Moses (Part 4)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 3/11/2018
If you’re just joining us, today is the last installment in a fast-paced, four-part series on the life of Moses. Moses delivered an oppressed people from bondage, molded them into a renewed nation and received a revelation from God with new moral standards and laws. He was a hero to the Hebrews—a champion to the downtrodden. Moses’ story has resonated with men and women of faith down through the centuries because it’s so relatable. It’s filled with danger and disappointment, anguish and accomplishment, conflict and courage, and so much more.
Last Sunday, we read as Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, broke into spontaneous worship and, despite their complaining, enjoyed a feast of manna and quail in the middle of the desert. The parting of the Red Sea vibrantly visualized God’s power. Moses and Miriam leading the Israelites in song and dance demonstrated how important it is to sing God’s praises. And the miracles of water, manna, and quail are poignant reminders of God’s provision. Today, God still provides. He’s still powerful. And he is still worthy of praise.
This next excerpt from Moses’ life spans 15 chapter from the book of Exodus; specifically, chapters 19 through 34. So, if you have a Bible or an app on your phone and you’d like to follow along, be prepared to do some page turning.
After leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, it took the Israelites two full months of hiking through the arid wilderness to reach their destination: Mount Sinai—the very same mountain where God first spoke to Moses through the burning bush. Upon their arrival, they set up camp at the base of the mountain. Over the next several chapters, Moses and the Israelites experience God in some new and profound ways. First, they experience God’s glory.
• GOD’S GLORY
Once the Israelites have settled around the foot of the mountain, Moses climbs up the mountain to appear before God. I imagine, he likely returned to the same spot where God spoke to him from the burning bush. There, God tells Moses to establish a perimeter around the mountain—marking boundaries all around it. In three days, God’s glory would envelope the mountain for all to see. Then, the Bible says:
On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. (Exodus 19:16-20 NLT)
What a fantastic and frightening spectacle to behold. Obviously, this is no ordinary cumulus type cloud. Rather, this is the same cloud that led the Israelites out of Egypt. When that cloud first appeared, the Bible says, “There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10 NLT). This whole scene conveys the awe-inspiring glory, grandeur and greatness of God. The flashes of lightning and peals of thunder illustrate the unbridled, unrivalled power of God. As song writer, Rich Mullins, once put it, “There’s thunder in His footsteps and lightning in his fists.” Eventually this cloud would settle within the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle. This cloud is what Jewish Rabbis called the Shekinah glory—the very presence of God.
When God called Moses to climb the mountain, he was inviting Moses into his glorious presence. While you and I may not visibly see the Shekinah glory; we’ve received the same invitation as Moses. Through Jesus, God invites everyone, everywhere into his glorious presence. The Bible says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8 ESV).
That’s what Moses did. He ascended the mountain in order to draw near to God. He spent weeks upon that mountain experiencing God’s glorious presence. But, amazingly, he wanted more. Before heading back down the mountain and leaving God’s presence, Moses asked for reassurance that God would remain with them—that God would be personally present. God replies, “I myself will go with you” (Exodus 33:14 NCV).
But Moses needs more. One more request. Glory. “Now, please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18 NCV). We cross a line when we make such a request. When our deepest desire is not the things of God, or a favor from God, but God himself, we cross a threshold. Less self-focus, more God-focus. Less about me, more about him.
“Show me your radiance,” Moses is praying. “Flex your biceps. Let me see the S on your chest. Your preeminence. Your heart-stopping, ground-shaking extraspectacularness. I want more God, please. I'd like to see more of your glory.”
And God answers, telling Moses: “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind.” (Exodus 33:21-23 NLT).
Even while standing upon a mountain wrapped in God’s glorious presence, Moses wanted more. More of God. More of his glory. That’s the way God glory is, though. The more we experience it, the more crave it. Even after endless eons in eternity, we will never grow tired of God’s glorious presence.
Of course, God didn’t invite Moses into his presence just to hang out. He brought Moses into his presence in order to give him guidance.
• GOD’S GUIDANCE
While on the mountain, Moses received God’s instructions, or guidelines, for the newly formed nation of Israel, starting with the Ten Commandments:
“I am the Lord your God…You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind… You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God… Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy… Honor your father and mother… You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet your neighbor’s house… or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:2-17 NLT).
