Avoid the Trap

Avoid the Trap

Exodus 34: ¹⁰ And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. ¹¹ Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. ¹² Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. ¹³ But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images ¹⁴ (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), ¹⁵ lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.

 

¹⁷ “You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.

 

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GOD reiterated the covenant HE made with the children of Israel to Moses. HE gave Moses a very stern warning about idol worship and falling into the ways of the current culture.

 

My Observations:

• GOD said HIS name is Jealous, meaning HE will not stand for anyone to place a god above HIM.
• GOD said HE would drive out those who inhabit the land versus the children of Israel needing to do it.
• GOD did not want the children of Israel even mingling with the people who were blatantly against HIM.

 

“Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” is a dangerous culture that enables mingling with those who oppose GOD, with the hopes of getting ahead temporarily. GOD warns the children of Israel to tear down the altars, idols and wooden images of gods that were meaningless and had no power over HIM. HE also warned not to eat food sacrificed to false gods.  Lastly, HE warned them not to get married to the people of the land.

 

GOD was about to do marvelous things through the children of Israel and needed them to be as pure as possible. HE set up a temporary structure of forgiveness through priests. HE also would perform many miracles that no one had ever seen. All the children of Israel had to do was to stay away from worshipping idols, like they had just done. Worshipping people and their ways and their gods would be a trap that would cause the children of Israel to fall.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the covenant HE made with the children of Israel?
• Have you forgotten the promises GOD made with you and made your own adjustments to HIS promises?
• Can you ask GOD to remind you about HIS promises to you so you will not fall into a trap?

Undeserved Mercy

Undeserved Mercy

Exodus 34: And the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. ² So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. ³ And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”

 

⁴ So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.

 

⁵ Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

 

⁸ So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. ⁹ Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

 

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GOD tells Moses to cut two more tablets and bring them up the mountain so HE could write the ten commandments on them. HE also proclaimed who HE is and what HE does.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gave explicit instructions for Moses to come alone so HE could speak to him and give HIM instructions.
• GOD told Moses that he broke the tablets, showing him implied mercy.
• GOD said HE is the one who is “keeping mercy for thousands.”

 

What stood out to me was during GOD’s proclamation, HE mentions keeping mercy for thousands. I do not believe this is referring to salvation; rather, that GOD is so merciful, that there will be a small number of people who HE will show mercy on in a nontraditional way. In the book of Revelation, there was a number of people in heaven that could not be counted. But there will be some people in heaven who will wonder “How in the world did I get here?”

 

GOD shows us mercy for our sins. HE said so. BUT HE will also show mercy to some people who you and I would not think they should get mercy. That’s how merciful GOD is. But HE is very clear, that those who reject HIM fully, will not get HIS mercy.

 

The Canaanites flaunted their disbelief for generations. GOD would remember this blatant disobedience. But there were some who may have been innocent in their beliefs and chose to help the children of Israel versus attacking them. They may not have even knew why, but they were led by the SPIRIT.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about his second trip to get the commandments?
• What has GOD shown you mercy for?
• Do you want the same mercy GOD is giving to you to be placed on your enemies?

True Identity

 True Identity

Exodus 33: ¹⁸ And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

 

¹⁹ Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” ²⁰ But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” ²¹ And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. ²² So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

 

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Moses had one last request during this recorded conversation. “Please, show me Your glory.” Instead of saying “Okay,” GOD explains the answer and actions HE was going to take.

 

My Observations:

• The preincarnate JESUS explains that HIS choices for grace and compassion are HIS choice.
• The preincarnate JESUS warned Moses that he could not see HIS true face and live.
• The preincarnate JESUS put HIS hand over Moses face, revealed HIS heavenly glory and walked away so the entire area was filled with HIS glory.

 

Seeing GOD is huge! I can’t wait to see HIM in HIS full glory. In fact, the writer John says in Revelation that we will see HIS face in heaven. But for now, we have to wait. JESUS starts off with a very peculiar statement in response to Moses’s request. HE says that HE would proclaim HIS name as part of the revelation.

 

GOD cannot simply be seen, but heard and felt. HIS very presence declares how righteous and sovereign HE is. JESUS explains that when HE reveals HIMSELF, HE will declare HIS graciousness and HIS compassion.

 

Moses was not on the mountain at this point. GOD told him to stand on a rocky place with large boulders. There in the cleft of a boulder, HE would reveal HIS supernatural glory and hide Moses’s face to keep him from being harmed. GOD is too powerful for our cursed bodies to see. But one day we will be with HIM and will see HIM in HIS glorious state. We will see HIS true identity.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the parameters of showing HIS glory?
• Do you see the great lengths that GOD has taken to preserve you for HIS purpose?
• Are you actively trying to get to know the true identity of JESUS who is sovereign, gracious and compassionate?

 

Show me YOUR way and go with us

 Show me YOUR way and go with us

Exodus 33: ¹² Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ ¹³ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

 

¹⁴ And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 

¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶ For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

 

¹⁷ So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

 

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Moses recalls a conversation he had with the preincarnate JESUS. He quotes what was said. Then Moses asked for two favors.

 

My Observations:

• Moses asked GOD to “Show me now YOUR way.
• Moses also asked GOD to “Go with us.”
• JESUS responded favorably to both requests.

 

Given a huge responsibility, Moses wanted a deeper commitment from GOD. So far, the people saw Egypt fall and now they were being killed because of their lack of commitment to GOD. I believe Moses was worried about being aligned with GOD’s direction.  “Show me now YOUR way” was a way of saying, “YOU have told me I have found grace in YOUR sight, but I need to be aligned with your direction.”  Moses was taking GOD’s yoke upon him. JESUS replied “I will give you rest.”

