Exodus33:12–23; Matthew 22:15-22; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Exodus 32 -33 recalls the role Moses plays as mediator and advocate between God and his people. Exodus 32 relates the story of the golden calf and sets the stage for this Sunday. Today the writer of Exodus presents Moses negotiating with God. He is asking God to clarify some concepts for him. For instance, Moses said, “you have said to me, ‘Bring up this 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 also found favor in my sight.’ Now, if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”
Let us remember that Moses is leading Israel on a daily basis, he does not have a roadmap or a compass. God has not given him a plan and Moses feels he needs more information; He needs to know God’s ways. Moses knows he found favor with God, but if that is true, why is he finding so many troubles; why does Israel not see it? Let us not misinterpret what Moses is doing. He does not doubt God’s presence and commitment as many others; Moses’s requests to Yahweh reflects a genuine concern from one who seeks to follow God faithfully.
In our reading, we can see that Moses keeps pressing God because he is worried. He is concerned about what Israel’s actions in the previous chapter. Moses is concerned that God will destroy Israel; he is worried that Yahweh will abandon Israel in the wilderness. Moses asks Yahweh to go with them, “unless you go with us, then how can we be a distinct people, and how will the people know I have found favor in the Lord’s sight? Yahweh’s answer to Moses’ question is one of the most comforting passages from the Old Testament because we can see that humans can make God change His mind, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here- Moses said- For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” This is part of verse 16.
Exodus 32:16 is the verse I will meditate on this Sunday because I believe that Moses’ question, “for how, shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people unless you go with us?” That question and the statement that follows are essential for every man and woman who wants to follow Jesus. “In this way, -Moses continues saying- we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” What made Israel distinct from the other people around was the presence of this unique and different God. From what Moses is saying, we can see that God’s calling to Israel was to be different and unique like Him.
Israel was called to make the difference, and this is clear from the beginning. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 46: 9 reminds us that. He said, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” The term gentile means those who are not part of Israel. Israel was chosen by God to bring His light to the rest of the nations.
Israel was called to shine not with her light, but to shine with God’s presence. Israel was called to be different and Holy, not because of their religiosity or their rites. All people in Moses’ times had religion and rituals. Israel and his leaders were called to be different because of God’s transforming presence. We can see it in the life of many men and women in Israel. It was not the intellectual leadership skills that gave Moses the impetus and wisdom to move a couple of million people out into the wilderness to seek their promised land. It was God’s presence in Moses. it was God’s faithfulness to the promise he gave Moses in Exodus 3:12, “I will be with you.”
God’s presence making the difference is also true for other leaders. It was not Gideon’s military genius with 300 men equipped with torches, horns, and water pitchers that sent 135,000 well trained soldiers fleeing. It was the presence of the One who gave Gideon his assignment; God’s presence made a difference. It wasn’t the ability to ‘talk to the animals’ that gave Daniel a safe night with the lions. It was the presence of the One who promised Daniel to be with him in all circumstances. We can say the same of Deborah and Ester, and many others.
One of the most remarkable qualities of God is His unconditional faithfulness. He promised to be with Moses and His people even after they wanted to return to Egypt. Israel complained and doubted His presence when they were hungry and thirsty, yet He was faithful and even after they built a golden calf and Aaron told them, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” He remained faithful.
God’s presence -my sisters and brothers- is not just a company. He is with us, for us to learn to be different, so we can learn to be like Him. That is why leaders like Giedion, and Daniel were victorious because they were different from others. They followed God’s commandments and were faithful to Him because He was faithful to them. They learned to be faithful by experiencing God’s faithfulness. Faithfulness is the ability to stick with a task until it is completed. Faithfulness is the ability to trust in the presence of whom we do not see but whom we know for sure can see us. I often wonder if one of the reasons faith seems so difficult for many is that we have failed to understand that God is present in our lives to be our example to follow; His presence is our example to imitate. God’s presence is the paradigm of our lives.
We, as well as Moses, and Israel, have the promise of God’s presence. Jesus said to His disciples and to us in Matthew 28, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus has given us the same promise with the same purpose: to be our example to follow.
Moses asked God to show him His way. Through Jesus, God is showing us the way because He is the way. Therefore, if we follow His lead, we will be transformed into His image; if we follow his lead, even our minds will be changed. Philippians 2:5 “in your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” We can have His mind only when we follow His example.
Jesus told His disciples in John 13:15, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” My brothers and sisters, Jesus’ presence is real in our lives and our church’s life but let us not forget that His company is not just an ornament to decorate our sanctuary or something we can brag about. His presence is the example we must follow; His presence is the power He has given us to be like Him and do as He has done.
When we follow His lead, when we do for others as He has done for us, we will make the difference, and others will be able to see his light thru us. Remember, we are different not because of who we are, but because of who He has made us be; we are different not because of what we have done, but because of what His presence has done in our life.