Heart Matters: “And the LORD replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend.” Exodus 33: 17

THE BEAUTY OF FRIENDSHIP

When my youngest son was very little (around 3 years old) the LORD gave me a moment with him that gave me special insight into his personality and how HE made him. As we exited the van to enter the playground, as he leaped from his seat, my son said “Mom, let me show you how to make a friend!”  I marveled at my little mans’ determination coupled with excitement. I knew then he would always value relationships in a very special, real, and meaningful way. As a teen when I inquired about how his first day of school went, he measured the future success of each class by his assessment of the relatability of the teacher. Today, as a grown man, everyone who knows and loves him, knows that Quality Time is his number one Love Language.

Have you ever considered that the concept of friendship was created by God? Man was never meant to do life alone. If you have ever experienced a true friendship, one marked by transparency, honesty, service and sacrifice, you’ve realized you were blessed in a special way by that particular relationship. The same would hold true of your friends’ thoughts towards you. Friendship is a mutual relationship!

It’s undeniable that God created us for relationship and friendship with one another. But it’s much deeper than that…God also created us for relationship AND FRIENDSHIP with Himself! Let that sink in for a minute. Have you ever considered that God desires to call you “friend?” I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus and I had to come to a sudden stop when I came to Exodus Chapter 33. When I saw the depth of the consideration the LORD had for Moses because of His friendship with Him, I was left in awe. Chapter 33 of Exodus indicates the Lord made allowances for Moses that went against His own inclination…all because He called him “friend.”

Moses and the LORD were friends, they still are. When Moses lived on earth, The Creator God pursued him for a relationship with Him. When Moses believed and responded in faith, a beautiful relationship began. The LORD allowed him the privilege of knowing Him and verse 11 of Chapter 33 states “…the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend…” Now this doesn’t mean Moses saw the LORD’s face because in verse 20 The Lord said “You cannot see my face, for no man can see Me and live!” But it does mean the LORD spoke directly to Moses. The level of intimacy they experienced as friends was tight! Moses was the LORD’s “main man,” his “ace boo coo,” his “bff.” Okay if you aren’t familiar with those terms, let me put it the way another version translates the end of verse 17, The LORD said “…I have known you by name.”

Since the Word of God clearly states that the Lord is “no respecter of persons” which means He has no favorites, we can rightly assume that the level of intimacy Moses experienced with the LORD is available to all who follow Him as well. Wow! That’s such exciting news!

The dynamics of friendship between the LORD and Moses is an incredible one to read about. I encourage you to take time to read some of the preceding chapters and the entire chapter of Exodus 33. One cannot possibly understand the level of credence Moses had with God and the extent to which the LORD was willing to consider Moses’ heart’s desire, in deciding how HE would move forward with HIS chosen in light of their recent sin against HIM.  I particularly love seeing how patient the Lord chooses to be with us, even when we’re at our worse. (Remember God is all knowing-He knew how the children of Israel would rebel when He delivered them. And He knew how Moses would intercede for them as well).

THE OBSTINATE REBELLIOUS UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE

In the previous chapters Moses was up on the mountain spending time with God and receiving instruction to teach the people (Exodus 24:12). Exodus Chapter 32 begins with the people entreating Aaron to make them a god. Because of the length of time Moses was gone, they said they didn’t know what had become of him.  

Now it’s very difficult for me to move quickly pass Aaron because I believe there’s much to be said about the how’s and why’s of him being so complicit, so quickly. The Word does give us some insight so I may have to write my next blog post about this very issue.  Suffice it to say Aaron, Moses’ brother adhered to their request and he himself fashioned a molten, golden calf…for them to worship.

I can’t help but wonder why didn’t they just simply ask Aaron to become their new leader. Moses never claimed to be a god. He was their leader, the one chosen by God. I guess this is an indication of the level of darkness involved in this rebellion. The people didn’t simply want a new leader, they wanted a new god.

After the completion of the golden calf, the children of Israel literally said “This is your god O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt” Exodus 32:4.

