Wed Study | Oct 30, 2024 | Session #31 | Hebrews 12:18-24

Session #31—Hebrews 12:18-24The book of Hebrews makes frequent comparisons between the old covenantand the new covenant to demonstrate the vast superiority of the privileges andbenefits believers enjoy in the new covenant. Tonight we come to another one ofthose powerful comparisons. This time the symbolism involves two mountains.Mount Sinai is something like Jacob’s stew, while Mount Zion is like Esau’sbirthright. The birthright and its blessings were vastly better, but these werefuture and thus “unseen.”The revelation of God to Israel at Mount Sinai was seen, heard, smelled (thesmoke), and felt (the earthquakes). The law that was given set forth God’sconditions for Israel’s enjoyment of an earthly kingdom. Judaism clung to Sinai,Moses, and the Old Covenant because it seemed to offer a more immediate andmore visible kingdom.Mount Zion, on the other hand, represents a spiritual city (“the heavenlyJerusalem”) and thus a spiritual kingdom. Mount Zion represents all thatChristians hope for in the next life and that for which they are willing to makegreat sacrifices in this life. Just as Esau had to make a choice between a bowl ofstew and God’s promised blessings, so the Jewish readers had to choose betweena present, earthly, Jewish kingdom (Mount Sinai) with its earthly temple, or God’spromised eternal kingdom (Mount Zion).This passage provides a fascinating and frightening warning ofGod’s judgment. Every human being will be judged by the law or bygrace, by his own works or by Christ’s work, by the provisions ofMount Sinai or by the provisions of Mount Zion.God has two sets of books. One set contains the names of those who haverejected the Lord Jesus Christ. The other set records the names of those whohave received the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.1October 30, 2024CFBC… Wednesday Night StudyHebrews 12:18–19a… For you have not come to a mountain that can betouched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 andto the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such thatthose who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For theycould not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BESTONED.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR andtrembling.”Vs. 18—The word for requires the reader to look backward. It grounds what theauthor is about to say in what he has just finished saying in verses 12–17. Esauwas a man who lacked faith in God, and thus he made his choices based on whathe could see and smell and taste. The mention of Esau and his rejection in theprevious verse leads the writer to speak of the judgments of the Old Testament(covenant) as opposed to the blessings of the New Testament (covenant).Vs. 18b-19a— The Old Covenant was associated with Mount Sinai because thatis where God spoke to Moses when that covenant was instituted. It was acovenant of law, of judgment, and of fear. It said, “Do this, or do not do that, oryou will be judged.” In some cases it said, “Do not do this, or you will die.”1Sinai was a physical mountain, and therefore was able to be touched and seen.The Old Covenant was the foundational covenant which supplied the elementaryprinciples of God’s nature, will, and standards. It was therefore given and was tobe obeyed.2 In preparation for giving the law, the Lord God enacted some clearexpectations (Exodus 19:1-17). The people were…▪ to consecrate themselves by washing their clothes (v. 10)▪ to abstain from sexual relations (v. 15)▪ to avoid even touching the mountain (v. 12)It was a unique day in human history. The demonstration of God’s power wasthrough the physical means of thunder, lightning, thick clouds, loud trumpetsounds, fire, smoke, and violent trembling of the earth (16–18). Theseremarkable signs were designed to convince the people of the absoluteunapproachableness of God. No defiled sinner could come near and witness Hisholiness and live. 3Hebrews 12:19b-21… For you have not come to a mountain that can be touchedand to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to theblast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that thosewho heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they couldnot bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.”21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR andtrembling.”The Jewish people gathered at Mt. Sinai were gripped with fear and sheer terror(Exodus 20:18-21). Moses assured them that if they had the proper fear of Godand if they obeyed Him they would have no reason to be terrified. All of this wasintended to give them a desire to avoid sin at all costs!The God of Sinai is truly a God to be feared, a God of judgment and ofpunishment. The writer of Hebrews is saying to his readers, “If you go back toJudaism, you are going back to a covenant of law, fear, judgment, and death.”42 Corinthians 3:7–8… But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved onstones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intentlyat the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?John MacArthur stated…At Sinai, sinful and unforgiven man stands before an infinitely holy andperfectly just God. Guilty, vile, and undeserving of forgiveness, he hasnothing to expect from Sinai but God’s condemnation. The symbols ofSinai are darkness, fire, trembling, and trumpets of judgment. For anunforgiven sinner, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of theliving God” (Heb. 10:31). There is good reason to fear at the foot of Sinai.The purpose of the Law was to bring the people face to face with theirown sinfulness and to show them their need for the Savior. 5Even Moses, to whom God had spoken through the fiery bush and through whomHe had challenged Pharaoh, could not stand at Sinai without fear.Galatians 3:10… For as many as are of the works of the Law are under acurse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGSWRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”Partial obedience will not cut it with the one true God who is infinitely holy! Thatbrings us to another mountain, Mount Zion.Hebrews 12:22–24… But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of theliving God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the generalassembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God,the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and toJesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, whichspeaks better than the blood of Abel.When David conquered the Jebusites and placed the ark on Mount Zion, thismountain was considered to be the earthly dwelling place of God.Psalm 132:13–14… For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has de...