This morning as I sat down with my Bible, the Lord put His finger on Exodus 34. Moses, in his anger had broken the tablets on which God had written the ten commandments. He dealt with the idolatry of the people and then set his face back toward the mountain.
He picked up the tablets to replace the ones he had broken, looked up Sinai’s sloping side, and started climbing to the summit. When he reached the top, he slid into a cleft in the rocks and waited till God Himself came down in a heavy cloud and stood by him. As he stood there, the Lord covered the opening with His hand and walked by proclaiming His Name for Moses to hear. Moses’ flesh could not stand to see the raw,unfiltered glory of God, but he could put his ear to the rocky crevice and listen to God preaching about God. The Almighty strolled past on quaking ground and a voice like thunder said:
The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…(Ex 34:5)
The word Lord in this passage is not Adonai (master), it is JEHOVAH, the One Who has always been and will always be, the I AM, the only living God Who is mighty, full of awesome strength, and absolute power. He is the Origin and Creator of all we see and know, outside the boundaries of the constructs of time. His character is (rachuwm) mercy of a higher caliber than man can give. All that He does is tinged with a God level quality of mercy and compassion that loves us deeply with tender affections. He is gracious (channuwn), showing favor and pity with great consideration. He knows that in comparison to His eternity, we are like dust, only here for a moment, so He does not pour out wrath and judgment even when we deserve it so. His goodness is overflowing and lavish, faithful and full of zeal for us. He is kind beyond all we know.
I sat in my kitchen this morning feeling like I was in that crevice with Moses, getting the faintest glimpse of that overwhelming glory. God preached God this morning. Then He whispered:
My Beloved, if you understood Who I was and the love I have for you, you would never waver or fear or be reluctant to spend yourself for Me.
Will you pray with me?
Lord, we are just amazed at the thought of You. Who is like You? There is no other God. You alone reign. We just want to settle ourselves in front of You and gaze in wonder. Reveal Yourself to us in greater measure. You are worth pouring our time and energy out lavishly. Make us vessels that are willing to be spent for You. It is our heart’s cry.
