Posts that reference the book of Exodus

And the LORD passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

This is God’s revelation of Himself.
Who He is.
What He does

The Self-Existent God
Merciful
Gracious
Longsuffering

Abounding in goodness and truth
Keeping mercy for thousands
Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin
By no means clearing the guilty
Letting the consequences of their actions and decisions play out.

This is the glory Moses asked to see.
This is the glory that filled the Temple
This is the glory Christ showed us.
This is the glory we can see for ourselves.

Because of what Jesus did.
Because of who God is.
He invites us to know Him.

God’s name is THE name worth proclaiming.

Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” Exodus 33:18

“Show me Your glory!”
It’s almost too much to write about.
You see, the golden calf is in chapter 32.
The failure.
The wrath.
The judgment.

Then God tells Moses to lead the people without Him.
“I will not go up in your midst,
because you are an obstinate people,
and I might destroy you on the way.” (Ex 33:3)
And Moses has a crisis of confidence,
Of leadership, of purpose, of calling.

Moses asks, “Show me Your way.”
Lord, I don’t know what to do next.
God says, “I will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Ex 33:14)

Moses asks, “How will anyone know we are Your people,
Except that You lead us?”
Lord, how can I be sure You still want me?
God says, “You have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” (Ex. 33:17)

But then Moses asks, “Show me Your glory.”
Lord, I want to know more than Your name.
I want to experience more than Your presence.
I want intimacy with You like I have never experienced before.
And I don’t want to leave this place until I am assured the relationship between us,
Between You and Your people is restored.
God says, “I will. I reaffirm My covenant name.
I will be gracious. I will show mercy.” (Ex. 33:19)

Why don’t we see His glory?

Perhaps because we don’t ask.
Or maybe because we are satisfied
And we don’t know how much we need it.

You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. Exodus 23:2

Don’t follow the crowd.
That’s good enough advice on its own.
As believers we don’t line up with the world.
We’ve always been a minority.

This is bigger, though.
From the Hebrew, from the cultural context, it’s more like
Don’t follow a crowd because you’re afraid you’ll look foolish
Or weird, or backward, or bigoted,
If you don’t.

The second half is don’t take sides
When you have no personal knowledge.
It specifically applies to Israel’s beginning court system.
It applies more broadly to gossip …
To social media rants … To stirring the pot.
Just don’t.

God’s people must be brave enough
To make a stand apart from the crowd.
To stand for righteousness,
For grace, compassion, and love.
Even if that means
Standing alone.

“You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ Exodus 13:8

Israel was taught to tell the story
Of what the Lord had done.
The exodus was never meant to become dry history.
It was vibrant and personal.

It is a testimony.
You shall tell.
You shall say,
“It is because of what the Lord did for me.”

Things used to be one way
“I was a slave.”
The Lord intervened.
Now things are different.
“I am free.”

The exodus was amazing and miraculous.
It was God’s direct action.
His mighty hand.
There was no doubt, no question
He saved His people from bondage.

But the exodus is a type.
We were held in bondage to sin.
Through God’s direct action,
His mighty hand.
Jesus Christ saved us.

I was lost.
Jesus intervened.
Now I’m saved.

Now, that’s a testimony.
Vibrant and personal.

Do we tell it?

And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. Exodus 12:37-38

A mixed multitude
These were not descendants of Jacob
But they saw the miracles
The mighty hand of God
And they wanted to be counted with the winning side.

Later in Numbers
Wandering in the wilderness
They were among the first to complain
About God’s great provision
And they spread discontent among God’s people

It still happens today.
People attach to body of Christ
They say the right words,
They want to be on the winning side,
But they spread discontent among God’s people.

Through the parable of the sower,
And experience itself,
We know that when things grow difficult,
When the way leads through the wilderness
The mixed multitude will be the first to walk away.

Don’t join them.