THEOSISVissarion (Nechaev)
The glory of God manifested itself. The Almighty descended in majesty upon the mountain. The splendor of God is disclosed through His creations and the acts of His divine providence. However, such revelations are perceived solely by those whose minds and hearts have been sanctified and enlightened through prayer and the study of divine truths. When it is stated that God's glory descended upon Sinai, it signifies that His presence was made evident through tangible signs. The cloud enveloped the mountain for six days, during which Moses witnessed this divine manifestation, yet he did not receive any command from the Lord at that moment. Ultimately, on the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. Why did the Lord not extend this call to Moses sooner?
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Why did Moses need to wait six full days? It was to allow him the time to prepare for the forthcoming revelations of God through acts of purification from worldly distractions and vanity—through devotion and prayer. Moses’ solitude during this time, far removed from the people and their clamor, played a role in this preparation, along with the awareness of the Lord’s immediate presence and the period of fasting that Moses began during these six days, which he continued for forty days while at Sinai. The voice of the Lord called out to Moses from within the cloud, indicating that the Lord's summons reached him from this divine presence. Further, verse 18 indicates that, in response to God’s call, Moses entered the cloud. This implies that up until that point, he had been outside the cloud, beneath it, and not within it, but rather in its shadow.