Moses wanted what all of us need, the presence of God with us
By Dean Collins
A rebellious disaster might be an appropriate description of how the Israelites handled the 40-day absence of Moses. We can’t forget that Moses was away with God on the mountain because God called him there and was giving him instructions the Israelites needed. Yet in the void of the physical presence of Moses, the Israelites sought not just a new leader, they chose a new god.
God sent Moses down from the mountain to deal with the rebellion. Moses stepped into the situation and negotiated with God not to destroy his chosen people. Moses also cleaned house by having 3,000 people killed for their rebellious behavior.
God determined to get his people back on track toward the Promised Land. As chapter 33 opens, the Lord tells Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. . . . I will give this land [the land God had promised] to your descendants.” It would seem that all was well and good except for one thing. God promised an angel to go with them to drive out their enemies. “But I will not travel among you,” he added, “for you are a stubborn and rebellious people.” Ouch.
Seeking God’s presence
God’s presence had been the source of deliverance, protection, and provision, but their rebellion had changed God’s plans. He would send an angel to lead them instead of going with them.
Several places in scripture show us that angels are quite powerful. We definitely want them with us and not against us. But angels are a distant second to God himself. God had spoken to Moses and stated his plans. But Moses would have nothing of it. Moses pushed back. Arguing with God about what you will and won’t do seems like a dangerous conversation. It takes some courage to negotiate with God.
Moses took the approach of telling God the specific things God had told Moses previously:
You told me to take these people to the promised land.
You haven’t told me who will go with me. An angel? Which angel?
You told me you know my name.
You told me you look favorably on me.
If you look favorably on me, then show me your plans so I will be able to stay in your favor.
And another thing, God. These are your people and not mine.
If you don't go with us then I won’t go.
You can read the whole bold dialogue in chapter 33. Moses pushed God to show him his presence. Moses got most of his requests, but not all. God did change his plans and promised to accompany Moses and the Israelites. He did let Moses see some but not all of his presence.
Greater than angels
The early chapters of Hebrews confirm that Moses was right that God is greater than angels. Having God with us is much better than having an angel with us. But what we learn in the Gospels and in Hebrews is that because of Jesus, we now have God in us because of the gift of Jesus and of his Holy Spirit.
Hebrews tells us that we have direct access to God and that we can go boldly to his throne to receive his mercy and his grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:14-16).
We can approach God with the same boldness Moses had. When we repent of our sins and are covered by the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us, we can speak to God directly and ask boldly for his help. His promise to us is that he will listen and he will answer.
We long to see Jesus face-to-face in all of his glory, and we will when he returns. And while we wait, we also work his plan by sharing his love with words and actions. We can ask boldly for God to provide what we need to serve his people. If we are on kingdom business, then both the resources we need and the outcomes we seek are on God and not on us. Neither God’s plans nor his love will ever fail us.
We can pray boldly and serve boldly because God’s presence is with us and in us.
Your time with God’s Word
Exodus 33:1-6, 12-23; Hebrews 4:14-16; 8:6 NLT
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
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