Thursday, May 11, 2023

 

Thursday, May 11, 2023


Psalms 95; 96

Exodus 33:1-17

John 13:1-11


Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.


There are three ways to communicate with God. Everyone communicates with God; believer, unbeliever, and everyone in between: and it all falls into one of three categories.


One way is like those with stiff necks and hard hearts. God speaks to them, as God speaks to us all, but they turn their back. They refuse to honour God and give thanks, in spite of the fact that God’s eternal power and divine nature is plain to see and understand through the things God has made. This conversation is held face-to-back.


The second way is like the Israelites at the door to their tents, when Moses would go into the tent of meeting. Terrified of the power of God, wielded so dreadfully against His enemies, they bow to the ground. This is not so bad; God is our creator, and to show Him deference is perfectly reasonable and could almost be equated to acknowledging that water is wet. This conversation is held face-to-head.


But then Jesus entered into our material existence. He preached the kingdom of heaven, denounced hypocrites, and healed the sick. Then, the last thing He did before He died was to wash the feet of His disciples. If we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father: He is the image of the invisible God. Through Christ, we turn our backs, raise our heads, and speak with the almighty Yahweh face-to-face. We have no fear of divine retribution for our prior rebellion – when we turned our backs – because He paid the penalty of sin. Neither do we need to stay on the ground cowering under the power of God, because God’s power is the message of the cross, the power to bring forth life from death.


And so, trembling at first, then with trepidation, and finally with bold confidence, we stride into the throne room of God, rejoicing at being reunited at last, and speak with our mighty and loving Creator face-to-face.

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