Spiritual Radar

Not long-ago great flocks of migratory birds overwhelmed airport radar systems at Des Moines, Iowa, Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri. The computerized radar systems were “knocked out” for hours after they tried to process information on thousands of transient geese. FAA radar systems are supposed to filter out the radar echoes that come from birds by tracking their speed, but often controllers will turn off primary radar (the one that reads echoes from objects in the sky) and rely upon transponder signals from aircraft. But on that fateful day the birds appeared so suddenly that FAA controllers had no time to act. The birds appeared in such vast numbers that the radar filtering system (which screens out echoes from birds) quickly failed. The Des Moines radar system can process seven hundred bona fide aircraft returns and three hundred non-aircraft returns simultaneously. But that day the system was overwhelmed with over nine hundred bird echoes within minutes. Life is like that sometimes. The background noise of this world competes for our attention and overwhelms our ability to filter out the static. We lose sight of what’s important in life. Our spiritual radar gets overwhelmed, and we lose God in all the static. That’s when it’s time to turn off the television, turn off the radio, fold up the paper, close the magazines and put away all the distractions. It is time simply to “be still” in the presence of God. We see Moses in such a place in Exodus 33. When Moses requested to see God, God gave him just a glimpse of his “back.” Hiding in a crevice, Moses’ spiritual radar was tuned in, and all he could do was be still as God passed by.

Moses has not been overwhelmed with all that has been going on in these past couple of chapters. He’s interceded for the Israelites as God’s chosen mediator asking God to relent from the harm, He said He would do to them. He’s interceded for them asking God to forgive their sin or to wipe Moses out of His book. He has spoken face to face with the Lord, just as a man speaks to His friend. This morning, we will be privy to one of those conversations as Moses will again intercede for the Israelites. He will ask for clarification of God’s presence with the people, ask to know God’s ways so he can know God more and find favor with Him, and will “strive” with God on the people’s behalf. Moses will then boldly approach the Lord asking to see His glory so he can get a deeper understanding and experience of Him. Moses’ spiritual radar was truly tuned into God. He had a hunger for God, desperately wanting to know God more intimately, and wanting to fall deeper and deeper in love with Him. How is your spiritual radar? Is it on? Is it overwhelmed by the world’s noise? Do you have a desire for God’s real presence in your life? Do you yearn to know God and His ways? Do you hunger for God, desperately wanting to know him more intimately and to fall deeper and deeper in love with Him? These are questions we need to answer as we continue to progress on our spiritual journey. That brings us to our big idea that God desires His people to yearn for a deeper understanding and experience of Himself. After we pursue God’s presence and yearn to know Him more, the next step should be to want a deeper understanding and experience of the Lord.

Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we boldly approach your throne this morning, humbly asking for your Holy Spirit to fill us as we look into your Word. Let your Word be a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our paths. Help us to put all other thoughts aside in this moment and focus our hearts and minds on you. May all we think, say and do here be honoring and glorifying to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our first point is, The Lord’s Presence, found in Exodus 33:12-17. Follow along as I read those verses. This is what God’s Word says, “Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

As we have studied chapter 33, we have seen how it is set in between Exodus 32:34 and verse 35. It is a more in-depth account of the Lord’s conversation with Moses that started in verse 34. In that verse God told Moses to go and lead the people to the Promised Land and an angel would go before them. The problem was because of their idolatry with the golden calf the tabernacle would not be built and so the Lord could not dwell in their midst. If He dwelled with them, God’s holiness would destroy them. The people then repented, stripped off their ornaments and were waiting for God to decide what to do with them. As they waited, Moses set up his tent as a tent of meeting outside the camp where God would meet with him and any of the people who chose to seek after Him. The people continued to show their repentance by giving Moses the respect he deserved as God’s mediator and worshipping the Lord as he deserved. Our passage this morning continues to be set in between Exodus 32:34 and verse 35 and this will continue until we come to Exodus 34:4.

