And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  And they said unto Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”  And Moses said unto the people, “Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:18-21

In order for the people to know and believe that Moses received the word from the LORD, God had instructed Moses to have the people come to the foot of the mountain called Sinai. They would not be allowed to come near  the place where God was, but near enough to hear the voice of the LORD.

In the reading of chapter 20 of Exodus the above verses follow the giving of God’s law called the Ten Commandments. They are given in the hearing of the people, and their response is given above.

The people see and feel the quaking, rumbling, and smokey mountain at the presence of the LORD, and are quite afraid.  They tell Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear: but do not let God speak with us.” The people of God ought to want to hear the voice of the LORD.

We have people today who say they hear God’s voice, but much of what they say is contrary to the written word of God. God does not contradict Himself. Moses heard, listened, and heeded the word of the LORD. Moses went into the darkness where God was, and talked with Him.

I do not fully understand God being in the darkness, but this is not the only place where it speaks of His darkness. In Genesis 15:12 a “horrible great darkness” fell on Abraham from which God came and spoke to him.

First John 1:5 tells us that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. That may seem like a contradiction, but is more of a paradox that a contradiction. Meaning that darkness and light come along side one another to show the truth.

Because we humans are sinful beings God is unapproachable while we are in sin. God is light for those who come to Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

As Moses went into the darkness “where God was” is because he had already been with God before, and God had cleansed him, and provided his redemption.

One final thought: If you desire to hear the voice of the Lord, open the pages of God’s holy word – the Bible – and read it. Start with the Gospel of John, and there you will meet Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God, who is God the Living Son.