Exodus 33 - God's Presence Removed (Part 1)

Exodus 33 and the Consequences of the Golden Calf

All right, let's turn to Exodus chapter 33. Exodus chapter 33. Dennis you want to open us in prayer and then we'll we'll get started. Sure.

Father in heaven, we thank you for your precious. Holy Word and What a privilege What a liberty and a freedom we still have to sit here and to open up your word and allow you To speak to our hearts by your Holy Spirit.

So thank you for this time. Thank you for your servant pastor and the things we're going to listen to and And talk about together and we'll give you all the glory and thanksgiving For this time in Jesus name.

Amen.

Amen.

Exodus chapter number 33.

The Lord said to Moses.

Depart and Go up from here you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt to the land of which I swore to Abraham Isaac and Jacob saying to your descendants, I will give it and I will send my angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey For I will not go up in your midst Lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff-necked people and.

When the people heard this bad news They mourned and no one put on his ornaments But the Lord had said to Moses.

Say to the children of Israel You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore take off your ornaments that I may know what to do to you.

So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.

So it was Whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle that all the people rose and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses.

Until he had gone into the tabernacle. We're gonna stop there. I apologize. So we're gonna have to have a part two for this chapter. So the past two weeks we've been looking at Exodus chapter 32. Where the people did what what's Exodus 32 known for?

Right the people worship the golden calf and we saw the judgment that came as the result of that which is 23 ,000 people who died. So remember the children of Israel are still at Mount Sinai. And now in chapter 33, they are commanded to depart from Mount Sinai, but because of their rebellion God was not willing to go with them and dwell in their midst.

So while on the one hand God made a covenant to Abraham and he is not going to revoke that promise. However, the Israelites are forfeiting blessings and privileges because of their because of their sin.

So look at Exodus 33 starting in verse 1. Says then the Lord said to Moses depart and go up from here. You and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt to a land To the land of which I swore to Abraham Isaac and Jacob saying to your descendants I will give it and I will send my angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the parasite and the high bite and the Jebusite.

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. Or I will not go up in your midst lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff-necked.

People.

The Angel of the Lord and the Preincarnate Christ

Okay. So so here's where we're at with all of this. Children of Israel have been delivered from slavery in the land of Egypt. They've entered into a covenant relationship with God. God has given the law to Moses which we kind of compared to like their Constitution if you will so the the point is the nation is starting to take form.

They have their their leaders Moses and Aaron and in Joshua. So the only thing they're lacking now is what? Land they just need the land. God made a promise to give them this land. But he and he isn't going to revoke that but he's not going to turn a blind eye To all of the things that they've been doing.

So now I think he's giving them another opportunity. Another another test so leave Mount Sinai enter into the land but notice. He says even though he's not going to be dwelling in their midst he is going to send his angel Ahead of them to fight for them.

So who do you think? This angel is it's just a a random angel. Is it Gabriel? Is that who who do you think this angel is?

Okay.

Okay. So does everyone agree that this angel is the pre incarnate Christ? Does anyone have another? view on that.

Jim Right.

Okay, let's go back to Exodus chapter 23 so turn back there. At least the New King James Version translators chose to capitalize Angel, so that's a pretty good indicator that they believe this is the pre incarnate Christ, which I believe it is.

So when you compare scripture with scripture, that's the conclusion that Obviously most of us have come to and remember. What does the word angel mean? Messenger, right. So don't be confused that well, wait a minute.

You're not saying that Jesus is an angel because angel doesn't always refer to a created being like the rest of the Holy Angels. Sometimes the word angel can refer to a human being so it's really more generic as a Messenger could be different types of messengers.

Not necessarily angel as we normally Think of so look at Exodus 23 verses 20 and 21 Lord says behold I send an angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

That's what we're seeing in chapter 33. God says beware of him though and obey his voice. Do not provoke him for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him so the fact that God's name is in this angel and That this angel is able to forgive their sin.

That's.

Almost certainly. Proof that this angel has to be Christ. Christ is God right? He's part of the Godhead. Only God can pardon sin. I don't know that you could come to any other conclusion that this is Christ.

Yes.

Chapter 23 doesn't.

The New King James it does and obviously that doesn't prove anything that's the translators. Right, that's the translators choice, but it tells you that the The translators of the New King James that's that's where they're coming from.

Dennis. Yeah, my name I I would say yes, because remember back in chapter 3 of Exodus when The Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush. It said the angel of the Lord appeared in the bush, but then when he speaks to Moses, he says I'm Jehovah, I'm Yahweh.

