In the opening day session of Whetstone 2007 Pastor Mark Minnick brought a message on the topic, “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness.” Taking his text from Exodus 33:1-19 he raised the question of the necessity of setting aside a place and time for private meeting with God. Though the practice isn’t mandated in this passage, it is shown to be a felt need of God’s men and highly desirable, in spite of the advantages and pressures of being in the ministry. Or maybe private communion is desirable and needed because of the pressures of the ministry. In addition to the tent Moses pitched away from the camp representing a place to meet with God, Pastor Minnick brought out some other applicable lessons from Moses’ practice.
The very location of the tent of meeting was meant to signify something. It signified a grievous spiritual reality: that God was no longer prepared to be in the midst of these people (Ex. 33:1-6). God said He would send an angel to lead them to the land He had promised them, but He would not go up in their midst because He would destroy them for their obstinacy. They had just sinned in connection with the golden calf while Moses was on
It’s interesting to note that despite the people’s disobedience God still guaranteed their success (vv. 1-3). Is it possible to have gross disobedience to the Scriptures and still have success that can be attributed only to God’s miraculous working? Apparently so, according to this passage. That would be fodder for another article to itself, or perhaps a lively (but Christian) discussion in the comments section. Why is the Lord promising to give these rebellious people success? Because of His promise to the fathers (v. 1). They would still have the things promised, but what would be missing was God’s approving presence. That would be strangely absent.
But, though the point of communion was now outside the camp, God was still graciously accessible (vv. 9-10). When Moses entered the tent, “the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent” (v. 9). The people would see this and know that He was still graciously accessible in spite of their sin.
This leads to the next lesson: that place (the tent of meeting) was one where Moses’ practice became influential. After setting up the tent (v. 7), “everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.” When the people saw Moses go to the tent, the pillar of cloud descending in response, “all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent” (v. 10). So Moses’ practice was influential. Maybe that’s one of the greatest arguments for the necessity of private communion with the Lord: to set an example for the people, who truly live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and who in many ways have been insidiously damaged by the culture in which they live.
What if it’s true that ministers can sufficiently commune with the Lord on the run? What if it’s true that the work of the ministry provides abundant opportunity for fellowship and spiritual growth? Even if all that were true, what of the people? What of the people who don’t live and move where ministers do? What of the people whose business isn’t in the Word all day long? What of the people whose fellowship has frequently been broken by sin; and the ungrieved, unquenched presence of the Lord is seldom, if ever, recovered while they’re carpooling to work? There are few things more powerful in the hearts of the people than when they find out something about their pastor’s own walk with the Lord. A mere passing comment from the minister about his devotional life during a sermon might be what the people latch onto and take home as the inspiration for their own private devotion. Pastor Minnick did this himself in a message this past Sunday. We are sheep listening to the voice of our undershepherd. We are following the leadership of our divinely-appointed guides. Do pastors really want to teach their people to do their devotions on the fly?
Moses set the example, who in his communion successfully interceded for the people so that the Lord was once again willing to go with them and dwell among them (vv. 12-19). This approving presence was what distinguished them from all the nations of the earth. Moses’ experience of the Lord in private communion led him to desire to know more of God. “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” That’s our need! Moses caught a glimpse of God’s glory and it made his face shine. We need our faces to shine with the glory of God, and private communion with Him is where the transformation takes place. May we steal away often to meet with God and hear Him speaking in the stillness.
Certain things from Whetstone have really stuck with me. This message was one of them.
Lord, I have shut the door,
Speak now the word
Which in the din and throng
Could not be heard.
—William M. Runyan
This was a powerful seminar. About a year ago I studied this passage devotionally meditating on Moses' strong desire that the Lord would continue with the children of Israel. What I learned that I had overlooked was the fact that God vowed to destroy His people if He went in their midst, and He eventually did. Ex. 33:5 says, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’
ReplyDeleteMoses plead with God to "go up among them" and God relented and did as Moses had asked. Here's what I had missed: What about God's statement that He would "consume them"? In fact, He DID! None of them entered into the land of promise. It wasn't here but it was at Meribah that the people quarreled with God and Moses disobeyed Him. God decreed that Moses would not lead "this assembly" into the land. Indeed, none of those who had come out of Egypt entered the land. Only their children.
If God goes up with us, He will not abide with our rebellion. He will surely deal with it.