In Hebrews 12:18-21 Paul recounted the experience of the ancient Jews under the Old Covenant, when they first appeared before the Lord on Mount Sinai during the days of Moses (cp. Exodus 19 and 20). He contrasts this incident with the New Covenant experience in Hebrews 12:22-24. The initiation of the Old Covenant was a terrifying experience, one in which they all thought they might die. In fact, anyone, whether man or animal, that even touched the mountain had to be slain (Exodus 19:12-13).
Paul claimed Mount Sinai burned with fire, and yet there was also blackness and darkness and a tempest (Hebrews 12:18). In Exodus it was described as: “there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16), and it burned: “because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Exodus 19:18).
When the people witnessed the sight and felt the ground shaking beneath their feet, they ran and stood a great distance away. Then they told Moses that he should go and listen to what the Lord said and come and tell them, and they would obey. However, they didn’t want the Lord to speak with them personally, because they were certain that would mean they’d die (Hebrews 12:19-20; cp. Exodus 20:18-19). Even Moses was terrified (Hebrews 12:21), but he knew the terrifying sights amounted to a test, so he drew near to the Lord (Exodus 20:20-21).
So, what does all this tell us? I believe Paul is explaining what was deficient with the Old Covenant. It didn’t bring God and mankind together. In fact the opposite is true. Due to the condemnation theme throughout the covenant, namely, death for those who disobey, it kept the Lord and his people distant from one another, rather than in close proximity (viz. the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy, which points to separating earth from heaven). This conclusion is made manifest in the fact the people ran away from the word of God, when he spoke with them (Exodus 20:18-19). This is also symbolized in the appearance of the Lord under “blackness and darkness” and a fearful “tempest” (Exodus 19:16, 18).
In his second epistle Peter mentions “blackness and darkness” (2Peter 2:4, 17), calling it “chains of darkness” and a “mist of darkness” respectively.[1] He is describing the minds of those who rebel against God. They have their minds darkened, so they cannot see the coming judgment. So, unless God enlightens a person’s mind, that one is unable to understand what the will of God is in a given situation. In other words, all God has to do to darken a man’s mind is to withdraw from him and let him to his own devices (cp. Romans 1:24, 26, 28). The minds of unbelievers have been darkened, and they have been cast into prison (i.e. a chain of darkness) until their judgment. This implies that those who would abandon the way of Christ in Paul’s day would also have their minds darkened by the Lord’s withdrawing from them. In such a case, false teachers would further cloud their hearts and minds, and they would be unable to see how damaging their abandoning the way of Christ had upon their lives, unless they repented and returned to the council of God’s word, the Gospel.
Therefore, God’s judgment upon unbelief is a darkened mind, so that the way of the Lord is completely unknown to the one under judgment (cp. Romans 1:21). In effect, this was the problem of the Old Covenant. One’s sins which were always before the Lord, had separated mankind from his God (Isaiah 59:2), and so man’s heart and mind were darkened. This was the veil of separation between God and man, which is torn away in Christ (2Corinthians 3:14-16). Under the New Covenant, however, sin is not an issue, for sins are taken away in Christ. Under the New Covenant God no longer looks upon our sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Therefore, there is no separation between God and the believer in Christ.
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[1] See my earlier studies: The Angels Who Sinned; and The World of the Ungodly.
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