On a First Name Basis

On a First Name Basis

Have you ever wanted to see someone really, really, bad? In Philip Ryken’s commentary, he talks about a time in April 2003 when he and his son went to see Michael Jordan play professional basketball for the very last time. He says, “All we wanted to see was Michael. And we were not the only ones. From the moment Jordan entered Philadelphia’s First Union Center, every eye strained to see him. Whether he was shooting or stretching or even just sitting on the bench, everyone was looking at Michael.” Have you ever wanted to see someone that bad? Maybe it was a professional athlete or an actor or a singer or musician or a political or TV personality. I remember a time when Judy and I were in Orlando, Florida with friends and I heard that the band Petra was going to be in Winter Haven which was about an hour’s drive. I really wanted to see them and get one of their earlier CDs signed. So, we drove to the church where they were to perform and we hung around for a while but because the concert was delayed, we never did get to see them. I asked the wife of the pastor of the church if she would get them to sign the CD and mail it to me and she did.

Well, according to Exodus, there was someone Moses desperately wanted to see. That “someone” was the God of Israel, in all his glory. Moses and the Israelites had yearned for the Lord’s Presence to dwell in their midst. They had yearned to know the Lord more and so Moses set up a tent of meeting outside the camp where he could talk with God and the people could seek the Lord. Last week, we saw that Moses asked to know God’s ways and wanted a fuller revelation of His majesty. He yearned for a deeper understanding and experience of God’s Presence and attributes. In response, God told Moses there were limits to what he could see. Because Moses was a sinful man, he could not endure the direct sight of God’s glory. But he could survive a passing glance at God’s goodness. So, God told him He would hide Moses in a cleft in the rock, where God would cover him with his hand. Then God would pass by in all his goodness, and at the last possible moment he would let Moses catch a fleeting glimpse of the backside of his glory. Moses would see what he so desperately wanted to see, something no man had ever seen before.

In our scripture today, Exodus 34:1-9, that promise to Moses from God will become a reality. The Lord will come down in the cloud and stand beside Moses and will reveal His glory to Him by passing by him and by proclaiming His Name. Moses thought the glory of God was all about what he would see but it also included what Moses would hear as well. And what God would reveal to Moses through seeing and hearing would transform His life. The Lord wants to reveal His glory and name to every single person in the world hoping that either they will respond by accepting His son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior or they will respond the way Moses did by falling on his face in worship and in prayer. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God desires to reveal His name to His people. The Lord God of the universe wants to be on a first name basis with you.

Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we want to glorify you this morning with our praise, honor and worship. Help us to give you the awe and holy fear that you deserve. We pray that you would open your Word to us so that we can fall deeper in love with you, so that we can better serve and obey you and so that we can spread your Gospel in all the places each of us work, play and live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our first point is Preparation found in Exodus 34:1-4. Follow along as I read those verses. This is what God’s Word says, “The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.” So, Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.

Today’s passage comes on the heels of where last week’s passage ended. The Lord promised Moses to show him His glory, and that promise would now be kept. But before Moses could go up Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord for the eighth and final time, there were some preparations he needed to make. The Lord commanded Moses to chisel or cut out two stone tablets that were like the first ones and God would write the words on them that were on the first tablets that Moses had broken. “The words” are the Ten Words or Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai earlier. This was monumental for Moses and the Israelites as God will again give them the law that they desperately needed so that they could be His chosen people, His special possession and a kingdom of priests. But more than that God was reestablishing the covenant that they had broken by committing idolatry with the golden calf. This was not a new covenant but a renewal of the prior covenant. The relationship between God and the Israelites had been restored but these new tablets would be a reminder of their sin. In fact, the broken set of stone tablets were to go into the Ark of the Covenant alongside the second set which would be a reminder for all generations. God was gracious towards His people, but He still wanted them to obey His law and keep His commands and to be holy as He is holy.

