Lessons from Exodus 34

I haven't posted lately from our Exodus study. I'll try to summarize ( really I will) some nuggets I am marinading in from our current chapter.

Exodus 34
1 The LORD said to Moses, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain." 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." 58 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." 10 Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. 17 "Do not make cast idols. 18 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. 19 "The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed. 21 "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. 22 "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God. 25 "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning. 26 "Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." 27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant--the Ten Commandments. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Observations / Applications:
vs 1 which you broke
it's just a little hhhmmm - God seems to want Moses to remember his anger towards the sin of the people. Don't be unwise Moses remember who you are dealing with and the tendency they have. O how I know this place. I need to have forgiveness in my heart however, I believe it's wise to remember who and what you are dealing with. Lately it seems as if the intent and condition of hearts are being exposed. I believe that part of Gods plan in this is so that we walk forward in wisdom not ignorantly. It is always good to know who we are dealing with. I know this sounds pretty sticky but lets put it this way. If you became aware of someones secret sin life, you wouldn't continue to go to this person for Holy Spirit filled wise council now would you? So this is my thought process on this piece of verse 1 - Moses remember who you are dealing with and approach them in a more wise way.

vs. 2 Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.
What did Moses do to present himself to God? what did his act of consecration look like? I am walking a road of consecration right now and it is painful, messy and often times a little destructive. As God is revealing the deep yuck in my heart, bringing it to the surface so that I no longer live a life with scales over my eyes. Behavior isn't always the most glorifying. I know it's not really supposed to - it's supposed to be painful so that my response will be that of bended knee repentance before a Holy God so that He can consume the ties that bind me and bring healing with freedom to my soul. Consecration so that filling can come - this is my lifes walk right now.
Another chunk that we need to be mindful of is that in this process it is messy so we need to walk with grace, mercy and understanding with those around us - God is working and the killing of the flesh is often bloody.

vs 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands
these tablets could not have been as big as we always see depicted. But they had to be a heavy. I see a picture here for us that we need to consider the cost in meeting with the Lord at times. Are we willing to go that extra uncomfortable mile in order to spend time with the Lord. Shoot I think about the excuses I hear all the time and looking at this I think really you want to go there with your excuse. A good reminder that yes meeting with the Lord will not often times NOT be easy.

vs 7 Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
This is a piece of scripture that actually helps hold me accountable. I can only imagine the hell that my son will have to live in as this country continues down the path that it has been. To think that the sins of Bobby and I will effect Aaron and he will have to live in the consequences of those sins is a very daunting thought. He already is living in the consequences of our sins from our early beginnings but for us to know better now and add to that. Well let’s just say that this is a piece of scripture that has been used in my life to halt me more times then 100,000,000

vs 8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped
worship here is the act of reverence, a yielded body and heart before God. I’ve been doing a study for the past 4 months or so on the physical / spiritual blend of our acts of praise, worship, and blessing towards God. I am fascinated with the fact that I have gotten it wrong for so long. Until this last little while I never understood the importance of the physical act of worship( raising hands / bending knees / throwing hands etc...) Sure it feels manufactured in the beginning but somewhere along the way something happens in the heart as a result of the physical act.

vs.12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. & vs15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.
I see this as a piece of wisdom in how we are to live our lives now. Be careful who we get into company with [ Ministry, business, relationships] to see that those that we engage with in these areas that we are unequally yoked how can we not expect them to be a snare. It’s right here in this verse as a warning and yet how often I have been so misguided. Sure we are to be salt but to allow people intimately into your life that you are not equally yoked with is foolishness.

vs14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
I just learned the difference in Jealous and Envy - how did I go 43 years never knowing this.
Jealous: when someone has something that you want as well
Envy: when someone has something and you want it but you DO NOT want them to have it at all.

vs 19 "The first offspring of every womb belongs to me
20. Redeem all your firstborn sons.
I need this reminder that Aaron is the Lords. This is timely for me as I am struggling so much with him these days. Of course I know that all children belong to Him and we are only on loan with them. But this verse came at the right time as I so often take him back from the Lord. He is yours Lord NOW FIX HIM!!!!!! (please ;0) )

vs26 "Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
I am reminded once again to bring the first of everything in my life to the Lord. He gets the best of me and all that I have. It belongs to the Lord. My tithe, my time when I get up, my task and duties, my desires, my all - as I walk in this truth I am seeing that all things really do line up without it being this painstaking plan that we can often make it. Give the first to God and the next step just seems to happen, make sense, be energized, etc..

vs 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water
I have been on a 2 year journey of understanding a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. The first year I stumbled through it with many wrong motives. Many failed attempts but what I am learning is that I just needed to continue to do what God requires. I am learning the power of God that is unleashed during these times of dying to the flesh and fixing it with the act of prayer for another person, a circumstance - whatever it may be at that time that I am praying and fasting for. O how I wish I would have understood the power of this piece of God earlier in my walk. A friend said this most profound statement,
" God tells us to fast, prayer, and give in private. However people do not have any problem praying and giving with wrong motives yet they allow the knowledge that they have of fasting with wrong motives keep them from it their entire walk walk with the Lord" this is a most accurate statement. At least it was my story that's for sure. Fasting is one of the most misunderstood privileges we have in Christ and yet I'm not surprised, Satan knows the power it unleashes and he will do WHATEVER it takes to keep us from doing it. I could go on an on about this one but I told myself I was only going to post snippets of each nugget I got from this chapter.

vs 29 he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. & vs 33b 34 35 , he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Does my face show the glory of the Lord when I have communed with him. It needs to. My desire is to stay put until I am different. Each time we are with Jesus it should change 'us' a death should take place and a new radiant life should be brought to the surface. I love that it says each time he spoke with the Lord he took of the veil. A reminder to always go before the Lord in complete honesty and transparency ( as if God doesn't already know - duh!)

so there are my main nuggets that I'm working through in this chapter. Just be thankful I only gave the snippets or you would have been here about 2 hours or so. I pray you read something that prompts you this day to dig into and find a nugget for yourself. I promise you God has one for you. Just ask Him and He will give.

always remember to
keep chasing righteousness!!!!