God Draws Near

How good is God to draw near to unworthy sinners who draw near to Him!  God promises if we seek Him with our whole hearts we will find Him (Deut. 4:29).  An example of this is seen after the children of Israel sinned through idolatry when Moses met with the LORD on Mt. Sinai.  Exodus 33 describes how Moses daily went into the tabernacle to meet with God and from their tents the Hebrews witnessed the presence of God descend in a cloud upon it.  Overwhelmed with the dire consequences of their sin of which resulted in separation and distance from the Almighty God, the people grieved over their transgression.  The people worshiped when they saw the presence of God who spoke with Moses face to face as a man speaks with a friend.

Moses provided insight concerning one of these private meetings with God.  After Moses asked to see God's glory Exodus 33:20-23 records, "But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." ²¹ And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. ²² So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."  The God who is unapproachable in glory descended and met with a mere man he had a place for.  Isn't that amazing?  God said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock."  Moses drew near to God, and God drew near to him.  God also had a place by Him where Moses was invited and welcome to stand.  God promised to protect and shelter Moses from harm.

Now for those familiar with scripture, the place on the rock God offered extends beyond sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rock.  Like the rock from which living water flowed to sustain the lives of God's people in the wilderness, it alludes to the rock of salvation and chief cornerstone who is Jesus Christ the promised Messiah.  David sang in 2 Samuel 22:47, "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!"  It is through faith in Jesus Christ we stand as it is written in 1 Peter 2:4-6 reads, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

The scene of the interaction with God and Moses is an awesome foreshadowing of the relationship made possible through Jesus.  Moses was permitted to see some of God's glory, but it was revealed fully in Christ the Word in John 1:14:  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  The Jewish religious leaders did not have a place in their rigid legalism for Jesus, yet Jesus promised He would go and prepare a place in the heavens for all who trust in Him (John 14:2-3).  After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit came upon followers of Jesus without measure.  To think God who descended in a cloud and offered a place on the rock to Moses would prepare a place in heaven for redeemed sinners and make our hearts His holy habitation is amazing beyond belief!  As the song "Joy to the World" exhorts, may every heart prepare Him room as we joyfully declare Him our King.