Powerful and Loving 既威严又慈爱
Dexu Xia
You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Deuteronomy 4:11
In 2020, the Ecuadorian volcano Sangay erupted. The BBC described the “dark ash plume which reached a height of more than 12,000 m.” The discharge covered four provinces (about 198,000 acres) in gray ash and grimy soot. The sky turned dingy and grim, and the air was thick—making it difficult to breathe. Farmer Feliciano Inga described the unnerving scene to El Comercio newspaper: “We didn’t know where all this dust was coming from. . . . We saw the sky go dark and grew afraid.”
The Israelites experienced a similar fear at the base of Mount Sinai, as they “stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire . . . with black clouds and deep darkness” (Deuteronomy 4:11). God’s voice thundered, and the people trembled. It was terrifying. It’s an awesome, knee-buckling experience to encounter the living God.
“Then the Lord spoke,” and they “heard the sound of words but saw no form” (v. 12). The voice that rattled their bones provided life and hope. God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and renewed His covenant with them. The voice from the dark cloud caused them to quake, but also wooed and loved them with tenacity (Exodus 34:6–7).
God is powerful, beyond our reach, even startling. And yet He’s also full of love, always reaching out to us. A God both powerful and loving—this is who we desperately need.
When has an encounter with God made you tremble? How did He also communicate love?
God, at times I’ve approached You too casually, assumed too much. Thank You for Your patience with me. And thank You for Your love.
那时，你们近前来，站在山下，山上有火焰冲天，并有昏黑、密云、幽暗。—申命记4章11节
在2020年，厄瓜多尔的桑盖火山爆发，根据BBC的报导，黑色的火山灰云喷到超过12,000公尺的高空，排出的火山灰将四个省份（约802平方公里）覆盖在灰烬与污烟之下。天空变得灰暗阴森，严重的空气污染简直让人无法呼吸。有一位农夫描述当时吓人的情景：“我们根本不知道这些灰是从哪儿来的。只看到天空变得幽暗，大家都害怕极了。”
古时，那群站在西奈山下的以色列民，也同样感到恐惧战兢，当时“山上有火焰冲天，并有昏黑、密云、幽暗”（申命记4章11节）。上帝发声如雷，百姓颤抖，这是多么震天骇地的景象啊！与永活的上帝面对面是如此令人敬畏的经验，人们甚至站立不住。
后来，当上帝说话时，众民“只听见声音，却没有看见形象”（12节）。但这令人骨头发颤的声音却带来生命与盼望。上帝向以色列人颁布十诫，又再次与他们立约。这乌云中的声音虽让以色列人害怕颤抖，但发出这声音的上帝也同时坚定不移地爱他们、吸引他们来归向祂（出埃及记34章6-7节）。
上帝是大有能力的，甚至令人惊惶，不敢亲近祂。然而祂也是充满慈爱，主动与我们亲近的上帝。这位既威严又满有慈爱的上帝，正是我们迫切需要的！
你曾有遇见上帝而令你颤抖的经验吗？
除了使你惊惶，祂如何向你表达祂的爱呢？
亲爱的上帝，有时我到祢面前的态度太过轻率，也太自以为是。感谢祢对我的忍耐，感谢祢对我的爱。