Exodus chapter 23 is our scripture reading.
And once. Again, we have a rather long,
lengthy reading and we're going to do everything differently
like we always. Do I'm going to read about half
of this, and that's going to be our scripture reading for the
morning. Which will also give us the
story. Background for the sermon the
sermons found. In the second.
Half of our reading, and I I will not.
Read that aloud instead. I will walk through it a little
bit as we take a look. At the message there in the time
we have but here now the word of the.
Lord. This is Moses.
The Golden Calf episode is just. Ending.
And the Lord is dealing with his people and he.
And Moses are. Engaged in this entire chapter
long conversation. Including the.
Background that I now read, the Lord said to Moses.
Depart up from. Here.
You and the people whom you've brought.
Up out of the land of Egypt. To the land to.
Which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobs, saying to your
offspring, I will give it. I will.
Send an Angel before you. And I will drive out the
Canaanites, the Amorites, the. Hiptites, the parasites, the
Hipites and the Jebusites. Go up to A.
Land flowing with. Milk and honey, but I will not
go up among you, lest I consume. You on the way.
For you. Are a stiff necked people, by
the way that was the Lord talking.
When the people. Heard the disastrous words they.
Mourned and no one put on his ornaments.
For the Lord had said to Moses, Say to the people you.
Are a stiff necked people if. For a single.
Moment. I should go up among you.
I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments
that you may know what to do with that I may know what to do
with you. Therefore the people of Israel
stripped. Themselves of their ornaments
from Mount Horeb onward. Now Moses used to take the tent
and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he
called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord
would go up to the tent of meeting which was outside the
camp. Whenever Moses went up to the
tent, all the people would rise up, and each one would stand at
his tent door and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent
when. Moses entered the tent, the
pillar of cloud. Would descend and stand at the
entrance of the tent and the Lord.
Would. Speak to Moses.
When all the people saw the pillar.
Of Cloud standing at the entrance of the tent.
All the people would rise up and worship each.
At his tent. Door.
Thus the Lord used to speak. To Moses.
Face to face. As a man speaks to a friend when
Moses turned again into the camp.
His assistant. Joshua the son of none.
A young man would not. Depart.
From the tent. The Word of the Lord.
You must be seated right now. Did you catch what you just
read? The Golden Calf incident?
I say incident. One of those horrible sins.
In the history of humanity. Second probably only to the
Garden of Eden. And the snake.
God's people have while Moses was on the.
Mountain communicating with God and getting.
All the instructions. He needed.
Concerning how they. Were to live in every.
Facet in detail of their life as well as how they were to.
Worship in every facet in detail.
Of a Tabernacle in a sacrificial system that he would build for
them, where that God might dwell in their midst In a Tabernacle
while Moses. Is getting all of that.
God's people down. Below, get impatient.
And they start a worship service.
There's a good worship service. It was loud.
It was joyous. It was very, very.
Dynamic and exciting. But it was false worship.
It was worship of the veil. It was the worship of the
fertility cult, the Golden Young Bull.
And it was. Horrible.
And God. Came down and dealt.
With his. People and one of the.
Things that that had happened in that particular episode was God
was up there telling Moses how much gold was going to be in the
Tabernacle and on the. Mercy seat and was.
Going to overlay the pieces of furniture.
Gold, gold, gold. And the people were down below
at the same time. Squandering their gold and
building a golden. Calf.
And you remember what happened if you read this.
We didn't read it last week, but I know you know the story is
Moses. Ended up melting down.
Crushing and melting. Down into a.
Powder. And then into a liquid.
That that golden calf. And made the people drink it.
And a great plague came upon them, and there was all sorts.
Of things. And God, at this point, is not
really sure what he's. Going to do.
With Israel? Now, of course, I speak
anthropomorphically. God.
Always knows what he's going to do, but in dealing with them,
he's working at their pace, he's working at their level.
And that's what God. Does he accommodates?
Himself to his. People.
But what an awful. Accommodation has to be made,
and so finally. In the tent.
