EXODUS 34 lesson # 28
Seeking Religious Experiences
I. Greetings:
II. Introduction:
Note: The book of Exodus ends with God filling the Tabernacle with His presence. Such action was seen as the Lord’s validation of their construction of the Temple and the Lord’s pledge to be with them.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 40:33-35.
Q How would you have felt if you had been there?
An = It must have been a tremendous thing to have been their and seen what is described in 40:35.
Q What do think this was like? Can you picture this? What does it mean to have the “glory of the Lord” fill a place?
An = Let them give their views. Whatever this was like, it is what scholars would call a “theophany” or what others would call a religious experience.
Q Have you heard of people having such experiences? What are they like?
Q Are we to seek such religious experiences?
Q Which of the Ten Commandments tells us to seek religious experiences?
An = None. It does not make the top ten with God. As we read the New Testament we will see that Jesus never commands us to have religious experiences. The Bible does describe them as it does here in Exodus 40. It seemed to be a sign of God’s pleasure and promise that He was going to go with them and guide them.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 40: 36-38.
Q What was the cloud a tangible, visible sign of?
An = They knew God was with them. So…. such experiences can be signs from the Lord and are genuine.
Q What is our role in acquiring such experiences, or what should we do about them? An = Let us look back into the life of Moses one more time and see what his life has to tell us. Turn back with me to Exodus 33:17
III. Seeking More of God: Wanting to See His Glory. Exodus 33:17-23.
A. The Request: Show Me Your Glory. Exodus 33:17-18.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 33:17-18.
Q What does Moses ask for?
An = He wants to see God’s Glory? Moses wants to see God. Matthew Henry (p. 110) says Moses wanted this experience as proof that God would go with them but Henry thinks he really did not know what he was doing. Moses seems hungary for God to manifest Himself to him personally.
Note: Let me share a simple point from our last two weeks. Two weeks ago I challenged you to pray for people who did not necessarily treat you well and last week I spoke about the praying for other because they could not pray for themselves, and now we see Moses asking to see God himself. Maybe there is a pattern here! Choose to pray for others, pray for those you do not like and it will lead to a deeper hunger for God.
>>>> Have someone read Luke 6:27-28.
Q What are both the Old Testament and New Testament teaching us?
An = To pray for those who do not like us or mistreat us. That is the key commandment. Maybe as we obey God we get hungrier for more of God!!
Q Are we to seek religious experiences or the welfare of those who curse us or dislike us?
An = As we obey this, it will lead to a hunger of knowing God more. Just to seek religious experiences without learning to love, prayer for, and bless our enemies could be very dangerous. It could be religion without the blessing of God.
>>>> You re-read Exodus 33:17
B. The Answer: You Do Not Understand What You Are Asking. Exodus 33:19-23.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 33:19-23.
Q How does God answer Moses’ request?
An = God basically says you do not know what you are asking. Notice verse 19, God will show Moses His goodness but God cannot show Moses His Glory.
Q What would have happened if Moses saw God’s face?
An = To see God’s face would cause Moses’ death: “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (33:20).
Note: To see the glory of God would undo us. We are not capable of with standing the awesomeness of His glory, it would kill us.
Q Can we stand a glimpse?
Q What Moses learn of God’s character in the Lord’s declaration?
An = Moses hears again, The Great Name of God and that God is good, and gracious and merciful.
Q Is God pleased Moses desires to know more of Him?
An = God is seemingly is pleased. Just as you would be pleased if someone loved you so much that they wanted to get to know you better. But God knows how to answer prayer. The famous Indian saint Sadhu Sundar Singh once said:
“The Sun draws salt water from the Sea, yet when it falls to earth again, it is clean and pure and drinkable, the Sun has cleansed it. So it is with God He hears our prayers.”
God knows how to answer our prayers.
IV. Moses Preparation For The Encounter With God. Exodus 34:1-4
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:1-4.
Q Who is going to write on the Tablets of Stone: Moses or God?
An = God does the writing. We may be allowed to help in the preparation of the tablets but the Word of God is written by the finger of God. The Word of God is not the word of religious men but the very Word of God. Our job is to get up early (34:2), bring the tablets (34:1,4) and show reverence (34:3), but God will do the writing.
V. The Encounter With The Lord’s Name: Revelation of His Character. Exodus 34:5-7.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:5-7.
Q When the Lord does appear, what does Moses see or hear?
Q What does the Lord say about His character?
An = His Goodness can be summed up in two words: Justice and Love. He is the most powerful force in the Universe and listen to what He is like:
compassionate
gracious
slow to anger
abounding to love and faithfulness.
Q Don’t we all need people who are compassionate, gracious, patient and loyally faithful in their love towards us?
An = This is God Almighty.
Q However, to be the Lord of the Universe, in a Universe with sin, rape, murder, laziness, lying, deceitfulness, child molestation, cheating, etc., to THE LORD, what else must God be?
An = He must be the bringer of justice. If there is not justice at the heart of the Universe then we are done for. The wicked and the strong, the oppressors will triumph, they will have the last word.
Q What is stronger in God, His mercy or His just punishment?
An = His mercy outshines His wrath: He will judge to the third and fourth generation, but bless for goodness for 1000’s. His first desire is to forgive.
VI. Moses’ Response to the Encounter: Prayer of Honest Request. Exodus 34:8-9.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:8-9
Q How does Moses respond to the encounter with God?
An = I love how this ends, Moses hits the dirt in reverence and goes back to doing what got him there in the first place. He begins praying for others, praying for those who hurt him, praying with honesty.
Q What are the three requests Moses makes?
An =
1) Go with us
2) Forgive our wickedness and sin
3) Take us as your inheritance
Q Does Moses tell God the truth about Israel’s condition as a people?
An = Yes, Moses now knows the Lord has pronounced Himself as merciful and so he openly tells the truth about the people of Israel.
Note: I believe a sign of our truly getting to know God is our willingness to speak the truth about our own sin. Is this too hard?
Q Did Aaron confess his sin with the golden calf?
An = Aaron did not confess he had helped in the golden calf rebellion. When Aaron was confronted with his sin, he blamed the people and said the calf just happened to come out of the fire (32:21-24).
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:29-30
Q Who is afraid of Moses’ shinning face along with the people?
An = Aaron, though he was a priest, but he did not really know much about God.
Note: By-the-way, if you read Exodus 34:10-28 you will see that God is giving Moses instructions for the people again. Gerhard von Rad says the ultimate judgment from God is silence. God is speaking here again. Grace has flowed from heaven.
Watch what Moses, the true leader does…
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:31-32
Q What does Moses do?
An = He calls Aaron, the leaders, the people to himself and talks with them and then gives them God’s will.
>>>> Have someone read Exodus 34:33-35
Note: This is quite a confirmation of God’s pleasure with Moses. Moses has been doing hidden things, but the shinning face….
RQ Would you like to be such a leader?
RQ How can we get to know God better?
>>>> Turn with me to Luke 6:28 and have someone read it.