We all sin and fall short, but what's even worse than the original error we committed is continuing to live in the same old sin or continuing to remain in a place of temptation. If we know we have a particular weakness, it's best for us to keep from putting ourselves in situations where we'll give in to that weakness. This is what the Bible is talking about when the Apostle Paul says in Romans 13:14, "Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof". (I'm using the KJV here because I think it's the clearest translation of what Paul meant.) He's saying, "Don't set yourselves up for failure. Don't put yourselves in situations where you'll be tempted to give in to your weakness. Don't set the scene up so that you can't help but fall into temptation."
It's important for the Israelites to move camp soon. If they remain in the same place for too long they may be tempted to fall back into idolatry. It's also important for the Lord to put their minds back on the bigger picture. They're going someplace. They have a glorious future ahead of them. They don't want to get sidetracked or derailed here in the desert. If they don't get a handle on their idolatrous tendencies now, they won't fare very well when taking over the territories inhabited by the pagan tribes of Canaan. They'll end up integrating with those tribes instead of driving them out if they don't understand how wicked and how life-ruining and how soul-destroying idolatry actually is.
While reminding the people they need to keep their future in mind, the Lord makes it clear that He's displeased by their lack of faith. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way." (Exodus 33:1-3)
What does He mean by saying His angel will go before them but that He will not go with them? Earlier in our study of Exodus we discussed whether the angel that went before them is the pre-incarnate Christ. I think it's possible this is who it was but we can't be certain since when speaking of the pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament we generally see Him referred to as "the angel of the Lord". So it may be that this is a created angel of high rank, perhaps even the archangel Michael who appears to be a type of "general" in the Lord's army of angels and who is referred to in the book of Daniel as "the prince who protects your people"----"your people" meaning Israel. (Daniel 12:1) Whoever this angel is, he is doing the Lord's work for the people of Israel and at the same time he is allowing God and the people to have some space between them.
Why does there need to be space between God and the people right now? I'm not sure whether it's needed so much as the Lord is giving the people a choice. Are they willing to keep on living at a distance from Him? Or does the removal of His close personal presence cause them grief in their hearts? If they can stand having distance between themselves and God then that means they are perfectly happy with mediocre living. It means they don't especially want a close personal relationship with their Creator who loves them and who rescued them from slavery and who is taking them to a good land where He intends to make them into a great nation. But if the sense of God not being as close to them as He once was makes them feel sad, then that means they want to keep growing in their faith. That means they want to daily learn more and more about the Lord and that they want to form such a close relationship with him that they will be able to---as Moses does later in our chapter---speak with the Lord as friends speak to each other.
The people respond to the Lord's words in the right attitude. The idea of not having the sense of His presence with them daily causes them a great deal of distress. This is not what they want. They want to feel the Lord in their midst and in their hearts. As an outward display of the grief they feel, they dress as if they are in mourning. "When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.' So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb." (Exodus 33:4-6)
Why does the Lord say He would destroy them if He went with them? I think if they remain in their sinful and rebellious attitude His sheer holiness would consume them if He is down among them. "For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) The Lord isn't asking the people to be perfect; He knows that's impossible for them. He's just asking them to place their faith and trust in Him. He isn't pleased with their lack of faith because, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6) If they don't place their faith in Him and leave it there then He can't impute righteousness to them. Faith is how their father Abraham was considered righteous in the Lord's eyes. (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:22) Abraham wasn't perfect but because he placed his faith in the Lord, the Lord imputed righteousness to him. Righteousness has always been by faith and it always will be by faith. "For by grace you are saved by faith." (Ephesians 2:8) So we see the Lord is saying to the people, "Why do you have no faith in Me? Didn't I rescue you from Egypt with great signs and wonders? Haven't I provided for you in the wilderness? Haven't I blessed you with My personal presence? If you refuse to put your faith in Me, we can't be friends. If you refuse to put your faith in Me, you'll never be all that I intended you to be. Yes, I'll still give you the promised land because I told Abraham I would, but your joy will never be full there unless you are in close relationship with Me. Nothing in life will ever fully satisfy you unless you are in close relationship with Me. You were designed and created for communion with Me. Nothing less will ever make you happy. Don't cause Me to have to remove any of you from among your fellow Israelites due to persisting in idolatry and rebellion. Don't reject me all your life and cause Me to have to eternally separate your soul from My presence. I'm presenting you with a choice and if you make the right choice, as your father Abraham did, all the blessings that belong to the children of God can be yours."
Our passage today presents us with a choice. Are we content living at a distance from God? Or do we want more of Him? The Lord longs to be in our midst and to give us the comforting and empowering sense of His presence every day. If we feel like there's a distance between us and God, it's because we put it there. But the good news is that the situation doesn't have to remain like that. That's why the Bible instructs us to, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:8)
No comments:
Post a Comment