Exodus 33 gets the chosen people on with their journey. They had stopped at the mountain to allow Moses to connect with God and receive the 10 commandments and some further direction. Of course, while there, they screwed up and built an idol and altar and really irritated God and Moses. So now Moses is told to load em up and “head for the land which I promised”. It is time to get on with it. Interestingly, God says “I will send an angel ahead” to clear a path and get rid of the enemies along the way. But He says “I won’t be with you in person”. God tells Moses that the “hard-headed people” are more than He can actually tolerate, so rather than go with them and risk destroying them out of anger, God tells Moses to go ahead and He will send an angel to accompany them. They are on the way to the promised land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”. But Moses is not satisfied with that approach. He confronts God about it.
Along the route they set up the “Tent of Meeting” where Moses would seek God. “God spoke with Moses face to face”. Quite a change for a guy who argued with God earlier in life about how he would not be able to lead. Now Moses is not only leading, he has been interceding and now is actually confronting God on behalf of his people. Leadership has come full circle for Moses. He tells God this: “If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans”. Do you have direct and honest discussion with God? Sometimes we tend to think we can’t really share our heart with our Father. But that is not correct. God already knows our heart, so there is no reason we should not share it openly with Him. He loves us and wants to communicate with us. We need to be willing to approach God with honesty and openness, to seek His direction and to connect with His love. Moses really basically gets in God’s face – not actually because it is clear that anyone who see’s God’s face will die – but Moses certainly gets into God’s presence and has a direct discussion. And God says this: “I know you by name”. There is a relationship. And you know what – God wants that exact kind of personal and deep relationship with every one of His children. He wants to connect to us individually. We are His children created by His hand, and He desires to know us and be part of our lives each moment. God wants to lead us just like He led the chosen to the promised land. Do you seek God? Do you invite Him into your life? Are you trying to connect and communicate? It is a two way street. I assure you God is active and listening and ready to respond. The only question is on our part of that equation. Are you reaching up to Him?
Posted by asorensen 
