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Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

—Psalm 18:8-9, 13

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

—Exodus 19:16, 18-20

Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain.

—Exodus 24:17

Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” ...for our God is a consuming fire.

—Hebrews 12:21, 29

I have never stood at the edge of an erupting volcano.

Some of us know what it's like to stand at the edge of Niagara Falls, feeling the vibration through air and feet. What it's like to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking into distances across and down that the senses can't really interpret. What it's like to stand on or above a beach, seeing wave after wave after wave break onto the shore.

Some of us have walked down the beach into the breaking waves, even though the first time is intimidating. A few of us might have rappelled down a rock face, but certainly not stepped off without instructions and ropes. But not walked off the edge into Niagara Falls.

And certainly not climbed into an active volcanic eruption.

That kind of image comes to mind when reading of the appearance of the Lord at Mount Sinai and His call for Moses to come up. That call seems like a command for Moses to do what all of his senses were telling him NOT to do. But Moses obeyed in spite of fear and senses because the Lord, who had rescued the children of Israel from slavery, had come down to teach them how to live as His people.

Similar imagery appears in the song in which David praises the Lord for rescuing him from the hand of his enemies, including Saul.

Moses not only had to learn how to trust the Lord, he served as an example to the rest of the Israelites. Almost none of the people of his generation followed his example. Saul failed to trust and obey, and became more of a threat to David than the Philistines. Moses and David had to walk in faith and as examples.

The writer of Hebrews urges faith in walking the path of obedience. And that includes the comforting reminder that the path to Zion is a path to celebration. For most of us, it is a path far less physically intimidating than walking into a volcano or being pursued by a paranoid failure of a leader.

It is humbling to consider their faith. And it is crucial to hold onto reverence and awe before the One whom they followed.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty!

—Psalm 93:3-4

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

—Isaiah 60:1

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

—Daniel 12:3

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world

—Philippians 2:14-15

In the past few days, news broadcasts and social media have shown many awe-inspiring or even fear-inspiring images of tornados.

Instead of following the ancient Canaanites (and other cultures) into the mistake of treating the tornado as some sort of idol, we acknowledge it as physically powerful and fear-inspiring and then look past it to the infinitely more awe-inspiring Creator who laid out the land and stretched out the sky that bound such terrifying but temporary displays.

We can appreciate—even be intimidated by—powerful rolling waves that pound the seashore, then appreciate the lines of the psalm that echoes their rhythm. And then go beyond them to join the psalmist in hearing their sound as praise to the Lord in language we do not speak, seeing them bow down before the Lord as they break on the beach, and understanding their instability as contrast to the enduring faithfulness of the Lord.

We can follow David into seeing the sun, moon, and stars as beautiful and even useful. And then look past them to the one who gave them light.

We can read Genesis 1 as declaring boldly to the idolatrous world that surrounded its writing that the beauty and wonder of the universe only point to wisdom and power that set them in place and in motion. And then look beyond historical stereotypes to carefully consider the idols some still worship today.

And then we can look in the mirror.

We can join with David in wonder that the Lord made humans in His image and gave His light and love to such tiny beings. And recommit to being like the stars, shining with whatever kind of light each one has been given.

Not to proclaim ourselves, but to "join with all nature in manifold witness" to the one who gave us light.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

—Psalm 98:4

“For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

—Numbers 15:15-16

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

—Matthew 23:13

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me”

—Matthew 25:35b

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.”

—Luke 5:37

He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

—John 11:51-52

Good breaks out of improper boundaries.

Psalms and prophets describe all the peoples of the earth—and even the mountains and hills—as “break[ing] forth” in singing and praise. Waters break out in the desert. Light breaks out in darkness.

And the Lord breaks out of limits imagined by humans.

The inclusion of Rahab and Ruth—among others—in the history of Israel demonstrates the statement in the Law that “You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord.” The Lord opposed the idolatrous practices and cultures surrounding Israel. But there were people beyond the tribal boundaries that came to Him and were accepted by Him.

