After God freed the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery, he had them gather at the foot of Mt. Sinai. There the people agreed to keep the covenant that God offered them, and God gave them the Ten Commandments and various other laws.
Then God called Moses to come up Mt. Sinai to get more instructions. He was gone a very long time, and the people got impatient, so they decided to break the covenant. They made a calf out of gold and began to worship it. They were rebelling against the One who had delivered them.
God told Moses that, because of their rebellion, he would destroy the people of Israel and make a new nation out of Moses himself. But Moses interceded before God on behalf of the Israelites, and here’s what God said as a result:
The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:1-3)
God tells Moses that the people can have everything they’ve ever wanted. An angel will go before them, the inhabitants of the Promised Land will be driven out, and Israel will live in the land as a free people and a great nation.
They’ll get it all.
But they won’t have God.
The people of Israel, imperfect though they were, decided that God’s presence was too important:
When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. (Exodus 33:4)
The people mourned. More than anything else in life, they wanted God. They could have had everything they wanted without God. But they decided that they’d rather have God.
How important is God’s presence to you?
We can never escape God’s presence. God is everywhere all the time, but that doesn’t mean that we experience his presence all the time.
Sadly, we tend to do things that keep us numb to God’s presence. Deciding we know better than God does about how to live, choosing to go our way instead of God’s way, and allowing sin to get a foothold in our life, are all things that keep us from experiencing God’s presence, from enjoying the wonder of God’s presence.
At the same time, there are things we can do that will help us recognize the presence of God. Reading the Bible regularly, spending time each day in prayer, surrendering your life to him, and spending time in worship and praise of him, are all things that will help you recognize God’s presence.
Because God is with you, you never have to go through life alone. If you’re a Christian, you can go through any trial knowing that God is going through it with you. You can face any decision knowing that the God who loves you more than you know is there to guide you in his will.
Would you be willing to give that up to get what you want?
What is it that you work for, strive for, pray for? What’s your dream? If God told you that you could have everything you wanted but you wouldn’t have him, would you take that deal? Would you take the gifts without the Giver? Would you accept God’s presents but live without his presence?
Or would you echo the words of Moses:
And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15)
Do you desire God’s presence more than anything? Do you live like it?