God bless!

2 more days of finals left >_<

[Of course, one of them is just eating for a Yearbook banquet, but still! With rubber bands in my mouth just starting to be comfortable, it still makes me anxious about tomorrow T^T]

-Love, GinniePark

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Memory Verse of the Week:

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God." - Exodus 34:26a

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The Presence of God - Exodus 33:1-11

Sin Breaks Our Fellowship

1: "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.'"

2: "I will bring an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites."

3: "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.'"

4: "When the people heard these distressing word, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments."

5: '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.'"

6: "So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb."

 

Face to Face with God

7: "Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting.' Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp."

8: "And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent."

9: "As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses."

10: "Whenever the peope saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they all stood and whispered, each at the entrance to their tent."

11: "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent."

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Reflection

Sin Breaks Our Fellowship (33:1-6)

God is holy and cannot tolerate or excuse sin. Due to the sin of the Israelites (worshipping the golden calf), the Lord's presence is temporarily withdrawn. God must remain at a distance. Sin breaks our fellowship with God. Isaiah 59:2 states that our iniquities have seperated us from God and our sins have hidden His face from us so that He cannot hear. The people realize that they have disappointed the Lord, and they begin a period of mourning and repentance.

The worst consequence of sin is not the personal loss, hurt, of feelings of guilt. It is losing fellowship with the Lord. That is why David cries out in Psalm 51:11, "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." On the cross, Jesus, though sinless, experienced the ultimate rejection. For the first time in history, He lost the presence of God, as His Father hid His face from His own Son.

 

Face to Face with God

Although God has withdrawn His presence from the camp of the Israelites, He continues to meet with His servant Moses. Why does Moses find such favor with the Lord? How is he able to have his privileged relationship, 'face to face, as one speaks to a friend' (v. 11)? It is not necessarily because Moses is perfect, but rather, because he puts his trust in the Lord, submitting to Him in faith. Joshua stands guard at the entrance because not just anyone could have this kind of liaison. Similarly, Jesus calls His disciples 'friends' (John 15:15), and by this extension, we are also invited to enjoy this privileged camaraderie. Jesus desires to be present and active in every part of our lives. He understands us in every way and can identify with our new hardships. Don't take this friendship for granted. It is only reserved for a few.

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Application

-Pretending to have the real thng with God is worse than living authentically without Him. Are there secret sins in your life that keep God's Spirit at bay? Repent of your sins. Dare to desire Him deeper.

-Although God is an awesome, all-consuming, holy God, in Christ He is also approachable and desires to be intimate with us. But in order to experience a deep, intimate connection with Jesus, you need to put in the time.

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"Draw near to me, let me know your touch, leet me hear your voice in the morning."

-Scott Brenner

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Loved Despite Sin

Imagine being a beloved only child. Your parents love you, but they always say, "Don't do this and don't do that; if you do, we will kick you out of the house!" For a time, you might be too scared or innocent to tempt fate. But after some time, your friends start reassuring you, "Oh, they are just saying that. They aren't really going to kick you out." So you give into peer pressure, and you get away with it for a time. But when your parents find out, they really do kick you out of the house! So, are your parents unjust? No! You knew the consequences of your actions. You just didn't believe that anything would actually happen. After all, don't they love you!? What is lacking here is not lov, but a proper perspective.

God declares that He is a jealous God (Deut. 6:15). Israel sinned against Him by worshipping the image of some on-the-spot, made-up god. God isn't emotionless, and when Israel turned away from Him, He responded by refusing to be in their presence. As Billy Graham writes, "When we turn out backs on Him, eventually we'll pay a price - a price of unhappiness and misery and defeat. [Happiness, therefore, isn't made of our own accord, but through God.] Sin has consequences, both now and in eternity. But God loves us in spite of our sins!"

God never stopped loving the Israelites, but He was incredibly grieved by them. In this same way, God never stops loving us, even when we sin against Him. Yet, though God loves us, we must understand that there are always consequences for our actions.

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A Letter to God

Lord, I long for Your holy presence.

Meet with me as I seek Your face today.

Help me to abide in You, O God.

Thank You for calling me Your friend.

I want to be faithful to You.

May Your presence go with me everywhere I go.

In Jesus' name. Amen.