It is important to note that in the previous chapter, the children of Israel rebelled against God. They built a golden calf from their jewellery and worshipped it, not that alone they ascribed the glory that belonged to God to this calf, stating that it led them out of Egypt. This led to the wrath of God and over 3000 of them were killed only sparing the lives of those who were on the Lord's side, the Levites.
Exodus 33
Exodus 33:1-3 NLT
[1] The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ [2] And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. [3] Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”
https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.33.1-3.NLT
The first 3 verses of chapter 33, God informed the children of Israel that they should continue their journey into the promised land, that His angel will go ahead of them but the Lord will not go ahead of them because of their rebellion and God doesn't want to destroy them.
God is a loving God if not He doesn't even need to hear from them at that point before destroying them, but He is the God that keeps His part of the covenant. He was held by His word and promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that, He will give their descendants the land. Even till this day humans behave just like the children of Israel by ascribing the glory that belongs to God only to things God created but my prayer is that we learn so we won't end up like the ones who lost their lives due to the wrath of God.
Exodus 33:4-6
When the children of Israel heard this, they went into position of repentance and stoped wearing jewelry. Just like the scriptures says in Matthew 5:30 that we should cut off anything that will lead us to hell. In those days it was easy for them to let go of these distraction and hell bent agents because they had leaders that told them the mind of God without watering it down. We still have leaders that says the mind of God without watering it down but so many people have developed itchy ears, if the preacher isn't preaching what brings excitement and some fallacy, they are regarded as harsh, old school, uncultured and God knows what. The same Bible says the Lord chastise those He love Hebrews 12:6.
Advise to any believer, who is keen on making heaven, if you follow leaders or a leader who can't tell you the truth according to the word of God, you need to rethink and retrace your step back to God. Or perhaps they tell you but you are not just ready to listen or obey because you believe God is not that difficult and making heaven is not that deep you need to rethink.
Exodus 33:7-11
Moses organises a tent meeting (a tent is not a comfortable place, it's built specifically for a purpose. So in our time of communing with God there must be some discomfort) in those days and those who want to make a request of the Lord go to the tent meeting outside the camp. I believe the purpose was for Moses to have a separated place to commune with God, aside mount Sinai, but the tent of the meeting were accessible to the people. The main people that spend time at the tent of meeting were Moses and Joshua, then the people can come when they want to hear from the Lord through Moses. The Bible states that the pillar of cloud (the presence of God almighty) will hover at the entrance of the tent of the meeting as Moses spoke.
What I learned from this is that as a believer you can have your own personal tent of meeting where you commune with God and listen to Him, but it will require dying daily to flesh and be totally obedient to God. As a leader you can't hear from God or tell people the mind of God if you don't have a separate time and place you commune with God.
Exodus 33:12-23
In these verses, we see Moses conversing with God, enquiring on the things God told him about taking the children of Israel to the promise land. He wanted to know who will come with him. The Lord reassured Moses that He will personally go with Moses and give him rest and everything will be fine. Moses then told God, if He doesn't go with them no one will be favourable to them due to the lack of God's presence. God then reassured Moses that He will be present with them personally, Moses then asked for a proof. God then instructed Moses to stand on the rock that He will pass, but while He passed He will cover Moses face with His hands but Moses will be able to see the behind of God and not His face.
I learned here that in all we do as believer it is important to have God journey with us or we journey in His plan. It is also possible for us to hear God and have such encounter. But like we have read sin will not make God dwell within men, but a man who is consecrated and sold out to God have different access level to God. I pray that we will learn to draw closer to God in Jesus name amen.
Exodus 34
Exodus 34:1-7 NLT
[1] Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. [2] Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. [3] No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.” [4] So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. [5] Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. [6] The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. [7] I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”
https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.34.1-7.NLT
Moses had a special encounter with God on Mount Sinai, infact God warned him that He must be alone and while He was there God revealed another of his numerous name Yahweh (The Lord, Jehovah). He gave him another set of covenant, pointing out that He is a compassionate God, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness, He forgives sins but equally doesn't excuse guilt and can lay sins of parents upon children even to the third and fourth generation.
Hmmm! The merciful God, I wish we take this with cognisance that this is still thesame Yahweh, as loving as God is, He will not excuse guilt. Yes, the blood of Jesus has delivered us from the guilt of sin and shame however, we cannot continue in sin and expect grace to abound or His compassion and mercy to be lavished on us in our sinful unrelenting acts.
Exodus 34: 8-17
After the encounter Moses worship God in total surrender and again he requested that if he has found mercy with God, God should journey with the Israelites and forgive their sin and claim them as His special possession. God responded by saying He will perform miracles that has never happened before in any nation and then He will go ahead of them to the promise land. It is important to be persistent in the place of mercy, never go a day without asking for mercy, not just for yourself but people around you and nations across the world. Because a man was consistent enough, God showed the children of Israel mercy. Can you stand in the gap?
God then warned the children of Israel never to make a treaty with people that lived in the land they were going. But in Joshua 9 to 10 the Gibeonites deceived the children of Israel into making a treaty with them under the leadership of Joshua. God also warned the children of Israel not to worship foreign gods or make gods for themselves.
We might be thinking gods are limited to effigies but they are beyond that, some gods can be your device, your leaders, your love for one thing or the other which outweighs your love for God. God detests idolatry.
Exodus 33:18- 24
God gave further instructions to the children of Israel , the celebration that are godly that they need to abide by, the sacrifices they must do unto God, and no one must appear before God without an offering, why they need to rest on the seventh day and not work and if they obeyed, Gods part was to drive out other nations and expand their territory. You may wonder but did God not create those other nations, yes He did, but even amongst those of us alive in as much as He loves everyone, God knows those whom, He called, chosed and glorified. The question is are you among them or not?
Exodus 33:25-35
God gave further instructions which Moses took notes of the instructions down as they were terms of the covenant God made with the Israelites. As we may have noted, this instruction included sacrifice and they were summarised as covenant. Covenant that involves God in it is eternal, it rolls from one generation to generation and whoever breaks it might have to pay dearly. Moses was on the Mountain with the Lord for 40days and 40nights without eating. God Himself wrote the terms of the covenant, the ten commandments on the stone tablets. By the time Moses came down His face was radiant the people were afraid to look at Him.
How long are you willing to tarry before God How much sacrifice are you willing to pay, can you go into fasting and prayer for the sake of others and not yourself? You can't operate in the supernatural if all you want to do is exist in this natural realm, you can't serve God better or know Him better if you fail to spend time with Him and in Him. It's about Him not you.
Moses had to cover his face with a veil when he spoke to the Israelites but when he communed with God he took the veil off as he notes down the instructions. Can God find you and I worthy enough to put the fate of millions of souls in our hands, you can't really live in the word of God, if the world is all that entice you and catches your interest or attention. It is not possible.
Lord help me to be obedient to you and be willing to sacrifice as much as you enable me to, so I can live in the supernatural in Jesus name amen.
