Finally the forty days and nights of the second conversation with God about His covenant with Israel was finished. For many, many days with Moses not even thinking about food or water or sleep, as he listened to God; the work of the covenant had been established. Now God told Moses to write these things down with his own hands.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to our on-line, ongoing bible study we call COME AS A CHILD. Today’s scripture references can be found in Exodus Chapter 34. If you missed last week’s lesson; you may review it here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/god-hates-paganism/
MOSES HAD TO WORK HARDER THE SECOND TIME
The first time God gave the commandments (which Moses broke in anger at the sight of the golden calf) God had inscribed the commandments into stone with his own fingers. This time God made Moses write them out. I’m sure it was quite a task for Moses to undertake.
Have you ever made your child write something over and over again because they forgot to remember and you wanted your rules to be etched into their memory? Perhaps this little exercise was to help Moses to remember just how sacred and how important the words on these stone tablets were. It must not have been easy for him to chisel the letters and words into the stone tablets. It is probably also a very good thing that Moses’s real mother had been hired to be his nurse/governess as he grew up in the palace of Pharaoh. She would have made him learn his Hebrew alphabet! Can you imagine her pride and joy if she had known what he would grow up to do with that teaching? I’m sure the time it took Moses to write down that second set was a LOT longer than the time it took for God to write down the first set.
We all learn much from our mistakes; even Moses and the Children of Israel.
At any rate; the chats about the commandments were finally finished; so Moses took the two stone tablets with the commandments inscribed upon them back down the mountain to show to the people.
LEAVING THE MOUNTAIN TOP IS NEVER EASY
I can’t help but wonder how strange Moses might have felt as he began walking away from God and walking back down toward the people. It might have been hard to walk away. Also; he knew once he DID walk away the hard part of this task must begin; that of getting the people to keep and obey the words that he had written in stone.
I’ll also bet he was a bit nervous as to what he would find when he got back to the camp again. That last time he returned with the commandments had not been a bit of fun. It had cost him days and days of new work!
THE GLORY OF GOD ALWAYS SHOWS IN HIS PEOPLE’S FACES
Little did Moses realize that all of his time in the presence of The Glory of God had produced a strange effect upon his face.
It glowed!
When the people saw Moses returning with the tablets in tow; his face was brilliant and radiant! His face was so full of bright, holy light that the people were afraid to approach him.
At first Moses must have been confused at their reactions; so he called out for them to come closer.
Finally Aaron addressed Moses and told him that his face was so bright and glowing that he frightened people.
So Moses was forced to wear a veil whenever he was around the people; but whenever he went into the tent where he met with God; Moses always removed the veil.
GOD’S GLORY CAN BE RADIANT IN US IF WE SPEND TIME IN HIS PRESENCE
Many men have pondered all of this data in a million different ways. My thoughts are that anyone who spent 40 days and nights in the presence of God’s Glory would not be able to exist without a certain glow.
Now look around you at the faces that you see every day in your day-to-day lives.
Are any of them glowing?
Look into your own mirror.
Is YOUR face glowing?
The answer to both questions is probably “no.”
My response to both questions (also directed at myself) is why not?
There is a reason.
We are too busy with the world.
PUT ASIDE THE WORLD AND PUT ON THE GLOW OF GOD
When is the last time you put aside ONE day to spend in the presence of God?
Moses fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights without sleep on two separate occasions which were very close in proximity.
Can you even dream of spending 80 whole days and nights in the presence of The Glory of God?
We do well these days to set aside an hour at a time.
NEVER TAKE GOD’S PRESENCE AND GLORY FOR GRANTED
That is the difference in then and now. That is the difference in how Moses was living and how we are living.
Moses might have made a lot of mistakes; but he never made the mistake of taking God’s Glory and Presence for granted.
When God called; Moses went up!
Have you been putting off that voice of God calling out to you?
We must learn to do this constant obedient act of going into God’s Presence often and frequently too.
If we take the time to go into God’s Presence more and more often He will do the same for us that He did for Moses.
He will talk with us and direct us on the best ways to live our lives.
He will then ask us to write them down.
Moses was asked to write them on stone. We have been asked to write them over our hearts.
HEARTS OF STONE TURNING TO HEARTS OF FLESH
If we decide; like Moses to spend more time in God’s Glory and God’s Holy Presence; God will turn our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh again.
We will learn how to live abundantly with joy forever.
Who would not want that?
I know I desire such in my own life. The key is to seek God’s face and pray.
Who knows?
Perhaps your face might take on a certain new glow.
The good news is that now the veil has been lifted; there is no need to cover up that glow!
Go tell it on the mountain!
I promise you; people will notice.