These ten commands formed the basis for the Israelites relationship with God and with each other. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. Following the Ten Commandments, God gave Moses guidelines about the fair treatment of indentured servants, what to do with kidnappers and rapists, how to punish a murder versus someone who accidentally kills another person. He gave instructions about property rights and theft. He delineates the dos and don’ts of sex and marriage. He gives guidance about bribery, borrowing and lending. And he gives a lengthy list of instructions for religious ceremonies, celebrations and sacrifices. For eleven chapter (Exodus 20-31), Moses transcribed as God dictated all the rules and regulations for the nation of Israel.
Some of us might be prone to wonder why. Why were the Ten Commandments and all these other laws necessary for God’s new nation? At a practical level, every nation needs laws. It’s how we keep order and civility. But beyond that, the commandments were designed to lead Israel into a life of real-world holiness. In them, people could see the nature of God and his plan for how they should live. These commands were a reflection of God’s nature. God is good. Thus, he wanted his people to do good and be good. The message is this: God cares about how his people live their lives. How we live, what we say and do, matters to God.
Of course, you and I don’t follow the Mosaic law. Rather, the Bible says, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4 NLT).
Just as the Israelites followed the guidance and instruction of the Ten Commandments, we follow the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit. While we may not be bound by the same law as the Israelites, we still have a God who cares about how we live and what we do. So, our response to God’s guidance should be the same as the Hebrews. When Moses came down the mountain and presented all the instructions and regulations God had given him, the Bible says, “All the people answered with one voice, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded’” (Exodus 24:3 NLT).
That’s all God wants. God doesn’t write his laws on stone tablets anymore; he writes them on the hearts of those willing to trust and obey.
Finally, in addition to God’s glory and God’s guidance, Moses and the Israelites also experienced God’s glow.
• GOD’S GLOW
Moses spent forty days in the presence of God writing down all of God’s commandments for the people of Israel. So, when Moses finally descended from the mountain, the exposure to God’s glory left an indelible mark on Moses. Literally. The Bible says:
When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. (Exodus 34:29-30 NLT).
Unknown to Moses, but undeniable to the Hebrews, is his glowing face. The same thing happened to Jesus on another mountain. The Bible says, “Sunlight poured from his face” (Matthew 17:2 MSG). A vibrant, glowing face is the mark of someone who has stood in the glorious presence of God.
Think about your face. Your face is the most public part of your body, less covered than any other area. It’s also the most recognizable part of your body. We don’t fill school yearbooks with photos of people’s feet! God desires to take our faces, this exposed memorable part of our bodies, and use them to reflect his glory!
After a while, the glow began to fade and Moses would cover his face with a veil to hide the fact that he was no longer glowing. But the Bible tells us, “As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18 GWT).
God invites us to experience his glory so that we can reflect it on our faces. In other words, the more time we spend with God the more we become like him. Although your face may not light up a room, time spent in prayer, reading the Bible, and worship should have such an effect on your life and face that people will know you have been with God.
Let me be clear. This change is God’s job, not ours. Our goal is not to make our faces radiant. Moses didn’t even know his face was glowing. Our goal isn’t to conjure up some fake, frozen expression. Rather, our goal is simply to stand in the glorious presence of God and bath in his radiance. The more time we spend in the presence of God, the more our lives will reflect his glory.
Conclusion:
As I said at the outset of this series, Moses’ role in Hebrew history can hardly be overstated. His story is one of doubt and deliverance, humility and heartbreak, conflict and courage, trials and triumphs. In this final excerpt from his life, we learn much from his example and the even the example of the Israelites.
Like Moses, we want to have hearts that earnestly seek God’s glory—hearts that long for a glimpse of his glorious presence. Like the Israelites, we need God’s guidance—his instructions and commands help us to live lives that bring joy to God’s heart. And like Moses, we want God’s glow on our faces—we want to be transformed each and every time we come into God’s presence, so much so that others can see God’s glory in our lives.
This brings us to the end of our series on Moses, but I want to encourage everyone to be here next week for Palm Sunday as we prepare our hearts for Easter.
Invitation:
In the meantime, I want to extend to you the same invitation that God extended to Moses: climb up the mountain and enter God’s glorious presence! As we worship and sing together, just stand and experience God’s glory. Let his unfailing love and matchless grace wash over you and leave you with a glowing face.
Let’s sing church.
