Argue with God?! 5/15/2014

¹⁵ And he (Moses) said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  Exodus 33:14-15 (ESV)

This passage from Exodus shows the depth of trust and the strength of the relationship Moses had with God.

In the first three verses of Exodus 33, God tells Moses to lead the Israelite nation to the "a land flowing with milk and honey." (v 3)  But, God also lets Moses know, "I will not go up among you, . . . for you are a stiff-necked people.” (v 2)   God even promised to remove all obstacles to the move--  ^"I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites." (v2)

When the nation of Israel heard the news that God was going to withdraw His hand from them, "they mourned".  (v4)  Too bad it took impending doom before God's people would return to Him.  From stiff-necked to humble pie.  Arrogant to repentant.  

How many times in my life has my pride and self-sufficiency caused God to withdraw His hand of blessing from me?  I can look back on times when God has allowed me "milk and honey", but His presence has been far from me.  Those are some of the darkest, most regretful years of my life.   

Luckily the Israelites had an intercessor in Moses.  Verses 12-15 record an incredible conversation between Moses and God.

Moses tells God, "show me what I need to do to find your favor".  Let me know God what is required of me.  Obedience before relationship. (v 12-13)   

In verse 15, Moses sums up what should be the guiding principal for every Christian.  "And he (Moses) said to him (God), 'If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.'"  This is an especially powerful statement from Moses considering the nation was camped out at the bottom of Mount Sinai at the time.

Without the presence of God, earthly riches and comforts meant nothing to Moses.  Tents with God were preferred to cities without God.  A God-filled life of poverty trumped a godless life of comfort. 

God listened to and rewarded Moses' prayer of intercession for the nation of Israel.  ¹⁴ And he (God) said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  

Obedience and intercession.  Oh that I were better at both.