Tarrying with God (Ex. 24:12-18)

7/10/2008 7:47 AM

My Worship Time           Focus:  Tarrying with God

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 24:12-18

          Message of the verses:  “12 ¶  Now the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction."  13  So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14  But to the elders he said, "Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them."  15  Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.  16  The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.  17  And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.  18  Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

            This is the first time that the tablets of stone are mentioned, as God told Moses that He would give them to him when He went up higher on the mountain. 

            In verse sixteen the Hebrew word that is translated “rested” is Shekinah, and this word in both Hebrew and Christian theology is used to describe the presences of God.  Ezekiel speaks of the Shekinah Glory leaving the temple of God, meaning the presence of God was leaving the temple. 

            Verse seventeen speaks of the glory of the Lord looking like a consuming fire, “for our God is a consuming fire,” writes the author of Hebrews in Heb. 12:29.

            One of the studies in the Scriptures is looking at numbers and how they compare from one situation to another.  Verse eighteen tells that Moses entered the midst of the cloud and then goes on to say that he was up on the mountain for forty days.  Matthew 4:1-2 speaks of Jesus going out into the wilderness and fasting for forty days, something that Moses did while he was on the mountain of God.  “1 ¶  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2  And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.”

            I know that it is possible to fast for forty days without food if one has water and I do believe that Jesus did drink water, for without the water He would have died unless He used His Devine powers for His use.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It seems to me that one of the ways to spend some quality time with the Lord is to get alone somewhere and fast for a period of time, something that both Moses and Jesus did along with Elijah. The one time that I truly fasted for a week in Michigan was a wonderful spiritual experience.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Continue to trust the Lord to show us what He desires for us to do as far as when we should go to work in Hawaii, or not.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path.
3. Trust the Lord to not allow me to go through a temptation or test that is too hard for me to handle, but will give me a way of escape.

Memory verses for the week:                                  Exodus 20:1-3

1. Then God spoke all these words saying,
2. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3. “You shall have no other God’s before me.

7/10/2008 8:33 AM