I'm the Lord so Jesus Christ is what we call him the Lord Jesus Christ and this is this is the doctrine of the Trinity. That's really the only explanation that he can be God and yet distinct from God at the same time.

That we say that make doesn't make any sense. Well, if you believe in the Trinity, it makes sense to the best ability that we have to understand it. So let's go back to Exodus 33. So if I can put it this way Christ or the angel of the Lord will go before them.

To fight for them, but God is not willing to dwell in their midst. Why. Because of this pattern it's it's a clearly established pattern now with the children of Israel that they're they sin. They rebelled or stiff-necked.

It's just one thing after another. Look at the second half of verse 3 Lord says for I will not go up in your midst.

Why?

Lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff-necked people. Verse 4. And when the people Heard this bad news they mourned and no one put on his ornaments. What does that mean? Put on the ornaments is like ladies don't get made up and put on your jewelry.

There's nothing to go out and celebrate. And the men I don't know what the I guess the men wore jewelry back then, too.

I don't know but.

Yeah, this is kind of a similar idea of putting on sackcloth and ashes. This is something to lament Over. God is not going to dwell in our midst. Verse 5 But the Lord had said to Moses say to the children of Israel. You are a stiff-necked people.

I Could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you now. Therefore take off your ornaments that I may know what to do to you. So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

Well, I thought they're at Mount Sinai. Well, which is it Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb?

Yes.

Same thing.

Good good.

So what's the reason God is not going to dwell in their midst because if he did he says I'm going to have to do.

What.

Consume you and we've talked about this. I think many times how God is a Consuming fire. This is how God is depicted in the Old Testament that God is completely unapproachable. Today is that how God is is Spoken of and it's God depicted today is.

Unapproachable.

Now in in churches In the world we're not concerned with what we know what the world does. Right. God is he is he's Santa Claus. Santa Claus. He's like a cosmic vending machine. But even even in churches, right?

God oftentimes is depicted as a grandfatherly figure who has no wrath. Jesus is depicted as he's like your boyfriend, right? That's how all not all but much of the modern contemporary praise music kind of pictures Jesus as like your.

Your boyfriend. So God is depicted even in the modern Evangelical Church as kind of a big softy. God is God is a big softy. You don't need to worry about him. And or they say okay, maybe God is still kind of tough, but Jesus is the big softy.

Oh, is that true? Right, I mean it's all but it's love. God is love period there's nothing there's nothing else. Right, he's not our grandfather either. Well, here's the thing. Yes. God is love. But it's because of his mercy Lamentations 322.

It's because of his mercy and his love that we are not consumed. It is because of God's love that the children of Israel Was not that they were not consumed. So going back to the previous point. Jesus is God and yes, God the Father is.

Unapproachable and.

He's displaying that here. He's displaying his holiness and his wrath, but you know Jesus because Jesus is God guess what? Jesus also has wrath. Revelation chapter 6 verse 16 talks about what the wrath of the Lamb.

So the point is we have to teach and communicate the whole counsel of God. We have to give both sides of The story because if you only give one side you get a totally distorted idea of who God is. Now I Think most people would say what's God's primary attribute?

What do you think. The typical answer would be Love right, but that's not true, right? The primary attribute of God is what? His holiness. That's the only attribute of God that's elevated to the third degree if you will.

Isaiah chapter 6 God is holy. Holy holy we have a Hymn a song that we sing holy holy holy. Here's why that matters. The only way a person can really appreciate the mercy of God is to first understand the wrath of God.

To really appreciate your salvation. You have to understand what you are saved from. So in the Old Testament God is unapproachable. But God is also Immutable. What's that word immutable me? Yeah, he doesn't change.

Malachi 3 verse 6 I am the Lord. I change not. So God is still that way. God is still Unapproachable. But it's because of Christ because God's love and sending Christ because of Christ now we can.

Draw near to God.

So once you understand that and I think we all do It helps us to better appreciate What Jesus did and of course Moses is acting as a type of Christ. It was last week I think we talked about how God He was ready to just do away with all of them.

We're going to just wipe out the entire nation and start over. Right and then Moses the type of Christ steps in and mediates the situation and the children of Israel survive because of Christ or Moses in that case any questions or comments on any of that and I don't want to be unfair.

But I think that's how God is depicted in in many churches even evangelical churches. Now we don't want to only talk about his wrath. That would be bad, too. If it's just hellfire and brimstone 24 -7 that ain't right either.

So we want to do. Do both. Okay Exodus 32 verse 11 Says so the Lord spoke to Moses. Face to face as a man speaks to his friend. So Moses as a type of Christ, it says that Moses gets to speak to God. Face to face now did Moses actually See God's face.