We need the law, God’s Word, as well. As Christians, knowing and obeying God’s Words in the Bible are not optional. It is essential if we are going to live the kind of lives God demands of His people. Why do we need to know and obey God’s Word? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Warren Wiersbe commenting on this passage says, “the Bible shows us what is right, what is wrong, how to get right, and how to stay right. We need God’s law so that we will live faithfully before him.”

Second, God commanded Moses to be ready in the morning to come up on Mount Sinai. In the NASB, the word “morning” is mentioned twice, probably to emphasize to Moses and the people that this renewal of the covenant was taking place at the same time, “in the morning” and on “the next day”, as both the original covenant and the worship of the golden calf. This would have been another reminder of the people’s sin and God’s gracious forgiveness. Also, in the Torah, there are many examples of God doing something amazing the “next day” and here the renewal of the covenant would be the amazing thing He would do. “To present himself” meant Moses was to meet God in the same place he had met with Him before and to come as one under the authority of the king.

Also, the prohibition, of no one coming up the mountain, that God set in place when Moses went up the first time, is still in effect. No one, not even Joshua, was to go up with Moses this time and no one is to be seen anywhere on the mountain. Also, their flocks and herds were not to graze in front of the mountain. This was probably to keep their animals from getting up the mountain and the Israelites trying to follow and bring them back. It is not explicit but because of the repetition of these instructions, it is implied that the penalty of death would again be in effect. Moses was the mediator the Israelites needed. The people because of their sin could not approach a just and holy God. If they were to approach God without a mediator the penalty would be death. It is the same for us today as well. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.”

We, as sinful human beings, can’t approach just a holy God without a mediator and so Jesus is the mediator we need. God desires to reveal His Name to His people so they will realize that what they need is Jesus (Big Idea). And once that realization comes then a couple of decisions must be made. If we are not saved, will we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord or not? And if we are saved, will we walk in obedience to the Lord and live as His inheritance or not? These are very important questions we must answer as we live in these last days. I like how Merida puts it, “Either Jesus received your judgment at the cross or you will face God’s just judgment on your own.” Jesus is the mediator we all need. Lastly, in this portion of our scripture, we see Moses obeying the Lord’s command. He cut two stone tablets like the former ones, got up early in the morning, which showed his eagerness to meet with God, and went up Mt. Sinai taking the two stone tablets in hand.

That brings us to our second point, Proclamation, found in Exodus 34:5-9. This is what God’s Word says, “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”

Moses had obeyed the Lord and was ready to meet with God on Mt. Sinai at the predetermined spot. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with Moses as he called upon the name of the Lord. God came down, personally and physically, and stood in Moses’ presence. It wasn’t just a feeling that Moses had but a “theophany”, a visible manifestation of the Lord. This is probably not the top of Mt. Sinai since we are told that the Lord descended but it is the same cloud that has been with the Israelites since they left Egypt. This is the cloud of God’s glory that met with Moses at the tent of meeting. It’s the pre-incarnate Christ that came to stand with Moses. Imagine how awesome and terrifying it would be to have the Almighty and Holy God standing next to you. But this is what Moses yearned and asked for and because God knew his name and Moses had found favor with Him, the stage is set for God’s proclamation of His glory and Name. The Lord fulfilled his promise to Moses visually as the Lord passed by in front of Him. And then, I believe, Moses got more than he bargained for as the promise was also fulfilled in his hearing. Moses not only saw the glory of God, but he heard the glory of God and what he heard was far more important than what he saw.

God’s self-revelation to Moses was His Name. This is his attributes, His character, His nature and His way that expresses all He is and does. The first thing we notice is the two-fold acknowledgement of who God is, “The Lord, the Lord” or literally, “Yahweh, Yahweh.” It is repeated so Moses knew it was really the Lord standing there. This is the same name, “I Am Who I Am” that the Lord revealed to Moses at the burning bush. It speaks to God’s eternal self-existence and sufficiency. And then we get a full slate of the perfect attributes of God that speaks to how He will deal with His people. We see six of his attributes of mercy as well as one attribute of His justice. The Lord starts by proclaiming his merciful attributes. First, He is compassionate. God is sympathetic to what His people go through. Psalms 103:13 says, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” Second, He is also gracious. This is God’s undeserved favor towards His people. If God would give us what we deserve we would all receive eternal damnation but instead He gives what we don’t deserve: the free gift of His grace and salvation. We can’t earn God’s favor, so we need God to be gracious if we have any hope of forgiveness and eternal life.

