God has recently instructed Moses to lead the people out of Sinai toward the land He has promised them. But, God has sent them out with an angel and told Moses that He would no longer be with the people. How would Moses respond when the one who called him to this task at the burning bush and who has led him this entire way was now deserting him? We will see that Moses' faith and relationship with God had grown so close that he was able to ask the hard questions, the serious questions, about where their relationship stood and if God would continue to lead them or not.
Read Exodus 33:12-16.
Look at what Moses asked God for in v13: "Show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight." 'Moses had been speaking with God on a more intimate level than anyone in human history save Adam and Eve before the Fall.' Yet he was still pursuing God's presences, still pursuing getting to know God better. One day, hopefully you graduate from high school or college, and hopefully we are all fortunate enough to one day retire and be finished with our working careers. But there never comes in a moment in our lives here on earth that we graduate or retire from learning about God and his ways. We could spend our entire lives studying our Bibles and seeking God's ways but we never get to the point where we can say, "I'm done, I've got it all down." And Moses wasn't merely asking God for more knowledge or information, he wanted to know how to apply it his life and the lives of his people. A head full of facts is worthless without hands and feet to go out and use them.
In v14, God assures Moses that He will not leave him saying, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." I love this verse. First, God once again answers the prayer of one of his people. Second, the word translated "rest" in Hebrew means "quietness" or "absence of strife." It does not mean sitting around being lazy and doing nothing. It means that your life will not be chaotic and overly stressful. It does not mean that it will be easy and relaxing all the time.
After receiving God's assurance that His presence would go with him, Moses asked for greater assurance. In vs 15-16 Moses told the Lord that he could not lead the people without God's presence. It was God's presence that set the Israelites apart, not Moses' leadership skills. Moses prayed for God's presence during his time as leader, and he understood what some of us in the church today don't - without God's presence, the greatest leader or the greatest ministry will not thrive. "Oftentimes people undertake ministries without a sense of God's presence, approval, or blessing. All Christians who lead in the church should take Moses' plea for God's presence to heart as they seek to live on mission for Christ in their schools, homes, teams, and neighborhoods."
Truly yearning for God's presence honors God and requires us to humble ourselves before Him.
Read Exodus 33:12-16.
Look at what Moses asked God for in v13: "Show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight." 'Moses had been speaking with God on a more intimate level than anyone in human history save Adam and Eve before the Fall.' Yet he was still pursuing God's presences, still pursuing getting to know God better. One day, hopefully you graduate from high school or college, and hopefully we are all fortunate enough to one day retire and be finished with our working careers. But there never comes in a moment in our lives here on earth that we graduate or retire from learning about God and his ways. We could spend our entire lives studying our Bibles and seeking God's ways but we never get to the point where we can say, "I'm done, I've got it all down." And Moses wasn't merely asking God for more knowledge or information, he wanted to know how to apply it his life and the lives of his people. A head full of facts is worthless without hands and feet to go out and use them.
In v14, God assures Moses that He will not leave him saying, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." I love this verse. First, God once again answers the prayer of one of his people. Second, the word translated "rest" in Hebrew means "quietness" or "absence of strife." It does not mean sitting around being lazy and doing nothing. It means that your life will not be chaotic and overly stressful. It does not mean that it will be easy and relaxing all the time.
After receiving God's assurance that His presence would go with him, Moses asked for greater assurance. In vs 15-16 Moses told the Lord that he could not lead the people without God's presence. It was God's presence that set the Israelites apart, not Moses' leadership skills. Moses prayed for God's presence during his time as leader, and he understood what some of us in the church today don't - without God's presence, the greatest leader or the greatest ministry will not thrive. "Oftentimes people undertake ministries without a sense of God's presence, approval, or blessing. All Christians who lead in the church should take Moses' plea for God's presence to heart as they seek to live on mission for Christ in their schools, homes, teams, and neighborhoods."
Truly yearning for God's presence honors God and requires us to humble ourselves before Him.
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