Our passage continues the conversation as the Lord and Moses are speaking face to face as friends in the tent of meeting. Moses is still concerned about the Lord’s presence being with them even though the Lord said He would send an angel before them who would drive out the Canaanite nations. Moses still wanted clarification. We see the special relationship that Moses had with the Lord that allowed him to speak freely with Him. Moses was God’s mediator between the Lord and the people and had earned the right to humbly confront the Lord on these types of matters. We may wonder why Moses keeps pressing the Lord on this. Didn’t He already say twice that an angel would go before them? But Moses doesn’t seem to be satisfied with the Lord’s answer. The pre-incarnate Christ in the pillar of fire and cloud has been with them since they left Egypt and still seems to be the one who would go before them. Moses knew the task would be impossible if the presence of the Lord was not with them. So, he continues to plead with the Lord, stating that the Lord had said He knew Moses by name and had found favor with him. Moses was probably referring to Exodus 3:4, when the Lord called Him by his name at the burning bush and commissioned him to go and tell Pharoah to let God’s people go. That God had found favor with Moses has not been specifically mentioned in scripture, but we have seen many times that the Lord was pleased with Moses, and it was clear that Moses was favored as God’s mediator.

Moses continued to use that favored status in humility, with intensity and without ceasing. Moses asked the Lord, if He was truly pleased with him, to teach him His ways. Why would the Lord be pleased with Moses? It was because Moses had conducted himself well so far in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea and to Mt. Sinai. What were God’s ways that Moses wanted to be taught? His ways were His standards, methods and benefits in dealing with the Israelites, according to his divine character and nature. Moses was asking God to show them what they needed to do for God to be with them on this journey and what He demanded of them as His people. And knowing God’s divine character and nature, His attributes, would help Moses on the journey. To lead effectively Moses needed to be in constant communication with the Lord, as in the tent of meeting, as opposed to God sending down orders from heaven. Moses wanted to serve God and His people more effectively so that God would continue to find favor with Moses. Moses was boldly declaring that the proof that God knew Moses and had found favor in His sight was for God’s personal presence to go with them. Moses was not content just to seek God’s presence but truly yearned for a deeper understanding and experience of that presence and of God’s attributes (Big Idea).

Moses took his role as God’s mediator very seriously. He interceded for God to not destroy the people. He asked God to take them back as His people and if not to take his own life. Moses wanted to be connected to the Israelites whether for good or bad. He truly loved the Lord’s people and was not afraid to fight and intercede for them before the Almighty, Sovereign and Holy God who created the universe. Moses then again reminds the Lord that the Israelites are His people. He had created them and called them out of all the nations of the world to be His treasured possession. So, after Moses’ impassioned plea the Lord says His Presence will go with Moses and He will give Moses rest. Moses should be satisfied now, right? The Lord just confirmed that the pre-incarnate Jesus would go with Moses and the Lord would give Moses “rest” meaning the Promised Land. But Moses is not satisfied because the Lord used singular pronouns and Moses caught on to it. The Lord was promising to only go with Moses and to only give him the rest of the Promised Land. The Lord is again testing Moses to see if he would be a faithful mediator. Moses could still take the Lord up on his offer to start over with Moses and make him into a great nation.

Moses again responds that if God’s Presence would not go with them, to just leave them where they are at. It would be better for them to stay at Mt. Sinai with the Lord’s Presence as it is now than to be in the Promised Land without His presence. Moses then shows that he has a passion for the glory of God. He appealed to God’s glory by saying how would anyone know the Lord was pleased with him and His people unless His Presence was with them. Notice Moses continues to put “His people” before the Lord. He is not giving up trying to get the Lord to forgive His people and renew His presence with them in a special way. He continues to tie his future to that of the Israelites for better or for worse. Again, Moses was a faithful mediator fulfilling his role to the utmost. How would this favoring of Moses and the people show God’s glory? It was the same argument Moses made against destroying the people. What would the nations say about God if his Presence was not with them? Moses was appealing to the glory of God’s name. If God’s Presence were not with them, it would malign His character and nature and would bring shame and disgrace to the name of the Lord. If God’s Presence would not go with them, they would be just like all the pagan peoples in Canaan and the world. There would be nothing special about them, and this would diminish God glory among the nations.

This really brings us to the crux of the matter. The Presence of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ, had been with them and would continue to be with them. But this was not Moses’ main concern. What Moses was concerned about and why he continued to passionately plead with the Lord was because he wanted the Lord to agree to “dwell among His people.” God had still not decided whether He would dwell among His people or not. This would be the distinguishing factor between the Israelites and all other people on the face of the earth. This was the only way that the Israelites would continue to be the Lord’s special possession and allow them to become kingdom of priests to the world. In verse 17, we get the Lord’s answer. The Lord says he will do the very thing Moses has asked. He will answer Moses’ prayer in the exact way he asked. The tabernacle would be built, the people would be able to make sacrifices for their sins and have them forgiven, and the Lord would dwell in their midst. But we get a sense the reason for this is not based on anything the Israelites have done. The Lord will dwell with His people because of His goodness and because He loves Moses, knows him by name and is pleased with him.

