Does God Know You By Name?

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

This morning if you will, start turning in your Bibles to Exodus 33.

For the past few weeks we’ve been moving around the Old Testament a bit looking at God’s intervention and deliverance in the lives of the early nation of Israel—even before they were a formal nation.

And this morning is really going to be no different.

We are going to be going back to the time when Israel had left Egypt and were wandering in the wilderness, pressing toward the Promised Land.

In this section of Scripture, the Israelites had been dealing with a level of disappointment.

They had been out here wandering for some time and going through the same old routine, day in and day out.

And they seemed to be going around in circles getting no closer to the Promised Land than when they left Egypt.

Also, in the chapter just prior to this morning’s focus the children of Israel had committed a great sin.

This is where Moses had went up on the mountain to receive the (10) commandments of God and since he was up there a long time, the people got inpatient.

And instead of waiting on God and God's timing, they convinced Aaron that it was time to make an object to worship.

This is where they impressed upon Aaron to make them the Golden Calf to worship.

Of course, we know how things went.

This angered God that they had done this.

Exodus 32:7–10 NIV84

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

So, God is going to destroy these people and make a new people for Moses to lead.

But Moses intercedes and prays for the people and God spares them, but Moses himself is pretty upset too.

Exodus 32:19–20 NIV84

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

And here is the thing.

We all know and understand that God was angered because they were worshipping an object and not worshipping Him.

But that is only half of it.

This example only went to further show that even before the Golden Calf was made the people were not truly worshipping God.

Instead of worshipping God, they were worshipping Moses.

If they hadn't been, then when Moses was delayed on the mountain, they would have never constructed this calf to begin with.

That is the one subtle thing we must always be aware of.

That even though there may be a man of God leading us, we need to be worshipping God and not that man.

Far too often in the church, we have "man worship" going on and not "God worship."

That is why people are hurt so bad when the "man of God" messes up.

And that is why it is important that we ask ourselves the question, "Does God know ME by name."

Not, "does God know my pastor by name."

It is a personal, one on one relationship with God, nothing less.

Which really sets us up for what we will be getting into this morning.

So, if you have found Exodus 33 in your Bible’s, I’d ask you to follow along with me.

Starting in verse 12 we read . . .

Scripture Focus

Exodus 33:12–17 NIV84

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Israel’s Disappointment

So, here we are and the anger of the Lord is "hot" against the Israelites, and Moses is angry with their sin.

The children of Israel are realizing that they are in pretty hot water and that life is not particularly good for them right now.

And I think they are beginning to realize that without God, they will never enter the promised land.

But just when they think they are at their lowest, God brings this message to them through Moses . . .

Exodus 33:3–5 NIV84

Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”

Pretty harsh stuff.

God tells them a couple of things here:

You are a stiff-necked people. (Stubborn, unwilling to learn, unwilling to change).

Because of this, I'm (God) am not going with you on this journey.

That is when reality set in for them.

Until this point, God had been out in front leading them and carrying them through the things they had encountered.

If we think about it in the same terms as we do for Christians, it is almost just like a new Christian.

There is a time that God will scoop you up and carry you because you are young, vulnerable, and weak.

1 Corinthians 3:1–2 NIV84

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

And . . .

Hebrews 5:13 NIV84

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

And . . .

1 Peter 2:2–3 NIV84

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Those Scriptures sound pretty good don't they.

God is going to give us the milk.

However, that is only part of those Scriptures.

Because, there comes a time when God expects more out of us.

God expects us to mature and grow and be able to stand up, be able to eat meat and not rely on the milk.

Look at them again, in their entire context . . .

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 NIV84

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

And Hebrews . . .

Hebrews 5:10–14 NIV84

and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

God gives us the milk because we are worldly, immature, slow to learn, not very pleasant now.

And, it was also for this reason that God could not go with the Israelites anymore.

He had to wean them from the milk.

They had to learn to eat some meat.

It was time to grow up.

It was time to exercise some real faith.

Think about it, how much faith does it take when everything is perfect and handed to you?

But, here is the thing though.

They were so "dull of hearing" and "stiffnecked" they didn't hear what God had actually said.

He said that He wasn't going BUT He never said He was going to abandon them and leave them defenseless.

Exodus 33:2 NIV84

I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

And that’s the thing about God.

God's not going to be the one leading, but He is going to send an angel to lead.

He also reassures them that He is still going to drive out the inhabitants of the land.

So, the end objective has not changed.

The end result has not changed.

God is just changing how it is going to be accomplished.

The Israelites had gotten in a place that many of us get into.

They had received the promise of God and took off and ran with it.

However, they didn't slow down and consult God to understand HOW the plan was going to be carried out.

Instead, they set up their own ideas and their own vision of how things were going to be accomplished and went that direction.

Then when God's way was not their way, they think that God has abandoned them or that all hope is lost.

That's not the case though.

It wasn't the case with the Israelites and isn't the case with us.

God’s Relief

We go on a little further and events continue to unfold.

There is a scene of Moses conversing with God outside the Tent of Meeting.

Moses is there getting instructions from God and consulting on God's will.

The people are witnessing this and seeing all of this transpire.

And at one point in the conversation, Moses broaches the question about God's continued presence with them and receives the response from God . . .

Exodus 33:13–14 NIV84

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

God's presence was not going to leave them.

They were not going to be wandering out there all on their own.

However, the way God manifests Himself to them from that point on would change.

But His presence was there.

And because of that He "will give thee rest."

In other words, we should take comfort in the fact that if we are a child of God, His presence will always be with us.

He will always be the guiding force in our lives.

The way He manifests Himself to us may change from time to time, but He will always be right there with us.

Matthew 11:28–30 NIV84

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

And . . .

Hebrews 13:5 NIV84

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

So, we have to quit worrying about the "what if's" of life.

We have to quit being like chicken little and "the sky is falling . . ." mentality.

We need to just ask ourselves this question, Does God know us by name?

If so, Do we have faith enough to trust Him?

We always quote Hebrews 13:5 but forget that verse 6 goes with it . . .

Hebrews 13:6 NIV84

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

The Reality

The reality is, there is nothing to fear when God is with us.

Absolutely nothing.

Look at the last part of our passage, this is a prayer of Moses . . .

Exodus 33:15–16 NIV84

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Moses tells God, "If your presence doesn't go with us, don't send us."

Because Moses knows that without God, their journey is hopeless and there is no way they are going to make it.

He then offers God some reasoning . . .

Exodus 33:16 NIV84

How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

And then God offers Moses the answer . . .

Exodus 33:17 NIV84

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Altar/Challenge

And the thing about this conversation between God and Moses is this.

God did not agree with Moses, because Moses convinced Him.

God agreed for one reason, because He knew Moses by name.

What about us this morning?

Does God know us by our name?

If not, I think it’s time to come and introduce yourself to Him.

And the thing about this, "knowing him by name" wasn't just knowing who Moses was.

God is the creator of the universe, He knows who each of us are.

What God is looking for is a deep, intimate, one on one relationship with each of us.

A relationship built on HOPE, FAITH, and LOVE.

Does that describe your relationship with God?

If not, I invite you to do something about it, today.

We are all on a journey.

Some of our journeys will lead to the promised land, for some of us it will not though.

There are hills and valleys and foreign inhabitants in all of our paths.

Whether we are victorious is dependent on whether HE KNOWS YOU BY NAME.

Let’s pray . . .