1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
Israelites worshiped the golden calf and aroused the anger of the Lord. The Lord forgave their sins and withdrew His punishment on them. The Lord still promised to send His angel to bring them into the promised land but He would withdraw His Presence with these people. The people still could receive the blessings from the Lord but the Lord would not go with them to the promised land. People began to mourn and now they realized that without God's presence the blessings they would receive - the land flowing with milk and honey - means nothing to them without the Presence of the Lord.
Our dear Father God, You deliver us from the evil and slavery of sins. We have been receiving Your countless blessings but let us know that no other blessings can replace Your Presence with us. The Presence of the Lord with us is like what the lyrics of the hymn "Himself" describes:
Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted, Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted, Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.
Dear Father God, come and fill us with all Your Presence and Yourself alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment