God Came Down

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GOD CAME DOWN!!

Numbers 12:4-9

Nu 12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. (KJV)

INTRODUCTION: I was reading this passage a few weeks ago and the phrase “And The Lord Came Dow” jumped out at me, and I started thinking about that phrase. If we could make every Christian understand the magnitude of this concept, that God Came Down – It would revolutionize each Christian’s life. Any time God came down it was for the benefit of man – or because of man.

The Lord made many visits to the Earth during the early days is Israelite History. This particular time when He left the earth He left angry. He got mad at people. I sure don’t want to do anything to make the Lord angry and cause Him to leave our presence. I am not sure what all would be involved in making God angry – but in this passage it was the matter of Miriam and Aaron condemning Moses’ for an inter-racial marriage. God got so upset with them that He left them alone.

I am not going to be preaching on the matter of interracial marriages. Nor am I preaching on the matter of the anger of God. But I am going to speak on the subject in Vs. 5, “And The Lord Came Down.

Many times in the O.T. God came down to His people.

He came in the form of a cloud by day and a fire by night to lead the Israelites.

He came in the form of fire on Mt. Carmel.

He came to them often in the voice of the prophets.

I want to point out a few of the times that the Lord Came Down.

1. (The Voice Of God Came Down)

Ge 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (KJV)

Why His voice? God is as a Spirit – a spirit cannot be seen – you can hear a voice. You can’t see it but you can hear it. They heard a voice – they didn’t see God. The voice of God was the only way they could communicate – the Word of God had not been written yet. When God spoke they couldn’t see Him – but rather only hear His voice. Therefore it would appear that there was only a voice.

A. God Is Always Available When Man Needs Him. If God hadn’t come to Adam then Adam’s sin would have destroyed him. God was present in Adam’s darkest hour.

B. God Came Down To Show Man Where He Had Disobeyed God –

There was something between God and Adam – This had never occurred before. Notice the word God used to describe their sinful state after they had sinned. Ge 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;…….. God’s first word used to describe the sin of mankind was the word naked. “They saw they were NAKED.” This is the first time I have seen this in this light. The first mention of man’s sin is described with the word naked. It doesn’t say they saw they were sinners – nor that they were condemned, nor disobedient, but that they were naked. The first word to explain sin was “naked”. I wonder why it is so easy for man to go naked today? Being naked now made him afraid. The more man is naked the more he is displaying his sinfulness.

Adam was afraid of God after his sin. This was the first encounter with sin in the Bible and it has totally separated Adam and God.

C. God Came Down To Point Out To Adam The Penalty Of His Sin, And To Tell Him Of Redemption.