Courage to See | Exodus 32-34

Do you realize how dependent we are on connectivity? A couple of weeks ago, I was flying to Lexington on Delta to watch UK get beat to Georgia in Rupp Arena. The flight from RSW to ATL is always packed, but the plane is always good and newer, which means you get the free, dependable Wi-Fi for the flight so you can connect and work. But the flight from ATL to LEX was on a smaller, older plane. The flight attendant said, “We have WIFI.” BUT we did NOT have WIFI. For an hour, I tried everything. Restarted my phone. Turned on airplane mode. Reconnected. Refreshed. Nothing. No connection. I had a device in my hand with more computing power than the rockets that went to the moon, but it was basically useless. Without connection, even the most powerful device can’t do what it was designed to do; and without God’s presence, neither can we. Have you ever felt like God was a million miles away? We were created for connectivity. Not just to other people, but to God. We were made for His presence. God did not create us because He was lonely or lacking. He created us out of an overflow of love and glory. We were made to know, enjoy, love Him and live in His presence forever. But when God’s present isn’t there or is disrupted because of sin, nothing seems to be working right in our lives. 

In Exodus 19-20, God entered a covenant with His people. He rescued them from Egypt to bring them into this relationship. “I will be YOUR God. You will be My treasured possession.” It’s marriage language. But it wouldn’t be long until His people would mess it up. They would trade the presence of God for something lesser. Israel sins against God, shatters the covenant and God threatens to remove His presence from His people. Moses responds with one of the most courageous, desperate prayers to God on behalf of others. In Exodus 33-34, we can have courage to see that even though our sin separates us from God, through a perfect mediator, His grace restores what our sin destroyed.