Word of Encouragement (09/08/2022)

Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." (Ex. 33:12-13)

Having laid down the foundation with his complaint and a reminder of God’s favor toward him, Moses launches into his petition: “Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

This is an interesting prayer, isn’t it? The basis of this petition is that he has found favor in God’s sight. And its goal is to find favor in His sight! Why is he praying for something he already has? Is he doubting God? If he is, that is understandable, isn’t it? He did not want to take on the task of delivering the people of Israel and taking them to the promised land. He resisted it as much as he could but, in the end, he reluctantly accepted it at God’s rebuke. But he knew that he could not do what God wanted him to do unless God promised, “I will be with you” (Ex. 3:12). Ever since his calling at Mount Sinai all the way up to this present moment, Moses has experienced what amazing things he can be part of when God is with him. All the reasons that he did not want to accept God’s calling and all the fears that he had about his calling were all thrown out because God has been with him. But now, God is saying that He will not go with His people to the promised land. If so, can he still think that he has found favor in God’s sight?

Here, let us observe that Moses is not doubting God’s character. He is not saying, “Since I don’t know what you are doing, I don’t trust you!” He wants God to show him His ways so that he may know Him. He is disturbed by the profound dissonance between what he knows about God and what God said He would do. He was disturbed enough to direct his grievances to God in the previous verse. But he does not turn away from God in disappointment and distrust. Rather, he turns toward God in prayer and asks Him to help him to know Him better. As close as Moses was to God and as much as he was favored in His sight, he humbly acknowledged that there was still much for him to learn about God and His ways.

Isn’t this an important lesson? Even when we deal with people, we should not assume that we understand why they did what they did. We don’t know what is going on in their hearts and their circumstances. If we must admit that about finite people, how about our infinite God? Can we judge God for what He is doing at the moment and sever our relationship with Him because we don’t like it? How presumptuous are our thoughts and our judgments are about God! How tragic it is if we should turn away from God and stay away from Him! We can grow in our knowledge of Him if we should turn toward Him and ask Him to show us His ways!

We should also observe what Moses considers to be his most cherished favor from God: the knowledge of God. That is what he is ultimately praying for in this petition, isn’t it? He asks God to show him His ways so that he may know Him better than he does now. And he wants to know Him better because, in knowing Him better, he will continue to find favor in His sight. Isn’t this true in all loving, meaningful relationships? If we truly love someone, what would be the greatest gift we can get from the other? Isn’t it the gift of a deeper, more intimate knowledge of that person as he opens himself to us?

What is it that you desire from God?

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