September 16, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Say "Yes," and Mean It

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Opening Prayer

Lord, as I open Your Word, may Your Spirit, rather than the spirit of this age, instruct me.

Read Exodus 24:1-18

[1] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, [2] but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.” [3] When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” [4] Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. [5] Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. [6] Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. [7] Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” [8] Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” [9] Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up [10] and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. [11] But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. [12] The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” [13] Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. [14] He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.” [15] When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, [16] and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. [17] To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. [18] Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

God is never in a hurry. You cannot fast track the things of God. Take time today to listen.

The Book of the Covenant has been given. Now the time has come for the nation to accept its terms and to commit to the details that have been laid out so clearly. For this, Moses is not enough. He is the spokesman for God to the people, but the people need to be adequately represented by their own chosen leadership. So Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel are summoned into the Lord’s presence, though only Moses can draw close to God. Before they go, Moses has carefully taught the people the Word of God from the mountain. Were the people too quick and too enthusiastic to agree to the covenant? Perhaps they overestimated their capacity to comply and would have done well to first stop and count the cost. Vows made before God are always solemn moments and should not be rushed. Then follows an elaborate ritual involving an altar, 12 stone pillars and sacrifices–a fellowship offering emphasizing the new relationship God is establishing with the people.

Sacrifice leads to worship. No doubt those who accompanied Moses up the mountain understood the proper significance of “awe,” not its contemporary over-use. The vision that followed was accompanied by a meal. The prosaic words, “they saw God, and they ate and drank” (11) leave so much unsaid but remind us that God is both mightier than we can imagine and also more intimate than we realize.

Moses takes his leave of them once again and this time he will be away for a significant time. His only companion was his successor Joshua (was he left alone halfway between the camp and Moses–a very long vigil indeed?). Who knows what lessons he learned while waiting on the mountain. Spiritual leadership is about taking time out as well as doing things.

Apply

How do you rate yourself at keeping promises? How do you think other people might rate you? Have you found it difficult to keep promises to God? Why or why not?

Closing prayer

Mighty God, I want to be known by You as one who means what he says. Too often in the past, I have looked for loopholes, small print, and get-out clauses, rather than obeying You.

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