The other day I was reading about Moses and Joshua in Exodus, when something I read struck me. Before I go on, let me tell you why I was reading about Moses and Joshua. This being a new year I am really set on following God with a Passion. I mean, I love God and I would consider myself a follower of Christ but I want to follow Him with a passion I have never felt. So I thought I would read about some people who I think had a passion for following God, which would be Moses and Joshua. So I was reading where Moses goes up to Mount Sinai to speak to God.
So, I was reading and I came upon verse 10 in chapter 19 which says; "And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live."
My first thought was "wow...that's harsh." I mean these are the Lord's people and they are not even permitted to touch the foot of the mountain which the Lord sat upon, or they would be put to death. That just sounded very strange to me. I thought it was a good thing to want to be close to God. I would think, God wants us to seek to be close to Him. But then I realized that Moses was allowed to be close to God. Later, the Lord permits Aaron to come to the mountain.
So, what's the deal? And then it hit me. It is dangerous to be close to God! It is so dangerous that you must be completely sold out for Him to get real close. The Israelites were God's people but they were the same people that continually grumbled and worshiped false idols. They were not completely sold out so it was dangerous for them to get close too close to God.
As this idea was floating in my head, I read on and it got real interesting in chapter 33 starting in verse 7 which says; "Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend."
This passage says that Moses set-up the tent (where God would be) some distance outside of the camp. Why? Because it is dangerous to be close to God! For the safety of the people in the camp, they would keep their distance from God. The interesting thing is that when the people saw the pillar of cloud they would stand up and worship God. These people loved God, they were God's people and they worshipped Him....but did you read the last part of that line..."each at the entrance of his tent." Again, these people loved God, they followed God and they worshipped God...at a safe distance. Is that not the case with Christians today. We love God, we follow God and we worship God but we keep Him at a safe distance. But look at what happens to Moses as a result of being dangerously close to God..."The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." WOW! That gives me goosebumps. Don't you want that? Can you imagine how amazing that would be? Can you imagine talking to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend?" But that can happen if you are willing to be dangerously close to Him. So the question is...are you willing to be dangerously close to Him? If you are, are you completely sold out for Him or are you OK worshipping God at the entrance of your own tent? Let me challenge you this year to come dangerously close to God and find yourself face to face with the Creator of the universe!