No, we'll get into that next week where he's put in to the cleft of the rock and in all the rest. Has anyone ever seen?

God.

Seen God's face, right? Jesus. He dwells in unapproachable light like no man has ever seen God. Christ heads.

No.

No man has ever seen God. No man can see God's face and live except Christ. But Moses spoke to God in a sense like face to face like a friend speaks to a friend now at this moment. No, man has ever seen God's face.

We've talked about this before but in eternity. That's the believers greatest reward where we will be like Christ and then we will see His face. Let's look at verse 7. Go back to verse 7. So Christ or the angel is going to go before them.

Says Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp and called it the tabernacle of Meeting and it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting.

Which was outside?

The camp.

The Tabernacle Outside the Camp and Access to God

So this is significant when God showed up to speak to Moses. Where did it have to be? Yeah had to be far away couldn't be in the middle it had to be on the outskirts. And just remember we've talked a lot about the tabernacle and the furniture of the Tabernacle and going through all of that.

We might have the idea that well the tabernacles already there. It's it's you know, the tabernacle has not yet been built. The plans were given to Moses, but at this moment the tabernacle has not yet been.

Had not yet been built so the tabernacle of meeting is basically Moses. Or Joshua's house, which is outside of the camp. Jim.

Right.

Right. So when we talk about like the tabernacle, it's that main structure that God Gave all the instructions to to build it. But yeah, Moses 10 is called the tabernacle because that's what the tabernacle means.

Okay, John MacArthur writes this about verse 7. He said in the time prior to the to the construction of the tabernacle Moses 10 became the special meeting place for Moses to talk Intimately with God. No doubt the people watching from afar were reminded of the removal of God's.

Immediate.

Presence. Okay, so let's try to get into some of the application of the text because as I said last week We're always trying to do two things. Try to communicate how this points ahead to Christ. So Moses the type of Christ we I think we understand that the angel of the Lord is Christ.

We believe but we always want to try to make application to The New Testament Church to us today before I give What I'm seeing as an application. Does anyone want to maybe take a Take a stab at an application or two.

Yes, Dennis. Yeah, just a couple of verses from Hebrews 13.

Okay. Yeah, where it says we have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. Okay, all right.

Yeah.

Keep going for the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood.

Suffered outside the gate, right?

So Jesus when he was crucified he was crucified outside the city, right. Good. Any any other ideas?

Okay.

One thing that I would say is that like the Israelites Because they they have all these promises from God God wants to dwell in their midst. But they keep they keep rebelling keep sinning. They worship the golden calf.

They're forfeiting their Privilege and their blessing so I think like the Israelites sometimes Christians We forfeit some of the blessings that we have. We may not lose our salvation. But just like God is not going to nullify the covenant that he made with the children of Israel or through Abraham There are consequences to the Israelites behavior.

There's consequences to our behavior. So we might not lose our salvation. We might not have to worry about that.

But.

There's still going to be things that happen if we Sin or certainly live in a pattern of rebellion, let's turn to Revelation chapter 3 for a moment. We may always have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

But that doesn't mean we're always going to be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is a privilege that every believer.

Has.

Every believer can be filled with the Spirit but if you sin if you Are living in rebellion to that you're not going to be filled with the Spirit. So the Spirit of Christ may be with us He may be on our side like the angel was fighting for them.

But God is not going to be as near as he could be right. Okay, Revelation chapter 3 Jesus is speaking to the church at Laodicea. It has some pretty Strong things to say to this to this church. If you want to look at the Israelites like they through their actions, they're pushing God outside the camp.

Almost well, that's kind of what the church at Laodicea did. They kind of kicked Jesus out of the church. That you know, they think they're so wonderful. What do we need Jesus for? Little did they know?

Jesus said no, you're actually pretty pretty wretched look at Revelation 3 verse 20. Jesus said behold, I stand at the door and.

Not.

Anyone hears my voice and opens the door. I will come come in to him and dine with him and he with me to him who overcomes. I will grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne.

He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Now, I know how this verse is usually Used. We've all seen that little card in the painting and the track right where Jesus is standing outside of the the door.

Knocking and there's no doorknob and people always point that out. So this is how this verse is usually Taught that he's he's knocking on the door of the lost sinner's heart. Saying let me in so I can save you right?

We've all heard that. That's the most common interpretation of this verse and metaphorically Jesus. He's doing that. I believe he's knocking on the door of lost sinners heart. That's all fine and good.

