Morning Musing: Exodus 33:15-17

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“‘If your presence does not go,’ Moses responded to him, ‘don’t make us go up from here. How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.’ The Lord answered Moses, ‘ I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been deprived of a need? There could have been all sorts of reasons for that. I’m more interested now in the lack itself. You needed it, but you couldn’t get it for some reason. That’s a scary feeling. Depending on exactly what the need is, it could be terrifying. If it was a need you were so used to having fulfilled before, being deprived of it even for a little while may have alerted you to just how much it really is a need. Some things we need and we don’t even realize it because we’ve never gone without. Moses here recognizes one of the things that often falls on this list: God’s presence. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: A Special Day

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“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are some moments you don’t know are going to change your life. It’s not until you look back on them later that you realize just how profoundly different you are than you might have been because of them. Some moments that you think are going to change your life, wind up not mattering very much at all. Then there are the moments you know will change everything, and that’s exactly what they do. When I woke up 16 years ago, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was walking into one of those moments. I was right. Nothing has been the same since, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Today, my oldest son turns 16. Indulge me a few moments as I just get to be a proud dad.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 33:12-14

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***As a housekeeping note, this is the last post until at least Monday. Have a good weekend, and if you are in the path of either of the major hurricanes hitting the Pacific coast of Mexico or the Gulf coast of Florida today, stay safe.

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘Look, you have told me, “Lead this people up,” but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favor with me.” Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.’ And he replied, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever listened to someone else pray not primarily to hear what they said, but for how they pray so you can learn from them? That’s a different thing than just listening to pray with them in your heart and mind. Listening to and reading other prayers is a great way to learn how to pray. Fortunately, the Scriptures contain many examples of people praying for us to learn from. In some cases, they even include God’s answer to the prayer. Over the next handful of posts, we are going to look at some prayers Moses prayed as he interacted with God to see what we can learn from him. Let’s listen in closely.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 33:7-11

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“Now Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a distance from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.” (CSB – Read the chapter)‬‬

The best relationships are our closest ones. That’s not the same thing as saying they are the easiest. The easiest ones are the most distant because those require the least of us. The closest relationships are often the hardest because when we get close we can see—and experience—each other’s faults and flaws in ways that cause inconvenience, frustration, and pain. But closer is better. Broken relationships are often distant. In this next part of the story, we see Israel experiencing distance from God. Let’s talk about judgment, relational distance, and why what we have in Jesus is so much better.

Continue reading “Morning Musing: Exodus 33:7-11” →

Morning Musing: Exodus 33:1-6

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“The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Go up from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your offspring. I will send an angel ahead of you and will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.’ When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jewelry. For the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites: You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’ So the Israelites remained stripped of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever wounded a relationship? The odds are pretty good that you have. We all seem to possess a remarkable ability to hurt the people around us even when we don’t mean to. In such situations, being forgiven is a wonderfully freeing thing. That extension of God’s grace is incredible to experience. But forgiveness is no the same as restoring the relationship. That takes something more. That takes repentance. And while forgiveness is a very good thing, an invitation into repentance is even better. Let’s talk about what we see happening in this next part of our story.

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