The progression from Genesis through to today, with Exodus 32, is really revealing God’s determined forward motion towards a solution for humankind.
There is no way back to the oneness with him by effort. But He has proven that faith movies Him. Faith and obedience, are so key.
Exodus 32-34
Link to Online Bible to read Exodus 32-34 is here
Reading Exodus 32 – 34 today. But starting here with “Show me your way that I may know you”,
“How shall it be known, here that I and thy people have found grace in your sight? Is it not that you go with us? So shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth”
“I beseech you, show me your glory”
“I will make ALL MY GOODNESS pass before you, I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you….” (33:19)
Moses, what an incredible man.
You see his heart, his sincerity, his discipline, and his total and utter commitment to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And God, responds by showing himself to him.
In Exodus 34:5-7 we have the amazing witnessed response to ‘Show me…’ To protect Moses, God put him in a hidden place of a rock so he couldn’t see his face because no one can SEE God and live. But Moses heard him, felt him pass by, and saw his back! (33:23)
Who is God? What does He look like?
‘The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed,
The Lord
The Lord God
Merciful and gracious,
Long-suffering
And Abundant in goodness and truth
Keeping mercy for thousands
Forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin
My observations
What I find amazing about this whole interaction is that in the previous chapter, Exodus 32 we have the calamity of the people who have not yet relinquished their life in Egypt, who still have the thinking and ways of that culture – the gods, the worship of a form, the singing and celebrating, eating and drinking, playing, and attributing false help to what is basically Baal – Satan’s space.
Because they saw that Moses was ‘delayed’ – in other words, they thought his leadership had failed, he’d disappeared and wasn’t showing his face. In the modern world, that would be considered a problem with leadership. Leadership has become the be-all-and-end-all and what they say has defined it.
But here you have Moses, obeying God, and spending time with God.
And the people looking around saying, hey if the leader isn’t here, we’ll take matters into our own hands.
People have not changed really. We can only pray that as God’s people we are willing to live by higher standards.
God takes these things seriously
God was so upset with these people he was prepared to wipe them out. He even says to Moses, ‘I will make of thee a great nation’.
Say WHAT?!
He was prepared to transfer that blessing that was given to Abraham, onto Moses?
God takes it very seriously.
Moses, bless his amazing heart, reminds God of what was said to Abraham. In verse 30 it even says, ‘now I will go up unto the Lord, peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin’.
Do you understand atonement? What it means?
There is a legal framework that sits around sin and transgression.
It is not about how you feel.
Salvation. Redemption. Atonement. These are legal things.
The courtroom of judgement has a consequence. Judgement can lead to death, or life.
That’s why it’s so incredible that Jesus Christ took the judgement for the whole earth, so that we don’t have to try to find a suitable way of atonement ourselves. But doesn’t that mean there is a weight of allegiance that we now have to the one who gave us atonement?
Salvation is a big deal
Things to really think about. This salvation thing is a big deal. It’s not about you’ being Christian’ or ‘going to church’. You have been separated. Your allegiance should ONLY be to HIM.
Exodus 32-34 are so incredible it takes time to read through them, line by line, with my Hebrew translator so I don’t miss a thing.
And this line….pay serious attention!!!!!!!
‘Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee’ (34:12)
How many believers are compromising the life of the Spirit, the Godly standards, the things they do in their day to life? And now, they don’t know it’s lead to a ‘snare’, so they keep falling down, struggling.
How many Christians visit the temples in other nations, for ‘tourism’?
How many people have little statutes or symbols in their home of other gods?
How many people deny Christ in public?
God’s people should be a fearsome awesome thing.
His reputation goes with you.
“I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord, for it is a terrible (fear, revere, to frighten) thing that I will do with thee’ (34:10)
When Moses spent time with God ‘his skin on his face shone while he talked with him’. Who needs skincare? You just need to spend time with God!
People were scared of that shining face.
So scared they asked Moses to cover his face.
First, they didn’t want to hear Gods voice.
Now, they didn’t want to see his brightness.
Is it any wonder they didn’t make it through to the promises of God?
Thanking God
Thank God we now have Jesus Christ, and his Spirit has been poured out on all flesh. We can ask for the Holy Spirit, and walk in the Spirit. This new and living way. Anointed, spiritual, powerful people who are witnesses just as Jesus said (Acts 1).
I thank God I was born in this generation. But it does mean that there is a responsibility on us, to act worth of that calling, and to commit ourselves to Him and His purposes.
God may our eyes be open, our ears hear, and the Holy Spirit be revealed in all fullness to those that ask, seek and knock.