For this we need a moment of silence.

When I read it, I wept. What betrayal, what an insult to the One, True, Living God! How sinful! How rebellious!

But before we (I) ascend too far on our (my) high horse in judgement, we do well to quickly realize that even as believers, chances are, we too are guilty of this same type of sin and rebellion. How many times have we decided God’s way wasn’t working for us? How many times have we chosen to carve out our own paths? How often have we given the credit that should belong solely to our God, to other people or other things (like our own gifts and talents)?

Yeah, I would venture to say, many times we aren’t much different than the Israelites were in this chapter.

Boy, it’s a good thing they had Moses to intervene and intercede for them! Because their sin made the LORD so angry- He had decided to remove His presence from them. (Can you see it?) Boy, it’s a good thing we have Jesus to intervene and intercede for us! He took on the wrath of God and paid for the sin of the entire world. And now because of Him, our Great Mediator, once we believe, we too are covered from the wrath of God. (Can you see the Gospel being foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament? I’m in awe!).

Okay, so the people rebelled and our God was very angry…and rightly so of course. Exodus 32 records God’s response, Moses’ entreaty, Moses’ anger, along with some serious correction and punishment. Before the chapter ends The LORD tells Moses to continue leading the people and that He will send an angel before them. But something’s changed. It’s not until chapter 33 that we read the LORD is not planning to join them.

THE BLESSING OF FRIENDSHIP

In verse 3 of chapter 33, the LORD explains that He’s sending an angel before them because He is not going to go up in their midst. He said “…because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”  You see,our God is Love, and He is also a consuming fire. He is not to be mocked or played with! (I’ve said this before but I love seeing the righteous anger of God! While I don’t ever want to be the recipient of it, nor will I ever be, I love it because it makes the balance of the whole of Who He is just so beautiful, yet unfathomable).

When the people heard the sad news of the LORD not joining them, they mourned. But when Moses heard it, he made an appeal (see verses 12-16). Moses made an appeal to God based on his relationship with God and his call from God. (I love that it’s okay with God for us to speak from our hearts with Him. He can handle our fears, our displeasure, and even our wrong thinking. He can handle it all!).

Basically, Moses reminded God of His charge to him regarding His people. Moses challenged God (so to speak) regarding his understanding of who he knew the Lord to be and his standing with Him in terms of the favor He’d given him. He reminded the Lord that this nation was (is) His people.

Moses was in such a tizzy over the Lord saying He wouldn’t be joining them that when the Lord responded next that He would-verse 14-“And He said, “My presence shall go with you , and I will give you rest.”, Moses still couldn’t let it go!

Moses responded to the LORD’s conceding by saying “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” (verse15) And it continues until the LORD patiently reassures him in verse 17- the verse quoted at the beginning of this blog post.

When the LORD said to Moses in verse 17 “…I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”, it so affected him so greatly that he asked Him to show him His glory! Now don’t miss this. The LORD was so angry with the people for their rebellion He said more than once that He wouldn’t be joining them, because if He did, He might consume them in a moment. But because of His friendship with Moses, He changed His mind. He joined them and He did not destroy them. One man changed how God related to an entire nation. Wow!

Experiencing the beauty of Who God is and His amazing love which manifests in His consideration, time and attention for us, should only lead us to desire to know more of Him! As Moses’ God and as Moses’ Friend, the LORD showed up and showed out for him. When Moses revealed his heart to the Lord for his people, he also revealed the heart of the Lord for His people. Deep isn’t it? I believe Moses’ appeal, appeased God’s anger. Yes! Our All-Knowing, All-Powerful God, knows how to work it all out! When Moses shared his heart with Him, God listened, loved and led! Moses continued in his call, he continued on his journey…walking hand in hand with GOD.

In the words of Israel Houghton’s song, are you a “Friend of God”? If not, why not? In the LORD we find all of the best attributes a Best Friend can have!

HEART TO HEART: TO KNOW HIM AND TO BE KNOWN OF HIM IS THE DESIRE OF GOD’S HEART