Exodus 33:7-11

Have you ever had a passage of scripture just stick with you for a while? You keep thinking about it and turning it over again and again in your mind?  I have been really stuck on a passage from the book of Exodus lately, "stuck" in a good way, but stuck I am.  So I'll share why this has grabbed ahold of me.


You can read the passage here if you like.  Basically, its just after God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, they have witnessed so much of His power in Egypt, then His provision thus far on their journey in the desert.  Now they have been set apart for God and after vowing faithfulness they wait for Moses to come down from the mountain where God is.  Moses takes longer than they thought and the people lose faith, they persuade Aaron to make for them an idol (and that is a whole other subject!) and we all pretty much know that didn't turn out well.  


So anyway, after that Moses set up a tent, outside of camp and called it "the tent of meeting".  In Exodus 33:7 it says that "everyone who sought the LORD" would go to the tent.  And then the next verse tells about how when Moses was going out to the tent all the people would stand in the entrance of his own tent and watch Moses walk out there.  When Moses would enter the tent, the pillar of cloud (representing God) would come and rest at the entrance of the tent and God would speak with Moses.  All those people watching Moses, standing at the entrance of their own tents would see that cloud and they would worship.


There is such imagery in this passage to me.  Moses walking through the camp with everyone getting up and standing in the doorways of their tents watching him.  Maybe millions of people waiting to see that God still was with them in some way. All those people worshiping at that sight.  


But what struck me was the repeated reference of the people standing, watching, worshiping from their doorways.  


Also, at verse 11 you see Joshua, it says that when Moses would leave the tent that Joshua stayed. He stayed at the tent of meeting. 


And this is what I have been mulling: The contrast between the people in the their doorways worshiping God from afar, and Joshua who stayed as near to God's presence as he could. 


 At first I was just blown away by Joshua, and my first inclination was to want to ask Who am I more like? Do I stand in a doorway trying to worship God from where I am most comfortable, or am I like Joshua-staying as close to God as I can?  


But then I realized (and this is the awesome part!) I'm not like the either one, I can admire Joshua for what he did, and even sympathize with the Israelites' insecurities.  I'm not even like Moses, who was able to talk with God face-to-face, like a friend.  


I am a child of God, I have access to His throne 24 hours a day.  He lives inside of me. He lives inside of me! Praise God. 


Has anything stuck with you lately?