Today's Reading: Exodus 33:1-11

Exodus 33:3 (ESV) "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. '"

"You can do it, sweetie. Go up and tell the waitress what you need." You would have thought I had asked my then 8-year-old daughter, engulfed in sobs, with a look of terror on her face, to do something dangerous.

"I can't do it! You're supposed to do it! You're the mommy!" she cried. The idea of going by herself felt impossible to her. She wanted me to go with her, but perhaps that would be a disservice. This would help her build confidence in herself.

So it was with God's people as they prepared to leave Sinai… without God. God told them to go to the incredible land He had promised them, but He was not going to go with them. This devastated the people of God. They felt safe in His presence, and yet His very presence could be their end.

The Devastation of Sin
Sinning in God's presence had caused lots of trouble for the Israelites. Twenty-four thousand died due to sexual immorality. (Numbers 25:9) Then the sin of idolatry caused them to make — and bow down to — a golden calf. The fact is, most of them were not walking with God: "With most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness" (1 Corinthians 10:5).

God said His presence would be with them. (Exodus 33:14) He had invited His people to go with Him, but they went with their sin instead. And while they thought God did not notice, God's silence did not mean His approval. (Psalm 50:21)

The Separation of Sin
The presence of God was tangible to the people in the time of Moses, for God came in a pillar of smoke, and Moses met with God "face to face" (Exodus 33:11). But God's people took His presence for granted, and sin separated them from God.

God not going with His people seems harsh at first, but for God to go with His people would have been their destruction. In verses 3 and 5, God used the Hebrew word kâlâh ("consume") to describe their end: "I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way..." (Exodus 33:3; emphasis added).

God's people still wanted the perks of having the presence of God with them, but it was the possibility of God not going with them that woke them up to their need of repentance.

Consequences have a way of bringing us back to our senses. God's people mourned. (Exodus 33:4) They stripped off their jewelry as a sign of repentance and letting go of the sin that had a hold on them.

Sin separates us from God and costs us our lives. We cannot afford to pay, but God has already paid, and we can receive His payment if we trust in Christ. (Romans 6:23)

Friends, God is with those who trust in Christ, in a special way. This is no small thing. We house the Holy Spirit within. (1 Corinthians 6:19) And we, too, have a choice like God's people in Israel had. Will we go with God or go our own way?

Even when we lose our way, God can still be found by those who truly seek Him. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Prayer: Father God, help me to be aware of Your presence and to go with You in this life — to yield to Your will, not mine. In Jesus' name, amen.