Deuteronomy 5:22 KJV These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and He added no more.”

Deuteronomy 5:22 NASB  These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Deuteronomy is a neglected but valuable and instructive part of the canon of Scripture. On the plains of Moab, about to enter the promised land, the people of God listen as Moses, in a series of sermons, tells them to “remember” and then to “reverence” the God Who had delivered them from Egypt.

On ten occasions in the book, Moses refers to God as the One who spoke to them from out of the fire.

It must have been an awesome and overwhelming sight to have been at Sinai. The generation to whom Moses spoke, however, either had not been born or were only children at the time, and had not seen the mount that burnt with fire.

At that occasion, Moses related what was revealed: a God of majesty, might, and holiness. His Word — the Ten Commandments were issued with authority attended by the penalty for any infraction. The fire and the darkness added to the fear and dread of the onlookers (Heb 12:18-21).

I want to move to another mount and another darkness. This time, the fire is not visible, but it was certainly present. Think of the contrast in the revelation of God. “God commendeth His love …” The message issuing from the darkness is, first of all, one of the love of God for us. The world had never seen such a display of love as we see at Calvary. God had been revealing Himself in diverse ways and various times through His prophets (Heb 1:1), but now spoke in a new language, the language of “Son.”

But the revelation of Calvary was more than love; it included mercy and grace. In truth, it included the full character of God. We would not have a full revelation of God’s heart and character apart from the cross-work of Christ. We sing the words of Josiah Conder’s lovely hymn:

True image of the infinite

Whose essence is concealed

Brightness of uncreated light

The heart of God revealed.

From out of the darkness of Calvary came a cry that begins to enable us to plumb the heart of God, discovering His grace and His love. “My God, My God, why …?” In that lone cry, we see the awfulness of sin and the holiness of God. We begin to discern the demands of sin and the desire of God; we learn the love and grace of God.

From that darkness were not commands but a completed work. Out of that darkness did not come the danger of penalties but the assurance of a payment completed. The fire and the darkness of Calvary do not repel us in fear but compel us in worship. It is not terror and fear, but peace and safety.

The God Who thundered at Sinai was silent at Calvary. Yet, that silence did not mean an absence of revelation. God spoke in a language that only opened ears can hear.