Getting To Know God

Just forty days after agreeing to keep God’s covenant, Israel had already broken the most basic principle, by making the golden calf.    It didn’t seem to matter how much God loved them or provided for them, they did not love him enough to be faithful to him.   God expressed his frustration with them to Moses in Exodus 32:7-10.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.”

God had no intention of destroying Israel, but was expressing how their unfaithfulness made him feel.  Moses was concerned that God might act on his feelings and reminded him how much harm such actions might do, in Exodus 32:11-13.  ”And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”  To act on his feelings would permanently damage or destroy the very things God most desired. 

God agreed with Moses’ assessment, but the feelings were still there.  He warned that continued disobedience might result in his over reacting.  He would fulfill his promises, but would not dwell with them so that he would not have deal with their attitude, as Exodus 32:14-33:3 tells us.  “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.”

The people realized just having everything they wanted would mean very little without a personal relationship with God, as Exodus 33:4-6.  “And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.  For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.  And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.”  It would be very much like a family where the husband or wife works all the time and never takes time to spend with their family.  Unfortunately, a lot of people are focused on the things they have and never realize the relationship they are missing. 

Unlike the people, Moses was more concerned with having a relationship with God than with the things he would receive, as Exodus 33:12-16 explains.  “And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 compares the relationship of husband and wife to that of Christians to God.  This passage illustrates many of the same principles, so that we better understand both marriage and the Christian life more completely.  Moses didn’t have any desire to have all the things without an intimate rationship with God himself.”  It was exactly what God wanted as well and God agreed to it in Exodus 33:17-23.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.”

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

As much as he wanted to know God completely, and as much as God wanted him to know, Moses could only handle a certain amount.  For Moses to experience that would require a special effort on his part.  He would have to set aside his responsibilities for the Nation of Israel and spend time alone with God, letting God explain his own way as he did in Exodus 34:1-7.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Unfortunately, unlike Moses, most people are not concerned with developing a close relationship with God.   They are so busy with what they are trying to accomplish they don’t take time to really get to know him.   When they spend time in devotions, it like a wife responding to her husband because it is her duty rather than because she wants to be with him.  Their conversations are superficial, never getting down to the things that really matter, because they are focused on what they are doing rather than on their mate, but when problems arise, they blame their mate for not communicating.  Christians do the same thing with God.    Most of the people did not get to know God like Moses did, because they didn’t care enough.