Wednesday, June 26

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Exodus 33:12-23

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

One summer while I was in high school I worked for a man in our church who owned a flooring company. Even though I was just 16 years old and a brand new driver, my job was to fill a small truck with flooring material from the warehouse and deliver it to job sites all over Westchester County in New York. I though it was a cool job because I got to drive and I got to tell my friends that I “worked in construction.” 

At first, my boss just gave me very short, safe trips to make. But as the summer went on he started to trust me with longer and longer trips. Finally, he sent me on a trip that involved getting on the New York Throughway (at least that’s what I remember it being called) that ran from our town all the way into New York City some 45 miles away. The directions said to take the Throughway to a certain exit and to get off and go to the construction site. No problem! I could handle that.

But I had never driven on the Throughway before and I quickly realized I was in over my head. Traffic was moving fast and I was concentrating on missing the other cars more than the exit signs and I missed my turn. 

“No problem,” I thought, “I’ll just get off at the next exit and turn around.”

But there was no next exit. The next sign I saw said, “George Washington Bridge” and then “Prepare to pay toll.”

I was heading into New York City with no chance to escape and no money in my pocket to pay a toll. I had no idea what to do so I just kept driving.

I got to the toll and started telling my story to the guy in the booth. People started honking and he looked at me with utter disdain and said, “Whatareyastupid? Gettoutahere!” and he waved me through.

I don’t really remember how I managed to turn around, get back on the same road going the other way and eventually find my destination, but I did. 

I learned a lot that summer! I learned about work; about responsibility; and that, when going somewhere you’ve never been before, be sure to get good directions or have someone you trust go with you!

God has called Moses to go up into the Promised Land, but he has not promised to go with him. Moses is understandably uneasy and knows that he needs both the presence and blessing of God to complete his assignment. 

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

As someone charged with a certain degree of leadership responsibility, I have come to understand and love this part of Moses’ story. I think I often missed it when I was younger; and it has to do with Moses’ humility.

Think about it. Here is a man who grew up as an adopted son of Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth. Here is a man who had been called and commissioned by God himself (in the burning bush) to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of captivity. Here is a man who had received the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments from the very hand of God and had spoken with God like one man speaks to another. And yet, despite all his vast resume of leadership experience, he has the humility to ask for help.

How tempting it is as a leader; as a father or mother; as a student; to say to God, in essence, “I’ve got this! I know what I’m doing God. I’m good!” When, the truth is, we don’t have any idea what will happen tomorrow; let alone five or ten years from now. 

Moses was a great leader because he knew what he didn’t know; and because he was humble enough to seek God’s help, God’s presence and God’s favor.

Who am I, and who are we, to think we need God any less than Moses did?

Pastor Brian Coffey