Over the last few months, there has been a phrase that we have used over and over again at Breakaway. Debi mentioned it a few times last week as she preached on the glory of God. I used it a few weeks before to define what worship is. Then as we have talked about different bible characters like Gideon, Mary, Moses, and Abraham, this phrase has also been used in describing their stories. This phrase that we have so often used is “the presence of God.”
As we have used this phrase over and over, I have left wondering if we really understand what it means, because I don’t think I really know what it means. We use it all the time in the church but what does it look and feel like? I have wondered, “Where can we find God’s presence? I mean, do we even have to look for it? Isn’t it everywhere?” And even more so, “Is it even important for us to seek God’s presence?”
Over the last month or so, I have done a lot of praying and thinking about these questions and God’s presence. Tonight, I would like to humbly attempt to answer these questions according to what I found in scriptures. The passage that I would like to focus on is Exodus 33:1-15.
Our text today, picks up in the middle of a very important and exciting moment in the lives of all the Israelite people. The Israelites, not much more than five months ago, had been freed as slaves in Egypt. Their leader, Moses had confronted Pharaoh with the help of God and some miraculous plagues, which lead the Pharaoh to finally let the people go. During their long journey out of Egypt, their path had stopped at the foot of Mount Sinai in the desert. They had camped there for a little over forty days and now God was ready for them to continue their travels.
Starting at verse 1, ***33:1-3a***
Put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites upon hearing this command. How would you feel, after being in the dessert for months to have God come and say it’s time to go? Wooooo hooooo! Yea! I would start packing so fast and be dancing and singing in excitement just because we were leaving the dessert for a land that was flowing with milk and honey. That definitely beats sand and…umm more sand!
Not only were the people leaving the dessert, but they were going to the land that God had promised to their descendants. God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would be given the whole land of Canaan where their children and grandchildren for generations to come could grow up in safety. God was finally fulfilling his promise! The people would have been giddy in expectation of being able to be the first to step into the Promised Land.
On top of all that, God tells them that he will send an angel ahead of them to drive out all of the people inhabiting the Promised Land. That’s pretty cool! They get their own personal body guard that is going to go off and kick everyone’s butt for them. How many people would like to have their own personal angel who went out before you in your day to confront the bully at school or that co-worker or boss at work that you have been having a hard time with?
All of the Israelite people had joy and excitement in their hearts as God shared with them, but all of that changed as God added one more thing. At the end of verse three God adds the following sentence. ***33:3b***
WOAH! That stinks! Now imagine being in their shoes? You might not want to! Why was God so angry? Well, as the people were camped at Mount Sinai, Moses was up on the mountain talking with God. On this mountain is where Moses was given the Ten Commandments. As Moses received these new laws for the people, the Israelites got tired of waiting and decided they were going to make a golden calf to worship. As God was speaking them, the people were already breaking the first two commandments to not have any other gods before thee God and to not have any idols. God had a right to be angry and, in a sense, jealous because the people had rejected him after all he did for them in Egypt.
In verses 4-6 we read that the people went into a state of mourning. ***33:4-6*** (explain ornaments – their jewelry, which were used to make the calf but also was a sign of repentance). The Israelites response to God and God’s frustration and anger shows us two things. First, it shows us that nothing can replace the presence of God! The fact that God was sending an angel with them was not enough. Even though it was a heavenly being, assigned from God, it still did not even come close to comparing with God’s presence. They knew, without a doubt, that the only reason they came out of Egypt and the only reason they had survived out in the dessert was because God had been with them and protected them. It is important that in our own relationships with God, we don’t settle for anything less than God’s presence because there are no substitutes.
Second, it shows us that God’s presence needs to be the first and only thing that we truly seek. I think it is sort of ironic that the Israelites got tired of waiting for God and Moses so they created another god, being the golden calf. When they realized this angered thee God and he threatened to not go with them they went into mourning. In our culture there are so many things that we worship and spend our time with other than God. We look for happiness and comfort in the presence of money, friends and family, school, or even in a sense religion. Those things in themselves are not bad to spend time with and definitely can make us happy, but when they take the place of God’s presence in our lives they become idols and begin to pull us away from our relationships with God.
Verses 12-15, helps us to understand this more as we are able to listen in on a conversation between God and Moses. ***walk through 33:12-15***
Moses did not want to go anywhere without God’s presence. He knew there were no substitutes and that nothing compared with God. He was not willing at all to settle for anything else! Moses truly understood just how important God’s presence in our lives really is.
So, if God’s presence is so important, how and where can we find it? Verses 7-11 give us some insight into this process. ***walk through 33:7-11***
Vs. 9: the pillar of cloud – represented God’s presence in the Old Testament during the Exodus.
I think there are three important things that we can see in this passage about finding God’s presence.
First, God’s presence was something that the people had to actively enter into. To go and meet with God the people had to walk out to the tent of meeting and go into it. Later on, the tent of meeting was replaced with the temple. In order for anyone to enter into God’s presence and worship they had to go to the temple, and even still, God’s direct presence was kept in the Holy of Holies in the middle of the temple and only the high priest was allowed to enter into that.
So what does that mean for us? Do we have to be at church or a temple to find God’s presence and worship? Not at all! We today, have something that those in the Old Testament didn’t have. As we have just celebrated Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection, that sacrifice changed the way that we, as sinful humans, can approach God. When Jesus died, Matthew 27:51 tells us that the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple tore in half. This symbolized that all were free to come to God now but also that God’s presence was not confined to the temple. Because of Christ’s death, everyone in this room has the ability to enter into a relationship with God and to stand in his presence having received forgiveness. Jesus promises to never leave us nor forsake us, like he did with the Israelites in the dessert, because he paid the ultimate sacrifice to cleanse us from our disobediences to God.
Second, verse 10 shows us that the response to God’s presence is worship. Worship can be anything from a prayer, a song, a shout, a dance, reading scripture, sitting quietly and listening, repenting, mourning, playing sports or doing your homework. As we enter into God’s presence we should respond to it in worship which will ultimately bring us closer and deeper into God’s presence. When we do this perfectly, it will create an endless cycle where we grow so close to God that we will never be able to get enough.
Third, I think Joshua found and tasted a glimpse of this cycle. It is important to realize that the author is making a point mentioning that Joshua wouldn’t leave the tent. Instead, he stayed and basked in God’s presence. I think it is also important to note that when you read the book of Joshua, Joshua is the one that leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. The reason for this is because Joshua obeyed God like no other leader before him. The whole theme of the book of Joshua is obedience to God. Joshua knew God so well and was able to therefore lead the people in knowing God as well. The only way that we can know God deeper is to seek his presence and to sink deeper and deeper into it!
So, what does God’s presence look and feel like? As I thought about how to answer this question I have to admit that I can’t! I think it is different for each person and situation. Some people feel peaceful, others, like the Israelites, enter into a state of mourning and repentance, others get excited and happy, and others sit and reflect on God as they pray. God’s presence can be different every time but it can’t easily be explained. Instead it needs to be experienced.
Nothing is more important than seeking God’s presence and there is no substitute that can even come close to what God has for us. Christ’s death on the cross has built a bridge between Man and God that all are welcome to walk over into God’s arms. It is as simple as praying and telling God that you want to begin a relationship with him. When we have a relationship with God we can enter his presence no matter where we are because he promises to be with us. We can worship him and draw nearer to him as we bask in His presence. God’s presence and a relationship with him are better than anything else that we can have on the face of this planet!