Of meeting that had been set up in the tent of meeting.
Was not the sanctuary. It was not the.
Tabernacle. It had not been erected yet.
What they had there was a place where Moses would go outside
the. Camp not.
With God dwelling in the. Midst of them not God with us.
Not Emmanuel that you have in the temple, but I'm, I'm in the.
In the. Tabernacle then later in the
temple. But you had this ten of meeting
and it was a place out there. Basically it was kept by Joshua.
The young. General.
In Moses army. And who had been one of the
spies? Who?
Ends up being the leader of Israel, but he's in his.
Younger days and he keeps that 10 of.
Meeting, and it's a place where God would come.
In the Shakinah glory. The pillar of cloud.
And would meet with Moses. And would speak to him like God
had. Spoken to no one else, not just
in a dream and in a vision. But God's presence would.
Be there, and Moses would be there.
And they. Would talk.
They had started this particular habit back at.
The burning Bush. That's where God.
Encountered. With Moses.
And that's had been their relationship all along through
Egypt. Through the Red Sea and now
through. The Wilderness and through the.
Giving of the mana and through everything.
That had happened to them up to this point.
We're probably. About a year out.
From the Red Sea at this point in terms of time, but the people
have made it over to Mount Sinai.
And listen to the language. Of that right there, I'll just
make a couple of, the Lord said to Moses.
Depart. Go up from here, you and the
people whom? You have brought up out of the
land. Of Egypt do.
You hear that? The Lord.
Says to Moses. You brought them.
Up, out of the land of Egypt, they're your.
People. You go with them, you take care
of them. You're their leader.
Oh, what a what a background and what a relationship.
Moses is already. Having with the living.
And the true. God, it's amazing.
He's the great mediator. Of the old.
Covenant And they and it was. Very, very significant.
We delighted the new covenant we'll talk.
About that in. Just a moment, but the old
covenant was wonderful within itself because God was squarely.
Standing up and talking to a representative man, that is
Moses. And so this is what God says.
I promise to give him the land and I'm going to give him the
land. I'll go before you.
I'll have a presence. I'll have an Angel.
I'll have an embassary. I'll have a warrior.
Somebody. You'll possess the land.
I'll fulfill my promises. God says.
That it's going to be. You and you're going to go.
And that's when Moses realized. That he could not go and would
not go. If God.
Would not. Go with him.
And that's what the rest of the chapters all about is.
This conversation between Moses and the Lord and let me.
Just sort of. Summarize.
It for you. Because it's it.
It's very, very involved, but I think you can see sort of a.
An outline to it. I've sort of titled this to
myself. Getting to know.
Your God getting to know your. God in Knowledge.
Who God is his ways? Getting to know.
The presence of God, his person, His presence.
And then? Coming to see something?
Not everything, but something. Of the glory of your God,
getting to know your God as. To who he is and that's what we
we have here. In the first part of this this
section with Moses. Beginning.
In verse 12. And then you keep your head down
and read the text because it encourages me to.
Keep me at my head down to read the text.
We don't have to worry about eye contact.
They taught us about that in seminary, but it's not important
today. Moses said to the Lord.
See, you say to me. Bring up this people you told.
Me to bring up this people, but you have not let me know.
Whom you will send with me. Who's going?
Moses said I can't. Do it.
I need someone to be. With me?
Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found
favor in my sight. Moses recognizes.
That God had definitely called him.
God was working with him. In fact, God had.
Had called him from, literally. From the bulrushes.
And he had been through the. Burning Bush and through.
The Red Sea and all the rest. He says now.
Therefore, if I have found favor.
In your sight. This is Moses.
Still speaking please. Show me now your ways that I may
know you in order to find favor in.
Your sight. There's a sermon right there.
That's as far as we really need to go.
Here was the heart plea of Moses to his God.
Teach me your ways. I.
Want to know your ways? I want to know what you think,
how you act, what you expect. How can I find?
Favor with you. How can I please you?
