Hope Nearby
Notes
Transcript
Reading:
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Introduction:
Recap last week:
Israel’s impatience provided opportunity.
They panicked and allowed a “knee jerk” reaction to enter the camp.
(The knee jerk reaction was kind of coached by the group that was relentless at spreading division)
That reaction was an an icon that represented the Lord, which only focused on a couple attributes (His strength and Power).
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t want anything in our physical world that represents Him?
A better question is: What would be sufficient to represent Yahweh?
Answer: Nothing is worthy.
The Israelites panicked and fell back into their Egyptian Roots and broke the covenant.
Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites pleading with the Lord for His forgiveness.
He forgave them in His Grace, He forgave their sin but in His government they would still receive chastening (consequences).
Transition:
Which brings us into chapter 33.
God continues His conversation with Moses and in that conversation we hear how His grace is extended to Israel, even after their sin.
Main Idea: “After Sinning God is still present because He is merciful and Gracious”
Sub Points:
Sub Points:
God instructs Moses. (1-6)
God instructs Moses. (1-6)
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’
2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.
5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’ ”
6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
[:1]
God’s first instruction lends it’s loyalty back to the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God reminds Moses and us that He is a keeper of His promises.
Right after the Israelites broke theirs.
Something special in this verse:
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’
Notice the ending.
God prophesies to this whole generation of elders that they would not be in the promised land.
It would be only their children, the promise had passed from their generation to the next.
[:2]
God says what will be different from this point until the entrance of the promised land.
He makes the point to remind them of the promise that He gave to their forefathers.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God let them know that He will fulfill the promise, Israel will be in the promised land.
Who is going to lead them, an angel will be where to go and when.
[3]
The Lord announces what has changed in the relationship.
Make your journey, following my angel.
I will not be in your presence.
Was God mad at Israel?
It doesn’t seem like it.
It sounds like what would happen as a result of imperfection being in the presence of perfection.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
God told them their problem, they are stiff-necked.
What does He mean by a stiff-necked people?
“Stiff-Necked” means: hard, difficult, It’s a legal term against authority.
Exemplifying the point that they are so stubborn and difficult, they won’t submit or change even under the Lord’s authority.
The Israelites were going to be given the land that God promised; but they were going without Him.
We can relate to this can’t we?
We often want the blessings of God and the gifts of God without His presence.
The Israelites wanted the land that flowed with milk and honey,
The land that was agriculturally rich, that required less to grow crops.
Which would provide money from sales, sustenance, a livelihood, etc..
That land would be a huge blessing for them and their families for generations to come.
They wanted these things but it didn’t seem as though they could care less if the giver of this blessing was there too.
We desire and hope for Heaven; but it wouldn’t matter whether or not God was there.
Without God Heaven would just be another place.
Sometimes people present and portray the gospel in this way.
“Pray this prayer, for salvation and you will be forgiven so you can go to heaven when you die.”
That’s just fire insurance, instead we should tell people that they get access to God to speak with Him and Know Him.
We will have a renewed relationship with our creator, the one He desired enough to make atonement with His own blood and body for us!
Consecrating us and we have faith and believe He is worthy to do it.
So to have Heaven without Jesus....No thank you, not worth it.
The psalmist says it well.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
This should translate into our daily lives.
How many times do we ask for and desire the good things; but we don’t ask for more of Him?
We become children on Christmas morning with wrapped gifts with our name on it.
We are so focused on the gifts that we forget the giver of them and the gift is better than the giver.
Desire more of Him instead of more blessings that He gives!
Here in the Israelites’ time line God said He will not be in their presence.
In verses :5-:6 He says why He can’t.
5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’ ”
6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
God said His presence was removed because if He stayed they would be consumed immediately because Sin cannot be in His holy presence.
Israel humbled themselves and removed all that was distracting them from God.
So we find that :
God is distant; but not gone. (7-11)
God is distant; but not gone. (7-11)
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.
8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.
9 When 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.
10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
In verse :3 we heard that God’s presence was in the midst of Israel.
In the middle, so they all surrounded Him.
Yet here we find that God is outside the camp. Far off!
Not so far that the people can’t see Him; but far enough to be separated from them.
This tent of meeting when it was in the midst of the camp was the location everyone could come for judgment or getting situations figured out according to God’s standards.
This was also a location where Moses frequently met with God.
His location would present some problems.
He isn’t close any more He was far away.
His presence wasn’t always there.
The people could see when God was there.
They could watch Moses enter the tent and the pillar of cloud would appear at the entrance.
The people remembered and noticed the presence of the Lord.
It was the cloud that brought them to the base of the Mount in the first place.
Moses drew near to God at the tent of meeting, while the people stood far off.
10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
Notice it says: “all people saw this”.
The people worshipped Him being available to those who broke the covenant.
Connection:
We have, because of Jesus, a closeness to God.
A personal relationship, the Holy Spirit living inside of us teaching us, convicting us, and leading us.
God made a way in Jesus for His presence to live within us.
It’s like getting a V.I.P. backstage pass and an invitation to tour with the Lord on this earth and a lot of people would be ok with a nosebleed seat.
We can know Him on a personal level instead of just knowing about Him.
The Israelites’ actions to make the icon for Yahweh placed a distance between them and God’s presence.
They needed an advocate like we have:
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
What is required is:
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We are the ones that distance ourselves from the Lord; but He is the one that brings us close again.
He always desires us more than we desire Him.
God gave us a warning about quenching the voice of Him in our lives.
Which would be similar to Him being far off like in the desert.
14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies,
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The God of peace will sanctify us completely.
We are kept blameless.
Until the coming of Jesus Christ!
We cannot neglect or be stiff necked as the Israelites were.
Let you desire burn for God’s voice to be louder than anything else you listen to.
Verse :23 of the Thessalonians passage really nails the point.
God sanctifies us, and sets us apart to Him.
He is inviting any of the “whosoevers that believe in Him” to commune with Him.
God extends hope to Israel:
A Relationship with God is still possible. (12-23)
A Relationship with God is still possible. (12-23)
12 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 favor in my sight.’
13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”
14 And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
19 And He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
20 But,” He said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see Me and live.”
21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock,
22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
It starts with the leader:
Moses finds favor in God’s sight, because of the faith he has in Him.
His faith is spoken about in Hebrews.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
Moses upheld his duty as the leader and mediator between God and all of Israel.
He says something that all of Israel needed and that we need too.
14 And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 And he said to Him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and Your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
The intimacy that we and Israel have is because we are His children and He is our Father.
Our new family comes with an inheritance and identity.
That Identity is attached as holiness, righteousness, love, etc...all the attributes that would be significant as we represent God.
Moses knew what made Israel unique among all the pagan people.
It wasn’t their brick making knowledge, their tents, or their leaders or their laws.
It was Yahweh.
Without the presence of God Israel was just another nomad nation in the desert.
That is the same thing that makes us unique compared to the people in this world.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies us to Himself and we must realize that He is what makes us special and significant.
Conclusion:
At the end of 33 Moses prayed for the Lord to show him His glory.
He wasn’t satisfied with blessings, victories, or promises.
He wanted more of God.
Do we chase God’s blessings, or are we chasing the Lord?
Instead of asking for things this week in your prayers ask the Lord to reveal His presence in you life.
Then be sensitive enough to recognize it, and when you do: praise Him for it.
At then end of our life heaven without God is just a celestial place with Gold for roads.
Yet here on Earth, the proverbial desert, it’s 100% better with His presence in our lives.
Head into this next week, desiring Him more and seek a deeper relationship with Him.
-Pray!