Third, He is “slow to anger” or longsuffering which means He is patient with His people. He will display a righteous anger when He punishes evil and sin but will give every chance for repentance first. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And when His holy wrath is displayed it is righteous and deliberate not just a case of losing His temper. Fourth, He is abounding in love and faithfulness. The Hebrew word for love can be translated “loving-kindness” and speaks to the commitment the Lord has made to His people through His covenant with them. This is connected to faithfulness or “truthfulness.” His love and truth are seen in His loyal and steadfast love for His people. He always keeps everyone of His promises. His love and faithfulness is abounding meaning it is without measure and beyond degree.

This verse is probably one of the most important verses in all the Bible. It is quoted or referred to dozens of times. King David in Psalms 103:8, prayed, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” The prophet Joel in Joel 2:13 says, “Rend your heart  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” And in Jonah 4:2 it says, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” Fifth, He maintains His love to thousands which seems to point back to the Ten Commandments where in Exodus 20:6 it says God promises His love to “a thousand generations” of those who love Him. God maintains, protects and preserves His love from generation to generation. In Psalms 136 it repeats 26 times that “His love endures forever.”

Sixth, He forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin. The Hebrew word for forgiveness means “to lift or carry.” The picture is of God carrying away our sins and lifting the burden of our guilt off our shoulders. Psalms 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” To show the scope of His forgiveness God mentions three things, signifying His willingness to forgive and carry away all of our sin. “Wickedness” is iniquity which means to turn away from doing righteousness and goodness. “Rebellion” is committing even more defiant acts against the Lord. Mackay says, it is a “willful violation of the terms of the covenant, involving not merely disobeying a rule or regulation, but betraying the relationship one has with the covenant King.” This is tantamount to treason against God. And “Sin” is the common name for any wrongdoing on our part.

Then we see one attribute of His justice proclaimed here. This defines how the Lord will deal with those who defy Him. He will not sweep unconfessed sin under the rug. First, He does not leave the guilty unpunished and in fact He punishes the children and their children to the third and fourth generations. Again, we are pointed back to the Ten Commandments where in Exodus 20:5 it says God punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him. We can understand this in a couple of ways. First, when we as parents persist in our sin without repentance, we pass that on to our children and if our children do not stop the cycle of sin and unrepentance it gets passed down to the third and fourth generations. Second, in biblical times it wasn’t uncommon for Jewish families to consist of three or four generations who were living together under one roof. This is why we are held accountable for our sin not only as individuals but as parents and influencers of our children and youth.

This was the God that Moses and the Israelites needed. They needed a God who was merciful and just. It was the only way God could move forward with His covenant people. He needed them to understand who He is and how He is. Now that they knew His Name they needed to act accordingly. God knew Moses by name and now Moses was on a first name basis with God as He had now fully revealed Himself to Moses and subsequently to the Israelites (Big Idea). This is the God we need as well. Stuart Chase comments, “God’s love, grace, and mercy only become meaningful when we realize we don’t deserve them, but that he freely lavishes these things undeservingly on us.” And C.S. Lewis said: “Mercy, detached from justice, grows unmerciful. That is the important paradox. As there are plants which will flourish only in mountain soil, so it appears that mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of justice.” The truth of the gospel is that Jesus Christ is the very definition of God. He is compassionate, gracious, patient, loving, faithful to us and just with us.

