exodus 19:12-15, I can’t help but be so thankful that we are not reliant on man’s efforts or initiatives to clean ourselves up so that we can approach God. I cannot imagine a scenario where I set about washing my clothes or relying on another human to make me holy enough to draw near to God. Even then, they couldn’t truly fellowship with him. That open access that we talked about last time can only be available once Christ had reconciled us to the Father.

On the third day, God descends on the mountain. We read that, “All the people in the camp trembled” (Ex. 19:16). God delivers the basics of the Law, the ten commandments as we know them in Exodus 20:1-17. God wanted to be sure the nation of Israel didn’t approach the mountain and get killed but apparently that wasn’t a problem. We find this record, “The people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off [my emphasis] and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’…The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was” (Ex. 20:18-21).

They were called to the mountain for the giving of the Law. The tribes gathered (as noted in the song) but apparently only Moses really wanted to be there. Israel obeyed the minimum requirement to attend but they stayed as far away as possible. Instead of being grateful for God’s deliverance from Egypt or taking the opportunity to worship, they stood as far away as they could while being in compliance with the letter of God’s instructions. Much later, in Ps. 103:7, David offers this commentary, “He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.” Moses wanted to know God. He wanted to see God’s ways and glory (Ex. 33:13 & 18). We find this statement in Ex. 33:11, “Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” There aren’t many people in Scripture who received such warm commendation. Yet when we do find the accounts, that Daniel was beloved, that Noah found favor, that Abraham was God’s friend, or that Mary was favored, they are almost always a commentary on obedience. These people were not perfect. They still needed a Savior. However, they consistently chose a life of surrender>repentance when convicted>surrender. They saw glimpses of God’s glory and judgement and chose to worship in obedience instead of standing far off. As a result, they experienced God's presence, provision, and revelation, even in the midst of trials.

This Christmas season, I encourage all of us to think about where we’re standing. We have been given free and bold access to El Shaddai – the Almighty One. However, we are often content with a measure of distance because we don’t want to draw near and surrender. We want to be friends with God but on our own terms. We want our Ishmael’s, our good efforts, acknowledged and blessed. There is nothing hidden in the illuminating glory of the Self-Existent, All-Powerful, Creator God. He already knows the attitudes in our hearts. He already knows if we are trying to meet the minimum requirement for obedience or if we desire intimate fellowship with our Maker. If you aren’t sure where start with this process, let me encourage you (and me), to begin with worship. That should have been Israel’s response. They should have fallen on their faces. This is actually one of the only times in Scripture where God’s glory was so clearly revealed, and we have a record of people standing. Their knees didn’t bow because their hearts weren’t surrendered. In the middle of the busyness this season, listen to his voice. Hear his heart. Surrender where needed. Repent when convicted and rest in the knowledge that it is not about our own effort. He doesn’t need our Ishmael’s; he has always only wanted our obedient hearts.