Genesis identifies Melchizedek as “priest of God Most High” long before the birth of Aaron. Or Levi. Or Jacob. And the author of Hebrews reasons carefully about the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek to show that the Law was not the boundary of the Lord's intent for humanity. And then connects that to Jesus being a priest: not after the line of Aaron, but “after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord had a purpose for the Law, but the scribes and Pharisees tried to use it as a box. But the Lord breaks out of—or even disregards—human-made boxes as surely as new wine breaks out of old, stiff, inflexible wineskins. And Jesus broke out of every expectation of the legalistic rulers as He broke into history so that light could break out in darkness and the water of life could break out of the wilderness and soften stony hearts.

When Jesus said, “I was a stranger...”, He was identifying not with the Pharisees and rulers, but with the outcasts whom the Pharisees and rulers had discounted and excluded.

And when He completed His work on the cross, the literal veil of the temple and the metaphorical wall between Jew and Gentile were torn apart and broken down.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

—Psalm 98:4

The Lord God,

who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,

“I will gather yet others to him

besides those already gathered.”

—Isaiah 56:8

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

—Matthew 12:30

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.”

—Mark 4:26

And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”

—John 6:12

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

—John 10:16

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles... Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

—Acts 8:1b, 4

There is a time to scatter seed and a time to gather in what has grown, whether the harvest or weeds. There is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them.

Adam and Eve were physically separated, but then “hold fast” and “become one flesh”. Paul's letter to the believers in Ephesus connects this profound mystery to Christ and His bride, the church.

Although most scattering has a negative connotation or outright destructive meaning, there are exceptions. Jesus told a parable about a sower who went out to scatter seed, a familiar image in non-mechanized agriculture. Scattering seed ensures that it reaches the widest possible area, although not all soils are equal.

When the religious authorities in Jerusalem attempted to crush the newly-born community of Jesus-followers, most of the disciples were scattered. But the Lord, who works for good in all things, empowered them to be sowers. Some of them did not at first understand how widely the seed was to be spread, but the Lord made that clear as well.

That part of the mystery had always been there, though few if any understood it. Moses proclaimed that, “You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord.” (How many of the hearers of Jesus thought of that when He said, “I was a stranger and you took me in.”) Many of the Psalms sing of “all the earth” or “all nations” or “all peoples” breaking out in praise and worship. Isaiah delivered the Lord's declaration that He would “gather...others”.

It was always the Lord's will to gather beyond the political and genetic and emotional boundaries of Israel/Judea. How much more, then, should we understand that His will and His love and His gathering go beyond any human-made boundaries of today?

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

—Psalm 98:4

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD.

—Jeremiah 23:1

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.”

—Ezekiel 34:20-22

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

—Matthew 12:30

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

—Matthew 23:37

Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”

—Matthew 26:31

There are some kinds of scatterers that are called out for judgment and woe.

Through Jeremiah, the Lord pronounced woe on the self-centered shepherds that ignore, abandon, or even drive away the flock instead of leading them and caring for them. Absorbed in their own interests, they did not look out for the interests and will of the one who had hired them, nor for the interests and well-being of the flock.

Through Ezekiel, the Lord pronounced judgment on the shepherds who used the wool for warmth and fed on the fat sheep, but neglected the weak, sick, injured, straying, and lost sheep. These shepherds scattered by their harsh treatment the flock that had been entrusted to them.

The word of judgment then turns to the fat, strong, and healthy sheep who mistreat and scatter the lean and weak among the flock. These arrogant sheep eat from the good pasture and drink from the clear water, then they trample down the remaining pasture and stir up mud in the water, leaving nothing for the weaker ones that they have shoved aside and scattered.

This tragic contrast of these selfish sheep versus David's image of the Lord as shepherd also stands in contrast to the explicit commands in the Law that allowed the poor and sojourners to glean from an adequate supply of remaining grain and fruit.

The Lord sees those who scatter. But He also sees those who are scattered and helpless.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

—Psalm 98:4

And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

—Numbers 15:14-16

The Lord God,

who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,

“I will gather yet others to him

besides those already gathered.”

—Isaiah 56:8

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.”

—Ezekiel 34:20-22

When the cloud lifted up, the Israelites broke camp. And Moses prayed for the Lord's enemies to be scattered. That didn't mean casually wandering away.

There is a hidden word play, even in English. The words "scatter" and "shatter" have a common etymology. Think of a clay pot, pitched from a high place onto the rocks below, or hit with a baseball bat. Or think of a demolition crew on a home improvement show, taking sledgehammers to worn-out cabinets not worth repairing. Struck hard, shattered to pieces that scatter in all directions.