Moses was in covenant with his God, there was no doubt about
that. And he's had that longing of his
heart. To know God that I might know
him. In a true and intimate way.
But then he also moves on to. Worry about the presence.
Of God, not just the knowledge of God in order.
To consider to. That this nation is your nation.
And he said my presence. Will go with.
You and I will. Give you.
Rest that's exactly. What?
God promised his people. That's what Canaan was to be.
Canaan was. To be a place of rest, by the
way. Can you hear?
The voice of Jesus coming to me. And I will.
Give you rest. This is Moses now and God in
this ancient about 1400. Years before Christ.
And he said to him, if. Your Presence.
This is Moses. Speaking again, if your presence
will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
For how shall it be known that I have favor in your sight, I and
your people? Is it not in your?
Going with us so that we are distinct.
And I and your people from every other people.
On the face of the earth. Moses is reminding.
God of all those things God had separated from all the nations.
This One Nation that he was going to make.
Holy. Think about that.
That was God's. Design.
That's what God wanted to do, was to have a people, peculiar
people, unto himself. A redeemed people.
A sacred people. And just what had they just?
Got through doing. Don't you hear the admonition of
the apostle coming to us and talking about how we are of the
world and we have? Drenched ourselves in the world
and we are supposed to be separated to God for a special.
People and our number one thing is that we have the manual we
have. God with us, and that's.
How the? Pagans of the world will know
who we are, because we dwell together in this holiness, in
this separated. And clean.
Life that God has given us, with a behavior and a worldview that
is distinct from theirs. So Moses knows that they won't.
Get very far and they won't. Be very impressive and they
won't have a. Light to shine if they don't
have. God's very presence.
With him when they go up, so Moses is is is making.
Strong intercession. There's strong theodyssey.
Here is Moses deals with. All of the things that.
God had promised. That God had.
Called him to. And yet, at the same time, it
was looking kind of. Dark and bleak at this.
Point in fact the. People.
The people. Were out there in mourning, you
saw in the text they had. Taken off all their party
clothes and their ornaments and all of their their things that
were shallowing of this world. And they were.
In sackcloth and ashes before God.
And they. Realized just how.
Unworthy and how? Undone they.
Were and. God hadn't offered him a whole
lot of grace at this point, either.
He just. All he talked about as we closed
out last week was. All he talked about was.
Judging their sin. Absolutely and positively
judging sin. And that's where you stand with
God this morning apart. From Jesus Christ.
There's some issues. Between you and God, God's hand
is not shortened that he cannot save neither.
Is his ear. Heavy that he cannot hear.
But your sins have separated. Between you.
And your God. And your.
Sin, your iniquity has hid his face from you.
And he will not hear. So says the prophet Isaiah.
And that's the condition of many of us, I hope.
If that's the condition of your heart.
This morning that you begin in penitential prayer, coming to
the Lord, knowing the things that are about to be outlined
here further in this particular conversation.
Picking it up in verse 17 and the.
Lord said to Moses, this is. Back and forth this.
Is the conversation. This very thing.
That you have spoken, I will. Do.
For if you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by
name, isn't that marvelous that when?
Moses just bears his heart before the Lord.
And cries out and say I. Won't I won't.
Go if I don't have you. He's like Father Jacob that
wrestled with God's Angel and said I won't go.
I won't let you go until you bless me.
Prayer. Wrestling with God, talking to
God, Clinging to God, Not letting God go until he blesses
us, not because of anything we deserve, but because.
We've heard the gospel. We've heard the news.
We've heard that he's gracious and slow to anger and
long-suffering and merciful. And you can't.
Let a God like that go. If he doesn't save you, you're
not saved. So Moses.
Said Please show. Me.
Your glory. He wanted to know God.
He wanted the. Presence of God.
With him and he wanted. More do you ever your spiritual
life, want more? You ever feel like gnawing
hunger in your soul to know more about?
Well, you've got the Bible. You read it.
