HEB. xii. 18, 22. “Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched;
but ye are come unto mount Zion.”
THERE are several thoughts suggested by the passage that
indicate the superiority of Zion over Sinai.
I. Sinai was the element of a sensuous economy, Zion
of a spiritual. There was in the former dispensation the
appointment of sacred places and a central temple of
worship; but now we have not a law but a life. The age
of visible symbol has passed away. Our temple is for
worship, not for sacrifice. Religion comes in the bareness
of the Saviour’s incarnation. Its glory is not of this
world. It goes straight to the inner man; it is spiritual in
its aim, and has an element of commonness which adapts
it to all of us.
II. The discipline of Sinai was rigorous. The Gospel
is a system of love. The people might not touch the
mountain. There was darkness, there was tempest, there
was the voice of terror. Even when the provision of
sacrifice was introduced the privilege was restricted. But
now God is near. Our law is the Gospel; our every
precept is a promise; the Holiest is not now concealed;
the veil is rent It is a happy thing to have come to
mount Zion.
W. Morley Punshon, D.D.