Are you with us?

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Are You With Us?

This is your god. As you look through the Old Testament, it’s hard to find words that are sadder than these. These words were spoken when Moses went to the top of Mt. Sinai. He went there to receive God’s word and then share it with God’s people. But he was up there on that mountain a long time. And the longer he was away, the more fearful the people got. Finally it got so bad they told Aaron to make them a god that they could actually see and touch.¹ And Aaron did just that. And after he had a golden calf made, he showed it to the people. And he said those words: “This is your god, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’”² All it took was a month. It only took one month for the Hebrews to replace the one, true, living god whom they could not see with a fake god that they could see. That is the context we need to understand when we read these words in Exodus 33: “¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” ¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” ¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”” (Exodus 33:12–17 NIV11-GKE)

Moses was scared. On a good day they would tolerate him. But on a bad day they might kill him. But in what Moses says, notice how he is not just concerned about himself—his own survival and safety. He is concerned about his people. And so he prays that the Lord would be with him and go with him. And Moses understands the truth of the matter. He knows that if the Lord does not go with him, then every plan and dream is gone. For sin will take over. In the words that follow, the Lord responds to Moses’ prayer. We read: “¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” ¹⁹ 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.” (Exodus 33:18–19 NIV11-GKE)

Moses asks the Lord to be with him. Then he takes a very interesting and bold step. He asks to see God’s glory. And notice that instead of saying that he will show his glory, the Lord says that he will show his goodness. And notice then what follows. He gives to Moses promises. He tells Moses that he knows him by name. He tells him that he will be gracious to him. He tells him that he will show kindness to people and be merciful to people. He shows his goodness to Moses. And he wants Moses then to share and show that goodness to the Hebrews.

And this is an important point for us to emphasize today. For the Lord shows and shares his goodness today. The Lord tells us that he knows us by name. We are not strangers to him. Through those waters of baptism he puts his own name on us. And what gracious love is shown to us in Jesus—a Savior who died for a world that did not know him and did not love him. So, if we ask the question, “Are you with us, Lord,” our good and gracious Lord responds by saying, “I give you my goodness.” But my dear friends there is more to these words. For sometimes we learn just as much about what our God will not do as we do about what he will do. We read: “²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” ²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”” (Exodus 33:20–23 NIV11-GKE)

God promises to show his goodness. But he refuses to show his glory. He has a very interesting way of communicating this too, doesn’t he? He says that Moses cannot see his face. The idea here is that no one is able to see all of God—who he is in his essence. And the reason why is that we are sinners. We can stand in God’s presence in the same way that a bug can fly in the presence of a bug zapper.

Well, that’s a scary thought. If we cannot see God’s face, how then can we be saved from our sin? In response the Lord tells Moses that instead of revealing his face, he will reveal his backside.³(Exodus 33:23 BHS-T)}} God reveals himself to us indirectly, not directly.

Now, my friends in Christ, this is ever-so-important for us to consider now. For we face the real temptation to arrive at the wrong solutions to real problems. We are living in a time when there are real problems out there in this world and we really need to know that the Lord is with us. We live in fear. We live in fear that if we go back to normal this virus will spiral out of control. We live in fear of racism and the fear of having no functioning government. And in all of this fear we ask the question, “Are you with us Lord?”

And there are wrong places to travel to as we answer this question. The wrong place to go is to look for glory. We are going to the wrong place if we look for glory here in our hearts. We are on the wrong track if we think that we can find proof of God’s presence by tracking our emotions. For we might feel fine and ok while we are here in church. But what happens when our emotions are thrown into turmoil when we watch the news? It’s wrong to look to our hearts for God’s glory. But it’s also wrong to look out there, in the world, for glory too. The bible tells us that “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” (Acts 14:22 NIV11-GKE)

No, my friends, if we want assurance that God is with us, we need to grab onto his goodness, not grasp for his glory. If you are at unease and fearful, like Moses, then go to the place he has spoken to you promises of goodness. Go to his word. When I think of what is going on right now in our world, I think of what Jesus says. He tells us: “¹⁰ “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:10–11 NIV11-GKE) And… “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25 NIV11-GKE)

Notice the words that Jesus uses. How do we know we are in the end times? How do we know that Jesus could come at any and any day to rescue us from this present evil age? Jesus says that there will be fearful events. Jesus says that there will be anguish and perplexity. If ever those words were true, they are true now. But notice what they do for us. They remind us that God is in control. And even more to the point, they remind us that he is in control even when he doesn’t show us all the details, proving to us that he is in control. Or to put it as Moses does here. God refuses to show us his face—all of who he is and all of his plans. Instead he shows us his backside—the promises we need to know for salvation and preservation. But, my dear friends in Christ, that is enough. That is more than enough. For in his goodness we find our own forgiveness. We find forgiveness for the times we wanted to see his glory when we needed his goodness. And even more than that, we also find another gracious promise. Right here and now we do not see his glory. But there will be a day when we will see our Savior face to face in heaven. So the Lord is with us. But he shows us that he is with us not by showing us his glory. Instead he shows he is with us by showing us his goodness. Amen.