“I’ll Go If You’ll Go!”

Scripture: Exodus 33:12-23

Relationships are an integral part of our lives. Of course, you already knew that, but what most folks don’t realize is that without a connection to others, our life would be completely devoid of purpose. We might still have a job, but we would be doing it alone. There would be no membership in organizations, no attendance at church, no marriage, and no family. Without relationships, life as we know it would cease to exist.

Studies and surveys have revealed monotonously that relationships require four ingredients: Time, Touching, Talking, and Trust.
According to Priority Management of Pittsburgh, the average working couple spends four minutes a day in meaningful conversation with one another. That same quality time with their children only calls for 30 seconds a day.
- Homiletics Online

And the list of “4 T’s” is pretty much in order of occurrence. Without spending Time, there can be no Touching; without the intimacy of Touch, we will never become confident enough to Talk with each other; and if we can’t converse, there will never be any meaningful level of Trust. Is it any wonder that marriages fail, families disintegrate, and nations are constantly at each other’s throats?

Faith is no different. The extent of the Time, Touch, Talk, and Trust that exists between us and God will fairly well define the depth of our relationship with him. Very little Time spent in intimate contact and in prayer with the Lord will never lead us to know a significant and enduring faith in Christ. That was one of the problems that Israel had, and it is one that the Church of today is experiencing as well.

Read Exodus 33:12-14

Now Moses had spent a lot of time with Yahweh, touching and being touched by Grace, and both had been engaged in constant conversation, but Moses was still at odds with God over one little issue – that of Trust. He had spent plenty of time with God, but the conversations always revolved around the Lord telling Moses what he must do, and Moses’ replying with excuses as to why he couldn’t, or why the people wouldn’t, or what he thought might happen if, for some reason, anyone did!
Trust, whether in the Almighty or in another person, comes from a deep understanding of who the other is, and how they think, and why they act. With God, we are able to develop this sense to an extent, but never completely, so there is one more aspect of divine relationships that must exist – Surrender.

In our human relationships, there is an interactive “give and take” at play, but with God, it isn’t quite that simple. God is the infinite wisdom in our lives, and we need to trust (there’s the word!) that his way is in our best interest.
Moses was concerned that he was to lead the people to a Promised and Holy Land, but he had yet to be told where that was. And to make matters worse, God knew who he was and was pleased with him, but Moses had yet to come to grips with who God must be.
And so, he asked the Lord to teach him the ways of heaven. But instead of revealing the details of the trip that was laid out before them, God says he will go with them, presumably to lead and guide them, so that Moses could rest from his concerns and fears.

NOT what Moses wanted to hear!

Read Exodus 33:15-17

“But what if you DON’T go with us?” “What will we ever do?” “How can we possibly learn the way?”

Remember Moses on the Mountain as he stood before the bush that burned, but wasn’t burned up? (Exodus 3:1-4:17) Every time that the Lord tells Moses that something is going to happen, Moses responds with “But what if it doesn’t happen that way?” Yahweh gives him assurance after assurance after affirmation after sign, until Moses runs out of excuses and questions, and relents.

He knew who God was, as evidenced by his fear to look upon him in the Fire, but the relationship still had a long way to go before trust could rise up in this servant of Yahweh. And by the time Moses and the nation had arrived back at the Mountain, trust still wasn’t all that it should be.
And now Moses’ reluctance to step out in faith before he understand just what God was about to be put to rest once more. “How will others know that you love us if you aren’t with us, and how will we stand out among the rest without your Presence?” I think that Moses’ point here is actually this - that “Others won’t fear us and run away if they don’t know that you are on our side!” And the Lord offers the very promise that Moses already understood – that God was pleased with him and knew him by name.

And that isn’t what Moses wanted to hear, either!

The issue is far more basic than that he didn’t know the way without the Lord – I believe that his reluctance was grounded in the fear of the unknown, fear that they aren’t self-sufficient, fear that others will be too strong for them, fear that the Lord might change his mind. And in light of our reading last week, in which the people had turned against Yahweh and created that golden calf to worship (Exodus 32:1-14), maybe Moses was concerned that all was not well between him and the people and their God, and that in spite of the Lord’s assurances to the contrary, God was being somewhat less than honest with him.

A solid relationship cannot exist between two people if doubt is hovering within and around everything they need to do together. And the same is true with God. We can always seek assurance that our understanding of his call on our life is correct, but disbelief that he is going to be with us in that call can be the death knell of our faith.
Remember the 4th “T” – “Trust”? Without it, Israel’s Promised Land journey, as well as our faith walk with Christ, will be strewn with obstacles after obstacle, and we will get nowhere fast! For Israel, their lack of trust in God would cause their journey home to stretch out over 40 years. How long will we remain standing at our own Mount Sinai before we begin our journey with Jesus?

Read Exodus 33:18-23

It sounds like Moses is asking God to grant him that 2nd “T” – Touch. It can’t be in a physical way, of course, but sight may be the next best way to establish confidence in another person’s, or in God’s, presence. Have you noticed that no matter what Moses has asked for, no matter how uncertain he is in this relationship, no matter how much his “doubt” is causing a lack of trust in his life, God will not let the bond that he wants with Moses to deteriorate? “You want to see my glory? I’ll let you see as much as you can handle!”

Was Moses ready to put his all in the Lord? Was he ready to journey back up Sinai to get a fresh set of Commandments? Was he ready to continue on the way, in complete trust and obedience to Yahweh, to the ultimate destination?

Maybe we should be asking ourselves those questions – “Is experiencing the backside of God’s glory sufficient for me?” Each of us has to answer that for ourselves, but I think that if Glory doesn’t do the job, then we must resign ourselves to the fact that we are nothing short of hopeless.
If spending time in prayer and meditation with God, if reaching out to touch just the hem of his coat in faith (Mark 5:25-34), if trusting Christ as Redeemer and Savior for your life isn’t enough for you, then I call you to ask the Lord for a vision of his Glory. And I am completely serious in that suggestion. But notice that the other 4 must come first – spend time with him, talk to him, touch him and let him touch you, and make every effort to trust his precious Word – and if that doesn’t bring you into an eternal relationship with Jesus, then ask him is you could just get a glimpse of the “backside of his glory”.
The Lord will do anything – everything! - to assure us that if we will but commit to follow him, that he will lead us throughout this life and into the next one, into that Promised Life that awaits us. “I’ll go wherever you go Lord, because I trust you and love you and depend on you that much.”

And when we can say that, God will be pleased. And it could never get any better than that!