Word of Encouragement (09/14/2022)

Pastor James
September 14, 2022

And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex. 33:15-16)

What sets Christians apart from unbelievers? Moses gives a simple and direct answer: “Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” This God-oriented approach is important, isn’t it? What distinguishes us from the unbelieving world, what shows that we have found favor in His sight, is not about us but about God. It is ultimately in His going with us, not how we conduct ourselves or how much we are blessed in this world. We don’t have to feel the pressure of living up to “the Christian image,” whatever that may be.

Of course, this is not to say that how other people perceive us doesn’t matter. Moses’ question was, “...how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight...?” He was concerned about what other nations would say about Israel. That was one of the reasons that he gave to “dissuade” God from wiping out the nation of Israel. Also, Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). So, this is not a matter of “either-or”; it is a matter of “both-and”. What we must keep in mind in saying so is the order of cause and effect between the two, as it were. It is not what we do, which sets us apart from the world; it is God’s presence with us. What we do matters only as the effect of God’s presence, not the other way around.

Does it matter that God should “go/be with us”? Does it matter to a small child whether his parents are there to love and care for him, to protect and provide for him? We are more helpless than an orphan without God. For we live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28). Without Him, therefore, we can’t live nor move nor have our being. If we had a glorified vision, we would sooner choose to be without air than to be without God’s presence with us. Without the air to breathe, our temporal life will be over quickly. But without the presence of God, eternal death is our lot.  

But here, Moses is not talking about our living and moving and having our being in God. That is true of all people, not just believers. Moses is talking about God’s covenant presence, not omnipresence. What is so special about God’s covenant presence? First, it is not for all; it is only for His elect people. Second, God’s covenant presence is for our salvation, not just for our sustenance. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God does not just go with us; now, He dwells in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through His work of regeneration and sanctification, the Spirit applies Jesus’ salvation to us. And as our lives are transformed by His sanctifying work into greater conformity to the likeness of Christ, those around us will know that God is indeed with us.

God has answered Moses’ prayer in a manner far greater than what Moses could have imagined! And to think that his prayer is answered in us! Let us not be ashamed that we are distinct from the world. The world may even hate us and persecute us because God is with us and we are with Him. What we have is what the world needs even if it doesn’t want it! May God be pleased to use us to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!