Once the Lord showed His glory and proclaimed His Name in the hearing of Moses, we see how Moses responded. He did two things: He “at once” or hurried to bow to the ground and he hurried to worship. He did the only rational thing he could do in the face of an Almighty and Holy God, a God of compassion and mercy and a God of justice. It says he hurried to do those things. We are not told here that God’s hand covered Moses and that may have been because He didn’t need to. In the face of God’s Presence, Moses hid his face and then he worshiped. This was the only possible response he could have. And this is the same response we need to have when we come face-to-face with the glory of God. God desires to reveal His Name to us so that we will worship Him and we need to worship the Lord whenever and wherever He reveals Himself to us. We need spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see God’s glory and His Name being proclaimed to us. I believe God is giving us glimpses and sounds of His glory all the time, even every day, we just need to be as spiritually tuned in as Moses was. Guzik states, “When we don’t have a compelling drive to worship God, it’s clear evidence we don’t really appreciate who He is.” Let’s be people who are on the lookout to see God’s glory in our lives and to worship Him.

Then Moses did something he had been doing ever since the people committed idolatry with the golden calf. He interceded again for the Israelites. Moses asked if he had found favor in the Lord’s sight would He please go along in their midst. Sound familiar? Moses again did not make excuses for what the people had done but admitted they were obstinate or stiff-necked. But now, Moses does something he hasn’t done so far and that was to include himself in the confession of their wrongdoing and sin. Notice “our” wrongdoing and “our” sin. He had identified himself with the people when it came to forgiving them or not, but this is the first time he identified himself with their sin. Lastly, he prayed that the Lord would forgive or “pardon” their wickedness and sin and take them as His own inheritance. Now that Moses knows that the Lord’s nature is to be compassionate and gracious he asked the Lord to give to His people and to Moses what he had in unlimited abundance. Israel was chosen by the Lord to be His special and treasured possession or inheritance. He didn't choose them for anything in themselves, or that they could offer Him but based on the faithfulness of Abraham and for His special purpose of bringing the Messiah into the world.

What was the difference between this intercession and all the others? This intercession came on the heels of the covenant being renewed and of God’s glory, name and gracious promises being revealed to Moses. After hearing the attributes of mercy and justice that showed God’s heart for his people and what He expected of them, a new intercession was needed to include that revelation. God desires to reveal His Name to us so that we can intercede for others based on His gracious promises and glorious name. So, how can we apply this passage to our lives? In conclusion, I have several next steps. First, when God reveals His name to us it should cause us to realize that we need Jesus, and we need Him as our Savior if we haven’t yet made that decision. This is the Gospel: Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. We are dead in our sins and deserve eternal separation from God. But Romans 5:8 says that God showed His love for us that while we were sinners Christ died for us. And Romans 10:9 says that anyone who declares with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead, they will be saved. And that is our first next step: Realize that I need Jesus and accept Him as my Savior and Lord.

Second, if we are already saved, when God reveals His name to us it should cause us to walk in obedience to Him and to live as His inheritance. Especially in light of His promises to be a graciously compassionate, faithfully loving, and patiently forgiving God. That brings us to our second next step: Realize that I need Jesus and walk in obedience to Him and live as His inheritance. Third, when God desires to reveal His Name to us it should cause us to fall down and worship Him whenever and wherever we are. This doesn’t always mean physically getting on your face before the Lord, but it could. But it does mean having a heart that is bowed before the Lord and when we are in that position, we must worship Him the way that He deserves. And that brings us to our third next step: Worship the Lord whenever and wherever He reveals Himself to me. Fourth, when God desires to reveal His Name to us it should cause us to intercede for others based on His gracious promises and glorious Name. We can better intercede when we know the promises of God that are found in His word and know and understand His perfect attributes of mercy and justice. That brings us to our last next step: Intercede for others based on God’s gracious promises and glorious Name.

As Gene and Roxey come to us in our final hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offering, let’s pray: God of Heaven, in Jesus’ name, our perfect Savior and Mediator, we thank you for revealing your Name to us, this morning, in your Word. Help us to realize that we need Jesus and if someone here who has not accepted Him as their Savior and Lord, I pray that you would draw them to yourself. And, God, those who do know you help us to realize that we also need your Son so that we can walk in obedience and live as your inheritance. Help us to worship you, Lord, whenever and wherever you reveal yourself to us and help us to intercede for others based on Your gracious promises and glorious Name. Amen.

Opening: Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 1038–1052.