[Linux4christians] Sunday - Exodus 33

Sat Sep 4 20:58:19 EDT 2010

    Sunday

      *Exodus 33*

33:1 The Lord said to Moses, "Go up from here, you and the people whom 
you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath 
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your 
descendants.' 33:2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out 
the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and 
the Jebusite. 33:3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I 
will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might 
destroy you on the way."

33:4 When the people heard this troubling word they mourned; no one put 
on his ornaments. 33:5 For the Lord had said to Moses, "Tell the 
Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a 
moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, that I may 
know what I should do to you.'" 33:6 So the Israelites stripped off 
their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The Presence of the Lord

33:7 Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a good 
distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone 
seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside 
the camp.

33:8 And when Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up 
and stand at the entrance to their tents and watch Moses until he 
entered the tent. 33:9 And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar 
of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the 
Lord would speak with Moses. 33:10 When all the people would see the 
pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, 
each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. 33:11 
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a 
friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son 
of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.

33:12 Moses said to the Lord, "See, you have been saying to me, 'Bring 
this people up,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with 
me. But you said, 'I know you by name, and also you have found favor in 
my sight.' 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your 
way, that I may know you, that I may continue to find favor in your 
sight. And see that this nation is your people."

33:14 And the Lord said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give 
you rest."

33:15 And Moses said to him, "If your presence does not go with us, do 
not take us up from here. 33:16 For how will it be known then that I 
have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your 
going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from 
all the people who are on the face of the earth?"

33:17 The Lord said to Moses, "I will do this thing also that you have 
requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."

33:18 And Moses said, "Show me your glory."

33:19 And the Lord said, "I will make all my goodness pass before your 
face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be 
gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will 
show mercy." 33:20 But he added, "You cannot see my face, for no one can 
see me and live." 33:21 The Lord said, "Here is a place by me; you will 
station yourself on a rock. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put 
you in a cleft in the rock and will cover you with my hand while I pass 
by. 33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but 
my face must not be seen."

      Prayer

Lord, You were righteously angry but You found a way to maintain 
community with Your chosen people through Moses. Thank You that Your 
loving grace continues today!

      Commentary

The Lord God announces that He cannot be among the Israelites as their 
sin, in such close proximity, could anger Him and cause their 
destruction. [Perhaps this is the "plague" to which the end of Chapter 
32 referred?]

The people mourned as they feared for their lives without God's presence 
and removed all of the gold earrings, and perhaps other jewelry, to 
demonstrate their remorse. The NET translators observe that the gold 
jewelry was what was used to make the golden calf.

He does promise to send an angel [The NET translators do not believe 
this is the same "Angel of Presence" He previous mentioned] to clear the 
land of other non-Israelite tribes.

Moses set up a tent between the camp and the tabernacle where he served 
as the intermediary for the people with God. God met with Moses there.

Moses appealed to God to renew His presence among the people. The NET 
translators observe the link back to 32:10 where God prompts Moses with 
a reference to the Abrahamic covenant while at the same time telling 
Moses to leave Him because His justice desired to punish the people. So 
Moses took advantage of the opening for reconciliation that God provided.

Moses asked to see more of the presence of God than he had previously. 
God agreed but clarified that Moses could only see a shadow of His 
passing as no man may see God, in the fallen state prior to Heaven, and 
live.

      Interaction

Consider this:

Moses served as a bridge between a righteously indignant God Whose 
justice demanded severe punishment but Whose grace tempered that judgment.

        Discuss this:

Despite their chronic complaining and rebellion the Israelites had 
transitioned from dependent upon the power of the Egyptians to the power 
of God. Imagine their fear that out in the wilderness, surrounded by 
enemies, God might suddenly abandon them?

Reflect on this:

God still chooses to send an angel to clear the land of non-Israelite 
tribes because no matter how the Israelites violated their side of the 
covenantal agreement God was always faithful to His.

        Share this:

When have you desperately cried-out to the Lord God, knowing that your 
sin had created a barrier to your fellowship with the Holy Spirit, 
repenting of that sin, and seeking reconciliation and restoration of 
intimacy with God?

      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where something you value may be a tool 
of rebellion.

        Action:

Today I will prayerfully receive the message of the Holy Spirit, through 
the Word, through an elder-confirmed ("elder": a mature believer, as 
defined in the NT), and through His answer to prayer directly to me. I 
will remove from my environment that thing, or those things, that have 
become tools of rebellion. In the case of the Israelites it had been 
their gold "ornaments". In my case it could be a computer that needs 
strong filters, clothing and/or other fashion items that draw too much 
attention to the body, a group with whom I associate who lead me away 
from God, a phone that is used dangerously while driving or to 
communicate in a non-edifying manner, resources that enable me to cheat 
or deceive, etc. I will partner with the Holy Spirit to fill the vacuum 
of what I remove with something edifying.

        Be Specific ______________________________________________________

    Monday's text will be:

      *Exodus 34*

-- 

Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!  Pastor David
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Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
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