The Lord is pleased with His favored and faithful mediator because he has a passion for God’s glory. Moses knew that if the Lord dwelled among His people, it would bring glory to God’s name. Moses was also a fruitful mediator because through God “knowing” Moses, he was the salvation of the Israelites. He fulfilled God’s plan for himself and for God’s people by being obedient and that obedience brought forth the fruit of their salvation. Of course, Moses as a favored, faithful and fruitful mediator is ultimately a picture of Jesus as our perfect mediator. Jesus is God’s favored mediator because he is His one and only son. He is God’s faithful mediator because He interceded for the disciples and intercedes for all believers ultimately for the glory of God. And He is God’s fruitful mediator because He willingly went to the cross and the Father “knowing” Jesus in a unique way brought eternal salvation to all of God’s people. John 17:4 says, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”

We are saved today because God is pleased with our mediator, Jesus Christ. This is the true basis for our salvation and not anything we have done. Our salvation depends on the love and favor God has for His son. Matthew 3:17 says, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God expressed his pleasure with His son as our perfect mediator at His baptism and He confirmed it by raising Jesus from the dead. How could God ever be pleased with us as sinful human beings? It is because of His son, Jesus, who willingly died on the cross for our sins and rose again. If we want God to be pleased with us and appropriate His free salvation, we must accept Jesus as our perfect mediator and Savior. That brings us to our first next step which is to Accept Jesus as my perfect mediator, Lord and Savior, and be saved.

We now come to our second point, The Lord’s Glory, found in Exodus 33:18-23. This is what God’s Word says, “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Moses is not done petitioning the Lord for more of His presence and to know Him more. Moses knew that if the Lord would tabernacle among His people, it would bring glory to His name. Now Moses is requesting to see God’s glory. This would be taking their relationship to a whole different level. It would be the closest anyone had come to walking and talking with God as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Moses is bolding asking for a deeper understanding and experience of God’s presence and attributes (Big Idea). We may ask why Moses wanted to be shown God’s glory? First, he was concerned for God’s help. Being shown God’s glory would be a sign to Moses that the Lord’s Presence had truly been promised to him and the people. Seeing the glory of God would give him comfort and help him persevere in times of difficulty along the journey to the Promised Land. Two, he was concerned for God’s honor. We saw this in verse 16 as Moses wanted the glory of God's presence to be with him and Israel so that the nations would know that Yahweh was their God and He would be honored and glorified. One of the reasons we should want to know more of God and His glory is for His honor in the world today. Third, he was concerned for God Himself. Moses simply wanted to know God because God is God. He wanted to better understand and experience God simply for who He is. This brings us to our second next step which is to Pray for God to reveal His glory to me for my benefit and the benefit of those, I come in contact with, who need to know Him.

In verse 19 we see God’s answer. He will display His sovereign grace by causing His “goodness” to pass in front of Moses and He will proclaim His name, Yahweh, in his presence. What is God’s “goodness?” It speaks of the loveliness, splendor and beauty of God. What Moses will experience as the Lord passes by is the merciful, gracious, and compassionate Creator in a way that he could endure. God would also proclaim His name in Moses’ presence. This would reveal God’s character and nature to him. Moses would know what God is like and what God expected His people to be like. He would be certain, reassured and encouraged that the Lord would dwell with them in their midst as He promised. The Lord also displayed His sovereign choice by letting Moses know that He would have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and He would have compassion on whom He would have compassion. The point the Lord was making was that His goodness passed by and the proclaiming of His name was at his own initiative and under His sovereign control. His judgments were righteous, and His ways are perfect. He was being gracious to Moses because he had found favor in God’s eyes.

