The Word Became Flesh

December 24, 2025 - Christmas Eve

In Exodus 19 and 20, God, from Mt. Sinai, gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. Before speaking to the people, God made Moses put barriers at the foot of the mountain so the people wouldn’t touch the mountain and die, because unholy people can’t be in the presence of a holy God. Then, Mt. Sinai was covered by a cloud. Lightning, thunder, and the loud sound of a trumpet terrified the people. As if that weren't enough, the mountain was then covered in smoke because God Himself came down to Sinai in fire. The whole mountain shook. Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 20, God speaks from the fire and delivers the ten commandments to the people. Notice the reaction of the people to this remarkable event in Exodus 20:18-19. The people were terrified. They didn’t want to hear from God personally anymore. They wanted God to talk to Moses and then have Moses tell them what God said. Hearing from Moses was much less terrifying than hearing from God Himself. I am convinced that the Israelites were terrified because they knew they had broken all of these commandments and were liable to face the wrath of God. If sin separates us from God, and it does, how in the world can we be reconciled to a holy God? After all, we are just as sinful as the Israelites were. That’s where the phrase “But God” comes in. Because of his sinful nature, mankind (that’s us) couldn’t keep the law perfectly and reconcile himself to God. So, what did God do? He came down to us. John 1:14 says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”   What kind of God comes down to hang out with sinful people? Our God does. Not only did He hang out with us, but He hung out with us and lived a perfect life. He kept the law perfectly for us. He paid the price of our sins on the cross, and with that finished work, He reconciled us back to God. All we have to do is repent toward God and trust that finished work is enough. Immanuel. God WITH us. Only God can do that! Merry Christmas!