It was the infection of idolatry and corrupt values that had to be cleared and cleaned out, so that they would not continue to destroy humans, made in the image of the Divine.

Some of us know what it means to have an infection that requires drastic action. Pardon the graphic imagery, but when a doctor lances an infection or a surgeon removes a ruptured appendix, it is a reluctant action taken to protect and save the rest of the body.

The treatment of non-Israelite sojourners in the Law and Prophets, as well as the inclusion of Rahab and Ruth in both Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, make it clear that the Lord is not concerned with genetics or appearance. As He told Samuel, “the Lord looks on the heart.”

Scattering almost always has a negative connotation in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms. The breaking up of language at Babel caused those people to scatter. The consequences of faithlessness led to Israel being scattered among the nations.

But the Lord works on a grander time-scale than humans. So there's more to come.

And there's hope for the shattered and the scattered.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness

to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

—Psalm 98:2-3

“Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

—Numbers 14:17-19

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”

—John 3:9

And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

—Acts 10:17, 34-35

Moses knew, both from first-hand experience and from up-close observation, that the Lord's judgment comes on those who reject Him but His patience extends to those who struggle to understand. Moses kept asking the Lord to forgive Israel. He listened to the Lord's instruction. And he acted accordingly.

Israel was called to be the people whose very existence demonstrated the righteousness and rescue of the Lord. But they kept complaining, disobeying, and rebelling. Based on the bad report from ten of the spies who returned from Canaan, they panicked, wailing, "We wish we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness!"

So the Lord gave them what they wished for. The Lord kept Israel in the wilderness until the faithless ones had died. But, as Moses had pleaded, the Lord kept the collective Israelite people alive, demonstrating His patience and power to preserve.

Darkness and light are important in John's gospel. Nicodemus came to Jesus “by night” to ask his questions. But at least he came. And listened. And kept asking. Scripture doesn't tell us the whole story of Nicodemus. We know that he tried to challenge the hostility of the chief priests and Pharisees, but they sarcastically rejected his question. We know that he later helped Joseph, a secret disciple, take the body of Jesus for burial. And that's all.

Some traditions hold that his faith in Jesus continued to grow. I hope so. But all we know from John is that as long as Nicodemus kept asking, Jesus kept answering. And later, Nicodemus acted.

Peter had his own dark nights, both figuratively and literally. When the Lord showed him in a vision of making clean the unclean, Peter was “inwardly perplexed”. (Shades of the perplexity of Nicodemus.) But when the Spirit clearly gave Peter the next step, he listened and he acted. Then, while Cornelius explained his reason for calling for Peter, Peter listened.

And then Peter understood.

The angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

—Psalm 34:7

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

—Psalm 46:1-3

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

—Numbers 13:32-33

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

—John 14:22-23

There's a rumor that makers of maps in medieval times labeled unexplored territories with the phrase, "Here be dragons!" (or, in Latin, Hic sunt dracones). That rumor, as is usually the case, is exaggeration bordering on falsehood. One globe, called "the Lenox Globe", dating from the very early 1500s, bears that phrase. That's all.

One source mentioned a second-century map of Ptolemy that warned about elephants, hippos, and cannibals, and a tenth-century map that labeled Asia as a place where lions abound. (The mention of lions may remind us of the proverb of the sluggard, who wails, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”) As time progresses, other historic maps have increasingly exaggerated references to monstrous animals and humans. Sometimes repetition, coupled with a lack of knowledge, causes fears to grow.

The tendency to blow things out of proportion and let fearful imagination run rampant is not confined to ancient or medieval cultures. There's even a contemporary word, "catastrophizing", for the tendency to imagine and dread the worst outcome for every situation.

Ten of the spies sent by Moses into Canaan fearfully reported of giants, compared to whom they felt like grasshoppers. I found seven references to “giants” in the ESV, all in 2 Samuel or 1 Chronicles. All were enemies of the Lord's people. All were defeated.

Jesus told His disciples that they should not be alarmed when they “hear of wars and rumors of wars”. Their belief in the Father and the Son was to protect their hearts from being troubled.

Humans exaggerate. For all kinds of reasons. But the Lord promised His love and presence to those who love Him and keep His word.

He protected His people from giants. He has overcome the world, and has final victory over the dragon.