Key Episode Scripture: Exodus chapters 32-34
And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” So he was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:27-28 ESVUK)
Moses, the man of God, went up a mountain to spend 40 days in God’s presence, receiving a renewed covenant and establishing how God would relate to His people. We have looked into the context of that episode, given an outline of the content, and mused on some of the concepts. In the previous entry, we reached some conclusions. As people called to be on God’s mission, there are some consequences for us in the mission.
People are keen on interceding and seeking God’s mercy. Anger features heavily in this episode. As God was sick of the sight of the world when He caused it to flood, you can sense a similar sense of being sick of the sight of the people of Israel when they wear His patience out to the umpteenth degree with their idolatry. Moses, likewise, was apoplectic with rage when he saw what the people got up to when they removed their restraints. If God is slow to anger, then you must know it took a lot for Him to reach that state of fury at the people. It would be understandable in the light of yet another bungling by the people to simply wipe them out. God responds compassionately to Moses’ intercession. Moses intercedes for the glory of God and for the mercy of God’s people.
It’s worth highlighting those things because that capacity to intercede for the glory of God and the mercy of His people should be the hallmark of those on the mission. We take sin seriously; we don’t condone it or tolerate it. Yet our heart’s desire is not for condemnation; it’s for mercy; it’s for the opportunity for people to repent and return to the way of God. Seeing those who should know better doing worse can be sickening and angering. It would only be too easy to observe the wickedness going on and call on God to wipe the people out. The 40 days that Moses spent in the presence of God was not to see the people condemned, it was part of the restoration of the people through the renewal of the covenant. As long as there’s hope for us on the mission, we too must be marked by our preference for the mercy of God to be shared with His people so they will give him glory for the great mercy He shows – mercy particularly expressed in the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world.
People who prefer presence and partnership over the promise of prizes. Some are keen on what God has to offer: healing, wealth, security, success in every endeavour, happiness and that thought of a mansion in heaven. It’s a wonderful offer. The people of Israel liked the thought of being delivered from slavery, and to discover they had a land full of milk and honey set up for them went down a treat. Witnessing God display His awesome power was also delightful and gave them hope. When they didn’t get what they wanted quickly enough and had to wait a while in the middle of nowhere, they felt the need to entertain themselves with something much more present. If we’re reading a book of the promises of God and make it our point of duty to prioritise those promises of prizes, it would be easy to fall into that level of impatience and disappointment when we see others thriving where we appear to be in the middle of nowhere waiting for things to happen.
Moses’ example underlines what should matter for those on the mission. The only prize that matters is the presence. The only promise that counts above others is the promise of His presence. It’s interesting to see how many people are keen to go to a good place after death because it’s good, rather than desire to be with the One who is good now and for eternity. The eternal purpose of God is based on him having a people of His own who delight in nothing more than being with their God. It’s not to say there’s no place for the other prizes; it is to say that those on the mission aren’t wooing people with the promise of prizes. People on the mission are eager for the glory of God to be seen by His people as they prioritise the pursuit of Him above all else.
Moses was so keen on the presence that it changed his visage. Paul promised us that we would have access to be like the one we were looking at for ourselves. That shapes and changes what we desire and shapes the mission we’re on. It provides us with inner resolve and patience in tough times and allows us not to be captured so much by what we’re given as the Giver in better times. It also clearly states that we want to know the way of God that is pleasing in His sight. It’s a distinctive character feature that points others to God, who we live for.
Next, we will note, tragically, how the people of Israel still didn’t learn from God in this episode in a later episode that revolved around 40 days as we consider – The Scouts’ Reports.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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