Day 41: Exodus 33:12-17

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.’  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.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 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?”

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.”

Loneliness is an epidemic in our age. We are simultaneously the richest and most isolated culture in human history. We are paranoid of being alone, yet, in our efforts to stay digitally connected to the world, we have become more isolated from others than previous generations could have imagined.

The promise of God found here in Exodus 33 could not be more countercultural to our age. God doesn’t promise Moses that he’s going to fight all his battles for him (I think some of our modern worship songs are confused on this point). God doesn’t promise Moses that his life is going to be easy or that he is going to be a cherished leader among his people. He does not promise Moses wealth or prosperity. He simply promises that his presence will go with Moses and that he will give Moses rest. This is the same promise that Jesus gives to his disciples in John 14:26-27 when Jesus promises not to leave us but to send the advocate: the Holy Spirit.

For those who walk with God, they can testify to the consistent presence of the Holy Spirit to be guiding, directing, and counseling throughout their lives. God gives us the ultimate sense of rest and peace, because he promises us that we will not be abandoned in this life. The promise he made to Moses he makes to you as well.

Jonathan Burkey | Worship Pastor