Last night at Bible study, we made it through three lessons; two previous weeks of bad weather had kept us apart. It was wonderful to get back together to share our lives and what we’re learning from God’s very words in the Torah. We discussed Exodus 25-31. This is post the 10 commandments and the high point of Israel pledging to be God’s people. Right after that, a dark episode happens. They turn their energy and devotion not to their creator, but to an idol they constructed. God is not pleased, to say the least. As punishment, Moses grinds up the golden calf and makes them drink it. Not everyone survives.
It’s at this point God reveals who he really is to Moses.
Moses and God are in dialogue here in Exodus 33:
“12 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.' 13 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."
15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 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?"
17 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."
18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."
19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
And God puts Moses in the cleft of the rock and reveals his nature.
Listen to who God is (Exodus 33):
“6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."”
God is loving and forgiving even though he is just.
And we have Jesus, our high priest, who took the punishment for us ... And connects us to God.
My favorite passage from Hebrews 10:
“18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
God is a just and holy God, but he also loves his people. Jesus serves as the intermediary between us and God’s justice that we can’t meet. What encouraging words. Lord, help us to draw near to you and hold to this hope.
This blog chronicles the questions, affirmations, and interesting happenings that arise from studying the Torah each week. I study with a group of very interesting folks at Mars Hill church in Grandville, MI. We read the materials from First Fruits of Zion (www.ffoz.org) and discuss together. This is my second year of exploring the Very Words of God in the Torah Cycle.
