Devotional Thoughts from the Passages Journal Reading – Feb 21, 2011
Exodus 33 is crucial for understanding why it is that the people of Israel stood before God as His chosen people. Remember that while Moses was on the mountain with God the people decided to make for themselves a golden calf to worship. They saw the power and majesty of God manifest on the mountain and yet they still went after false gods. As a result the wrath of God fell upon them in the form of a plague (32:35).
In chapter 33 God tells Moses to move on from Mount Sinai but He says “I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff necked people.” The people mourned when they heard this. They knew that they did not want to move on from Sinai without the presence of God. Verse 12-23 are of great significance. Moses pleads with God saying, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (33:15), and “Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (33:16)
On what grounds did Moses plead with God in this way? What gave Him the confidence to talk with God and to, in a sense, bargain with Him. As far as I can tell, Moses brings nothing to the table at this point! And yet Moses stands before God with confidence. The question is, why?
There is a repeating theme in this chapter that answers this question. look at verses 12,13,16,17, and 19. What is the reoccurring theme? The word translated “favor” in this passage is the Hebrew word for “favor” or “grace”. Why was Israel chosen and saved? Why did Moses approach God in this way? It was because God had chosen to shown Moses grace! Why did God show grace to Moses and the people of Israel as opposed to the other nations? God answers this question in verse 19b saying, “I will be gracious to whom I am will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” Though Moses and the people of Israel brought nothing to the table, God choose, according to His the good pleasure or His will, to show mercy and grace to them despite their sin and rebellion. And so from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22, what is our confidence? It is by the grace of God that we are saved! Do you see how the story of redemption is consistent Genesis to Revelation? From Genesis 3 on the Bible is a story of God pursuing and saving a sinful rebellious people. It was this way with ethnic Israel, and it is this way with the Church today!
Let us live daily trusting fully in Christ Jesus with hearts of humility.
In His Grace,
Joe