Next, we see God’s saving grace. God would not reveal His face to him because no one could see His face and live. Not even Moses whom the Lord spoke to face to face and as a friend would be able to withstand seeing the Lord’s face. Moses was still a sinful human being and as such if he encountered the pure and perfect holiness of God, he would be killed. But because God knew Moses’ name and he had found favor with Him, the Lord would make it possible for Moses to see as much of His glory as possible and live. Moses had already encountered the glory of God, to a point, at the burning bush, the plagues in Egypt and the miracles at the Red Sea and in the wilderness. He saw God’s glory in the pillar of cloud and fire, with the seventy elders on the mountain, on the mountain for forty days with God and in the tent of meeting speaking face to face with the Lord. Moses was spiritually aware, and he knew there was more to know about the Lord, and he wanted to experience a full revelation of Him. Moses had gotten a taste of the glory of God and now yearned for a more intimate relationship with Him. This would be more of an experience of God’s glory than he had ever had, and it would give him the confidence he needed to continue to guide the people to the Promised Land knowing that the Lord would be dwelling among them.

How would God enable Moses to see His glory and live. There was a place near Him, meaning on Mt. Sinai, where Moses could stand on “the” rock. When His glory would pass by God would put Moses in a cleft in the rock and cover him with His hand. This is important because it is up to us to stand upon the Rock who is Christ, but it is God who places us in Him. After passing by God would remove His hand and Moses would be able to see His back. We don’t know exactly what Moses saw. It is possible that what he saw was the glory of Christ as He would come afterwards in human flesh, revealing the Father to us. But whatever Moses saw God was faithful, gracious and merciful to give Him what he asked for and it would transform him. Lastly, God reiterates that His face must not be seen. It would be important for Moses not to try to see more than what God would allow. We will see this actual event taking place in Exodus 34:5.

What God is going to do for Moses will show His grace and mercy and the reality of the Gospel. God would provide how Moses would be safe in the cleft of the rock. He would be concealed and protected by God from God. He would have a fuller revelation of God than he ever had and at the same time survive the encounter. Of course this is a picture of Christ. He is the Rock of our salvation, our strength and our refuge. If God were to deal with us as we deserve, we would not last a second but be destroyed immediately. But God made a way that we could be in His presence even as sinful people and not suffer His wrath. That way was through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. We are safe in Christ as He mediates for us before the Father. We are saved by Christ as God hides us in the cleft of the rock.

John and Betty Stamm were a missionary couple to China who were arrested and martyred within months of arriving on the mission field. When the authorities arrested them and wrote to their mission agency demanding ransom, John sent this letter: Dear Brethren, my wife, baby, and myself are today in the hands of the Communists, in the city of Tsingteh. Things happened so quickly this morning. We were in the city just a few hours after the ever-present rumors really became alarming, so that we could not prepare to leave in time. We were just too late. Their demand is twenty thousand dollars for our release. All our possessions and stores are in their hands, but we praise God for peace in our hearts and a meal tonight. God grant you wisdom in what you do, and us fortitude, courage, and peace of heart. He is an able and wonderful Friend in such a time. The Lord blesses and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified whether by life or by death. Signed John Stamm. This man had been robbed by murderous thugs and imprisoned with his wife and baby daughter. But his concern was not for life or death, but only for the glory of God.

Do we desire to bring glory to God with our lives? Do we long for some personal, direct knowledge and experience of God? Do we desire to see more and more of the glory of God, or will we say we seen enough? Let us be people who desire to bring glory to God. Let us be people who desire to see the glory of God and then continue to seek more and more of His glory as we come to know Him better. Let us be people who yearn for a deeper understanding and experience of God’s Presence and attributes. (Big Idea). That brings us to our last next step which is to Yearn for a deeper understanding and experience of God’s Presence and attributes.

As Gene and Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offering, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name. Thank you for this privileged opportunity to be in your house and in Your Presence in fellowship and worship with our brothers and sisters. Lord, if there are those here or online that do not know you as their Lord and Savior, I pray that you would draw them to yourself and that they would accept Jesus as their perfect mediator and Savior and be saved. We pray that You would reveal your glory to us for our benefits and the benefits of those, we come in contact this week, who need to know You. Help us to yearn for a deeper understanding and experience of Your Presence and attributes. Amen.

Opening: Glen S. Martin, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Max Anders, Holman Old Testament Commentary (B&H Publishing Group, 2002), 140.

Closing: Doug Van Meter, https://brackenhurstbaptist.co.za/a-weighty-knowledge/

Spiritual Radar

God desires His people to yearn for a deeper understanding and experience of Himself.

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