There's all sorts of things you wonderful God has graciously
revealed himself in so many ways, in the sky as well as in
the Christ. But.
But you say there's more, there's a need for more.
And he wanted to see the glory of.
God, that is, he wanted to see God's weightiness.
God's worth, God's value? God's.
Splendor God's majesty. God's dignity.
That's what the glory of God is. Moses knew God well enough at a
certain level, but he couldn't get enough his.
Heart pan it like the deer. Panning.
For the river of water, the water of life.
And so this. Episode did as we close out,
tells us something about how. God accommodated that.
God says, I know you, and I'll make your myself known to you.
That'll help you in your knowledge.
God says, OK, I'll go with you, I'll be with you.
And that's always the promise of God, even in the when Jesus left
and ascended, he told his disciples.
And I'm with you till the end of the age.
And now this request that Moses please one.
Time Show me. Thy glory, and this is how the
Lord accommodated him, he said. I will make all my.
Goodness, pass before. You and will proclaim before
you. My name.
It's an interesting, Lord said. Well, I'll show you how bright
I. Am how big I am, how I've
mentioned. He said.
I'll try to give some kind of. Vehicle that.
Will demonstrate to your small finite mind some of my greatness
and my gory. But, he said.
Let me just give you a brief. Sketch of my goodness.
Of all the attributes of God that could have been made known
to Moses, it was his goodness that God.
Wanted to be known. Foremost, and I will proclaim
before you my name. The True God, Yahweh, Jehovah
God, the Living God, the Lord. God the Lord.
Is his name. And then I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I.
Will show mercy. This is the germinal.
Assets of the sovereignty of God.
Paul quotes that in. Romans 9 to that very point
that. God will have.
Mercy upon whom he will have mercy.
And he will have the gracious to.
Whom he will be. Gracious, in fact, later on he
will say, I raised up Pharaoh for that very.
Point is, order that I might. Show I will.
Have mercy upon whom I will have mercy.
And that's what he says. And he says.
You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live.
No man can see God. God is most.
Pure spirit. We just sang it.
Immortal, invisible. So what?
Can I see? What?
Can we do in verse 21 then mote? The Lord said.
Behold. There is a.
Place by me. Where you shall.
Stand. On the rock.
Well, if I was a preacher, I'd stop right there and I'd preach
about there's a place God says by me.
In the bosom of the Father, where you can stand on a solid
rock, is that not a? Sermon.
Well, we. Got to pass it up and and finish
out here there. Is a place.
By me. Where you shall.
Stand on the rock. And I.
Suppose he's. Talking about one of the cragly.
Rocks there at the Mount Sinai. And while my.
Glory passes by. I will put you in the cleft of
the rock right now. God's protecting Moses because
he knows if Moses ever gets a good eye full of Jesus, I mean
of of the God Almighty. He.
Will not live. So this is the way the Lord says
I'm going to let you see something, but.
You're not going. To see enough to kill you.
And here's what he says. I'll put you in the.
Cleft of the Rock, I'll put you in a.
Crevice in that rock and I'll cover you with my hand.
Until I have. Passed by, it said.
Then I will. Take away my hand once I've
passed by, God says I take away my hand.
And you shall see. My back, but my face shall not
be seen. God's face is not seen.
Then it's not. Seen now except in one.
Jesus Christ, Interesting, he said.
I will proclaim my name. He said my goodness will pass by
and I will proclaim my name. That's God.
As he does so many times in the Old Testament.
Preaching the gospel, That's God.
Doing what the apostles did, and that is.
Proclaiming the name of God. In the person of his very son,
Jesus Christ, Moses, as we mentioned.
So often. Ended up.
Finally seeing Christ. On the mount of Transfiguration
there. During the earthly ministry of
Christ. And that's where we see God is
in Christ. Moses is a faithful servant in
God's house, but Jesus Christ is a son, not a steward in the
house, but the Son of the house. And that's the.
Theme of the book of Hebrews that implores us.
To look to Jesus, the author. And finisher?
Of our faith.