The Impact of Getting to Know God

The first time Moses went up on the mountain, he was accompanied by Joshua, and he went specifically to get the finished records of God’s instructions to Israel.   The second time, he went by himself. but as we have seen, he was not satisfied whit just knowing what God demanded.  This time, he wanted to know God himself.  God revealed a little of himself in response to Moses’ prayer, resulting in a dramatic change in Moses’ attitude.  Instead of telling God he didn’t want to go unless God went with them, Moses asked God to forgive them and go with them in spite of their sin. 

As I mentioned earlier, every person in scripture who got a vision of God was humbled by the experience, falling on their face to the ground in worship, and acknowledging their wickedness.  Proverbs 8:13 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”  If we truly know and re3spect God there will be no place for pride and arrogance.  When we see those things in Christian’s life they indicate he has not developed a close relationship with God   Galatians 5:22-23 describes meekness as part of the fruit of the Spirit. 

This getting to know God did not happen instantaneously,  Exodus 34:28 tells us, “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”  The first time, God had written the law on the tables of stone.  The second time, Moses wrote them out himself.  The very act of writing them out himself would force Moses to think more deeply about what they said, firmly fixing them in his mind.  He was no longer passively reading what God had said, but was actively thinking about it.  For forty days, he was so focused on God and what he wanted that he didn’t stop to eat or drink.    He was not fasting to get God to do something, but simply trying get to know God better.   When one is really involved in something, they often don’t even think about eating.  As Isaiah 58 tells us, this is the kind of fast that pleases God. 

The changes getting to know God caused were apparent to those around him, although Moses wasn’t even aware of them, as Exodus 34:29-30 tells us.  “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.”  The attitude changes inside affected how he related to other people as well.  Those who did not have the same closeness with God found the changes somewhat disturbing. 

The changes were enough that the people were  unsure what to think of him,  He had to reassure them that he was still the same person, in Exodus 34:31-35.  “And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

The people were caught up in the religious activities and mechanically keeping the law and had no understanding of the spiritual relationship with God, as II Corinthians 3:13-18 explains.  “And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Frequently, in a marriage people become so caught up in keeping house, earning a living, and taking the kids to activities they don’t have time to get to know their mate.   While the marriage may look great to those on the outside, neither husband nor wife are really satisfied.  That is essentially what the Israelites were doing in their relationship with god, and many Christians today are doing the same thing.   They are so caught up in doing religious activities, going to church, and witnessing, praying, and reading the Bible, They simply never get to know and love God himself.  When we allow him to teach and lead us, the Holy Spirit frees us from those obligations.  As we get to know God and Christ better, our attitudes become more like Christ’s.  Instead of those religious activities being our goal, they become byproducts of our relationship with God.  We no longer have to worry about doing those things because they come naturally to us.    Such a relationship can only occur when we spend the time alone with God.   Even Joshua’s presence would have interfered.