 

Moses then asked for JESUS to go with him and the people. The rest of the world, literally, did not follow GOD. It was Noah and the ark all over again. Only those who had encountered GOD’s kindness would help, but most of the world wanted to oppose GOD. Moses hear JESUS mention several huge groups of people who wanted to stop the children of Israel.

 

His request for JESUS to “Go with us” was a cry for protection in a very dark world. “How will we survive without you?” was implied by his request. JESUS said HE would go because of Moses, not because of the people. GOD wanted to keep HIS promise of making the children of Israel a great nation. HE needed these sinful people to produce a sinless human. JESUS spoke about HIMSELF and assured Moses that HE would never leave them or forsake them.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about his requests?
• Has GOD ever given you a large direction but you needed HIS commitment?
• Have you asked GOD for HIS direction and for HIM to go with you on the journey?

Amazing Meeting

Amazing Meeting

Exodus 33: ⁷ Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. ⁸ So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. ⁹ And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. ¹⁰ All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. ¹¹ So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

 

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Still furious at the people, Moses left the camp and went far away so he could speak with the LORD. He made a tent, or tabernacle, so that he could speak with the LORD.

 

My Observations:

• GOD informally met with Moses and did not require special clothing, a special tent or for him to wash in a special basin.
• The preincarnate JESUS was the one who met with Moses face to face as a friend.
• The pillar of cloud may have been the presence of the FATHER and the HOLY SPIRIT.

 

There seems to be a distinction with GOD being everywhere and GOD interacting with a specific human. When GOD was interacting with Moses, the pillar of cloud would appear. The people could see that GOD was specifically meeting with Moses and they would watch the interaction from afar and worship in front of their own tents.

 

The meeting with Moses was sacred, yet informal. The pillar of cloud would prevent people from seeing the conversation between JESUS and Moses. There are some quiet times with the LORD that should also be a time that is not common. Aaron and his sons had to be formal when meeting with GOD.

 

JESUS’s meeting with Moses was amazing! Very little they spoke about was revealed. JESUS may have filled Moses in on more of the plan than we can imagine. While Moses was not allowed into the first Promised Land, I believe JESUS met with Moses to tell him the plans for ending the world as we know it. Moses later appeared with Elijah in front of Peter and I believe Moses was one of the two angels mentioned in Revelation. Whatever the case, Moses met with JESUS and it was amazing!

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the amazing meetings?
• What purpose has GOD given you and are you living it out?
• Are you living your life for GOD’s purpose and are you meeting with HIM daily to get next steps?

Deal With Stubbornness

Deal With Stubbornness

Exodus 33: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ ² And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. ³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

 

⁴ And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. ⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’ ” ⁶ So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

 

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GOD told Moses to leave Mount Horeb also known as Mount Sanai. HE told Moses to tell the people about their stubbornness.

 

My Observations:

• GOD called the people “stiff-necked” and warned that HE would consume them.
• GOD seemed to be predicting what it would take to enter the promised land and heaven.
• GOD told the people to take off their ornaments.

 

Making a golden calf was the top thing that GOD told the people not to do. Everyone heard it, yet they did it anyway. GOD knew the people were going to be stubborn and not move towards HIM. But even during all of this, GOD said HE would send HIS Angel, the preincarnate JESUS, to be their guide and to drive out those who openly opposed HIM.

 

It is amazing that GOD was trying to save the people, but the people HE was trying to save were opposing HIM. They were acting like the people of Canaan who despised GOD after getting off the ark that saved them. The land flowing with milk and honey represents the Promised Land and heaven. Only those who surrender their stubbornness and who seek the Shepherd will enter the place GOD has provided.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about the “stiff-necked” people?
• What stubbornness is GOD pointing out in you?
• Is there a part of your life that you need to surrender to GOD, even if you don’t know how?

Book of Life

Book of Life

Exodus 32: ³⁰ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! ³² Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

 

³³ And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. ³⁴ Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

 

³⁵ So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

 

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Moses returned to the LORD and reported back to HIM what GOD said when HE sent Moses back to the camp. Moses was very disappointed and asked GOD to blot his name out of the HIS “book.”

 

My Observations:

• The book spoken here may be the Lamb’s Book of Life.
• Those who rejected GOD in their hearts would be blotted out of the book.
• The Angel who would lead the way may have referred to the preincarnate JESUS.

 

What is revealed to us is there is a Book where names are kept. I believe the name GOD has given you and me are kept in this book. I also believe that belief in JESUS puts our name in the book. Belief in JESUS also inscribes your name and mine in JESUS’s hand who holds the Lamb’s Book of Life.

 

Those who oppose GOD would be blotted out. This, to me, means we have the free will to choose GOD or reject HIM. By rejecting HIM, our names can be removed from the Book. It actually takes effort to reject GOD. HE starts off with the names of everyone in the book. HE has also written HIS law in every human’s heart. But over time, a human can reject GOD for so long that the heart becomes hard and they believe they are GOD, making their own choices.

 

It is not about sin management; rather, it is about rejecting the relationship with the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT. We all are sinners and will continue to sin, but those who reject the need for a Savior and a daily Shepherd will be blotted out from HIS presence.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS book and the plagues HE sent on the remaining people who praised the Golden Calf?
• What is GOD saying to you about the condition of your heart?
• Will you accept JESUS who is knocking on your heart and asking to come in, not forcing HIS way in?