Today we return to the last part of the February 11th reading because It deserves special attention. We are going to travel with Moses to the summit of Mt. Sinai and see God.

This amazing story wouldn’t even be in the Bible if Moses had not been so passionate to know God that he blurted out  . . . “Now show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18

God responded very positively to that request.

“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 you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’” Exodus 33:19-20

God didn’t have to do anything for Moses, but his loving nature responded to his friend. He made a plan to give Moses what he asked for.

God indicated the spot where they would meet. On top of the mountain was a rock for Moses to stand on, and in it was a cleft where God could put Moses and cover him with his hand. God would then pass by and when he removed his hand Moses would glimpse the glory trailing behind his back.

Preparing to Meet God

Moses shattered the first tablets God inscribed with the Ten Commandments because of Israel’s grievous sins. He confronted the people and led them to repentance, then he interceded with God to obtain forgiveness for them. Now God was ready to begin again with Israel.

Moses, however, was not willing to go forward unless he knew God would be with him.

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know who 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 many know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.’” Exodus 33:12-13

Moses secured a promise from God in answer to that prayer.

“The Lord replied, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” Exodus 33:14

God told Moses to chisel out two new stone tablets to replace the broken ones and bring them up the mountain. He wanted to inscribe the new tablets with the same words that were on the original set, and he wanted to restore his covenant with Israel.

Moses got up early and hauled the stone tablets up the mountain in his hands. What do you think they each weighed? He carried those stone tablets up a steep mountainside just to serve God and his people.

God on the Mountain

Moses got to see God’s glory. A cloud appeared before him and God was in it. He stood near Moses and then he spoke his own name as he passed in front of him.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, 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.” Exodus 34:6-7

God told Moses he could count on his mercy. The essence of God’s nature was compassion, grace and patience. He was abundant in love and faithfulness toward people and when they sinned and repented he would forgive them and give his love to a thousand generations after them.

However, people who sinned and chose to remain in their guilty rebellion against God would create a terrible legacy for their children. To the third and fourth generation God would deal with the same sins passed down through families.

God through the Generations

People who explore their ancestry are sometimes surprised to find that there was a bad character way back in their family’s past. Their current family is not like that at all, but the first three or four generations after that bad actor probably knew all about him. God said he would limit the consequences of the sins of parents and often their story dies out a few generations after they die.

On the other hand, a family that loves God sends a legacy of goodness through to a thousand generations. It’s not because they are perfect, it’s because they are repentant and forgiven. Anyone can choose to love God and become the foundation of a thousand generations of blessed people.

God Chooses Israel Again

Moses knew that the Israelites were on the fence in terms of being worthy of God’s blessings. Moses was one of the few among them who had proven he was willing to do whatever God said.

“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.” Exodus 34:8—9

The Lord agreed to do it.

In fact, God planned to give Israel every possible advantage as his people. He had already renewed the covenant with them, and now he was going to display wonders and awesome works on their behalf. He would go before them to deal with their enemies. Israel’s future was bright because God was going to bless them like no other nation on earth.

All they had to do was live like they belonged to him.

Non-Negotiable

When people hear a law they like to choose whether or not it applies to them. Laws are meant to apply to everyone, of course. A stop sign is a stop sign for every driver, not just for the one who happens to meet three other cars coming from different directions at an intersection. But isn’t it tempting to roll right past a stop sign when yours is the only car there?

When God gave laws he made them non-negotiable. It didn’t matter how people felt about obeying them.

If a man lived under the Law of Moses he offered his firstborn son at the tabernacle and paid a redemption price before taking him home. He made sure he offered proper sacrifices at the altar. If he was a farmer, he set aside the first fruits of his harvest and brought them to God as an offering. He was scrupulous about keeping the Sabbath and three times a year he went with the rest of the men of Israel to worship God.

The Lord meant every word he said, as he told Moses . . .

“Write down all these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with Israel.” Exodus 34:27 So Moses wrote them all down and gave them to Israel to keep.

Radiance

 Moses remained on the mountain with God for another forty days and nights, without eating or drinking anything. He spent the time writing the Ten Commandments on stone tablets again and learning about the rest of God’s laws.

It was a heavy task for Moses to learn a multitude of laws and deliver them to Israel. He had to get it right and he had to convince the stubborn people of Israel to obey God.

What kind of impact did this responsibility have on Moses?

 ^“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.” Exodus 34:29-31

Israel received the Law from a man whose face was radiant from spending time with God. It made him shine.

A Long Walk with God

It wasn’t the eighty days Moses spent with God on Mt. Sinai that lit him up from inside. Moses had spent eighty years pursuing God before he ever reached Mt. Sinai. Long before he learned about the Law, Moses learned who God was and he loved him.

If you want to be friends with God the way Moses was, you need to walk through life with him the way Moses did. When it’s all said and done, you’ll end up with God himself. He is the reward.

Moses probably didn’t find keeping the Law onerous. He loved God so much, he would do anything for him.