But that's not what Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 is saying. What's the actual context. What's Jesus knocking on the door of the lost sinner's heart? No, he's knocking on what door? He's knocking on the door of the church like hey Let me in let me you.

You've kicked Jesus out. You pushed Jesus out of his own.

Church.

Or I think this is very common today. You could say Jesus has been kicked out of churches or Jesus is replaced. By going back to this theme of idolatry that churches will replace the real Jesus with another Jesus.

With fake.

Fake Jesus the Jesus they have concocted in their own Imagination in this fake Jesus. It just so happens that he's just like them and he agrees and affirms with everything. They think it's funny how that works.

This is of course a form of Idolatry where you shape and mold a Jesus or shape and mold a god of your own Imagination and then that's the God that you're worshiping but in reality that God doesn't exist and The God that exists once people kind of go down that road the God that exists is actually held in contempt.

Because these people hold parts of the Bible in contempt. There are a lot of churches that would be Absolutely enraged if certain parts of the Bible were preached on Sunday morning. What has happened.

Assuming that some of these places are still. You know, they still have their lampstand which obviously many of them don't. Jesus is outside. Knocking on the door wanting to come back in and they're saying no.

Thanks. We got this. We don't need you now. They would never say that the church at Laodicea. They obviously wouldn't say that. Hey, we kicked Jesus out. But that's what they did because Jesus says so.

All right, any comments on that? Am I being too harsh? Or is that true? Is that is that happening? It's happening. Yeah, just one more Statement on this. I think this is one of if not the biggest issues that we have to deal with.

We live in a very ungodly culture. We all know that so that kind of way it affects us and we have some ideas that aren't quite lining up with Scripture. Or maybe you know someone comes to faith in Christ and they're they just don't know any better.

Regarding some things what people end up doing they try to make the Bible fit what they already think. You try to interpret the Bible into what you know. You want to be true instead of what the Bible says is is true.

So we just need to be aware of that and on guard because I think that that's always a struggle. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 33.

Dennis this is this could be a subtle thing, but I think it's possible for a church to become devoted to the church. Right and forget why it's there and forget Jesus Christ really right and it's so subtle because they talk about them.

But they're really just devoted to the church and not to Jesus Christ. Very very subtle, right?

Absolutely. All right. So in Exodus 33 This is kind of how the Israelites were. I mean, they weren't saying hey God, we don't want you. But through their actions they there's consequences. They were kind of pushing God away.

So without the Lord just like the church at Laodicea without the Lord, they're wretched. They're poor. They're miserable. They're naked and and all the rest. And what does God call them? He doesn't use those terms.

He uses this other phrase that we see often throughout obstinate or stiff-necked. Right if God calls you stiff-necked you're stiff-necked. That's that's all there is to it.

And.

Because of it they were forfeiting Privileges they were forfeiting many of the blessings that God wanted to give them and we all know the story how for the next 40 Years, they wandered in the wilderness and that generation that entire generation saved Joshua and Caleb.

They all died in the wilderness, of course, it didn't have to be that way. God wanted to dwell in the midst of his people. They could have experienced that if they would number one acknowledge their sin confess repent seek the Lord's forgiveness.

But they weren't willing to do that because they were Stubborn they were they were set in their ways. But God still loves them and that's really a wonderful testimony of God's love that. You read all the things they said and did and God God still there He still cares about this people.

But because of their rebellion and because God has wrath he dealt with them 23 ,000 people were judged but because of his mercy, they're not consumed. So all of that to say this The New Testament Church, we need to learn from this.

We look at them and say what's wrong with these people. Why don't they just see the problem and fix it, right? Well, we need to take that as a mirror and be like, okay, what about us? That's that's the hard thing first Corinthians 10 11 says now all these things happened to them as Examples and they were written for our Admonition, I think I've quoted that probably 20 times so far going through Exodus.

But this is an example of what not to do. So not only should we not worship a golden calf. We should not set up idols in our heart. We should not try to make God fit our image of what we want him to be.

I think he should be if our Opinions thoughts attitudes are not in line with the Bible the Bible's right and you're wrong. The Bible's right and I'm wrong. That's that's the bottom line. If we permit that, you know going back to the golden calf and how they rose up.

Play and all the rest if we permit the dancing and the carousing and the fornication and the adultery. God is going to be dwelling outside The camp he's not going to be in our midst. He's going to be over there yonder with Moses and the two or three people who are trying to remain Faithful.

So in conclusion if we feel convicted about some of these things. This is the example for us to not be stiff-necked for us to actually do the the right thing. And we'll just close with verse 8 so it was whenever Moses went out to the Tabernacle that all the people rose and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle.