On the Mountain
"And He passed in front of Moses And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD , the LORD , the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellions, and sins. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7
Imagine being Moses...stuck in the desert with millions of Israelites who do nothing but grumble, complain, and rebel against the LORD who delivered them from the domineering hand of the Egyptians. Yet, here is Moses--up on Mount Sinai with G-D Himself. Can you imagine how he must have felt?
Moses had to take deliberate steps to prepare himself for this encounter with the LORD. True, he had encountered G-D before when He called to him from the burning bush. Had Moses regarded Him as familiar and not followed His instructions to the letter, he would have been cut down. Instead, he was obiedient and, therfore, heard and saw the LORD.
I can almost picture what it must have been like. Moses standing on the mountain with the two stone tablets waiting for the LORD. Then, He descends in a cloud...concealing His face. Just one glance at the face of G-D and Moses would have perished for He is too much for mortal man to behold. Moses witnessed the LORD. He passed in front of Moses proclaiming His name and character before Him. Moses had the privilege of hearing the actual voice of G-D. The Word says the LORD spoke with Moses face to face as one speaks with a friend. I cannot wait for the day when Jesus calls me home, and I, like Moses, have the privilege of speaking with my Father face to face. What a glorious day that will be. It is what my heart longs for...to finally be home.
I think this passage shows the gracious, merciful side of the LORD when it comes to His people. He allowed Moses to be in His presence...not forgetting Moses was human...but forgiving his short-comings. The fact of the matter is this. Time spent in worship and in the presence of G-D is sacred. How dare we walk into His presence and treat Him as though He is less than what He is. His Word says He will not give His glory to another, but often we don't give Him the glory that is His. If I want to see G-D and to really hear His voice, I must be thoughtful in my actions and humble before Him. Yes, we are told that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, but we cannot approach in flippant disregard disguised as confidence. If I really want to go deeper with Him, I must be prepared as the High Priest in Old Testament times prepared himself to enter the Holy of Holies...because that's where we go...into our Holy of Holies where we can commune with G-D. I know I don't have to wait for the glory of heaven to speak face to face with my Father, but may I treat each moment with Him as a sacred, holy moment and give Him the glory He deserves.
"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." --Jeremiah 29:13
Imagine being Moses...stuck in the desert with millions of Israelites who do nothing but grumble, complain, and rebel against the LORD who delivered them from the domineering hand of the Egyptians. Yet, here is Moses--up on Mount Sinai with G-D Himself. Can you imagine how he must have felt?
Moses had to take deliberate steps to prepare himself for this encounter with the LORD. True, he had encountered G-D before when He called to him from the burning bush. Had Moses regarded Him as familiar and not followed His instructions to the letter, he would have been cut down. Instead, he was obiedient and, therfore, heard and saw the LORD.
I can almost picture what it must have been like. Moses standing on the mountain with the two stone tablets waiting for the LORD. Then, He descends in a cloud...concealing His face. Just one glance at the face of G-D and Moses would have perished for He is too much for mortal man to behold. Moses witnessed the LORD. He passed in front of Moses proclaiming His name and character before Him. Moses had the privilege of hearing the actual voice of G-D. The Word says the LORD spoke with Moses face to face as one speaks with a friend. I cannot wait for the day when Jesus calls me home, and I, like Moses, have the privilege of speaking with my Father face to face. What a glorious day that will be. It is what my heart longs for...to finally be home.
I think this passage shows the gracious, merciful side of the LORD when it comes to His people. He allowed Moses to be in His presence...not forgetting Moses was human...but forgiving his short-comings. The fact of the matter is this. Time spent in worship and in the presence of G-D is sacred. How dare we walk into His presence and treat Him as though He is less than what He is. His Word says He will not give His glory to another, but often we don't give Him the glory that is His. If I want to see G-D and to really hear His voice, I must be thoughtful in my actions and humble before Him. Yes, we are told that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, but we cannot approach in flippant disregard disguised as confidence. If I really want to go deeper with Him, I must be prepared as the High Priest in Old Testament times prepared himself to enter the Holy of Holies...because that's where we go...into our Holy of Holies where we can commune with G-D. I know I don't have to wait for the glory of heaven to speak face to face with my Father, but may I treat each moment with Him as a sacred, holy moment and give Him the glory He deserves.
"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." --Jeremiah 29:13
posted by angie at 6:52 AM
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