The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life
John 6:63
Words of Life
(September 4, 2008)
Broken Pieces
So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger
became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
Exodus 32:19
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It all happened in an instant. Moses anger hit the flash point. He came down the mountain
after having an incredible experience with the Lord. He saw the golden calf and the dancing and
without time to think he reacted and the tablets of stone flew out of his hand in a fit of rage. All the
work the Lord had accomplished over the past forty days lay on the ground in a pile of broken pieces.
The flesh had won. It had governed over the situation and the result appeared irreversible. There was
no glue that could be used to repair this damage. It was permanent. The tablets had been destroyed.
Have you ever had a similar experience? Times when your fellowship was so close that you
could almost hear His audible voice and feel His presence as He spoke to you from His word. Then, it
happened. Wham! Without time to think about it some situation hit and the flesh does what it does
best. It jumps in right at the critical moment and the words fly or the gesture is made or the temptation
is given in to. Before you know it everything Lord has just completed in your life lay on the ground in a
pile of broken pieces. Yes, I imagine most of us have had similar experiences for we are all made of the
same flesh & blood Moses was made of.
Fortunately the story doesn’t end there. As we read on, God deals with the sin of the people and
then begins the process with Moses that eventually leads to the replacement of the broken tablets. God
is in the restoration business. He knows how best to put the pieces back together. It can be helpful to
follow this process through step by step. By doing so it may help those of you who think God can never
use you to the fullest because of some past incident in your life where you allowed the flesh to win. Or,
maybe you are in a place right now where the flesh is winning out or where anger is gripping you.
I love the fact that the first thing God does is confirm the call He has upon Moses’ life. But He
also commands Moses to keep moving forward into that call (Ex 33:1-3). The fact that Moses blew it
was not to become the focal point. The call of God was to remain the main focus of his life. He just
needed to get back to the place where God could continue to use him. It is important to understand that
God’s call does not cease with our failures. We must keep moving forward into the call (Col 4:17).
Secondly, Moses prays and asks God for guidance and grace (Ex 33:13). Moses knew he
needed both. He needed God to direct his steps and understood God’s grace was needed to cover his
fleshly weaknesses. It is a tremendous lesson for us. We must do the same. We must never stop asking
God to guide us and give us His grace which He always provides (Heb 4:16).
Next Moses asks for God’s presence to go with him (Ex 33:15). It wasn’t enough for Moses to
settle for guidance and grace. He wanted the very presence of God Almighty to be near him as he
headed out into the wilderness. As he stepped out once again into the call God had for him. He has
already blown it. And the people weren’t making it any easier for him. Moses needed the Lord Himself
to be with him. The journey would be a difficult one and Moses didn’t want to set out without the
promise of God’s presence. I encourage every one of you to do the same. Ask God for His presence to
be with you every day as you move forward into His call upon your life. This is a prayer He delights in
answering.
Finally, Moses asks to see God’s glory (Ex 33:18). What a prayer! Especially after a major
failure. When we sin, we must ask forgiveness and turn from our sin (1John1:9). But how often do we
follow that prayer with a request to see God’s glory? We most often feel unworthy at that point. But
Moses musters the courage and inspite of his inadequacy and failure utters this request before God. As
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life
John 6:63
The answer God gives is powerful. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be Moses and
hear God’s voice as He spoke these words in Ex 33:21,22
“And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 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.’”
These verses speak volumes to me! Note God’s instruction to Moses prior to revealing His
glory…... Moses! Come stand by me. No Moses, I am not done with you. I want to restore you and
use you. I want you to be successful in the call I have upon your life. And yes Moses, I even want to
reveal My glory to you. But in order for that to happen you need to come and stand by Me. This is the
place you MUST be if you are to see any part of My glory and live. You can not be far from me. You
can not have it your way. You must draw near. You must be right by My side. Furthermore, I want
you to stand on the rock Moses. I want your feet firmly planted on solid ground and not on shifting
sand. When you see My glory and the power of My presence, your feet will need to be anchored and
steady. Because this is not just about seeing me Moses. This is about changing you! This is about
preparing you for the journey ahead and equipping you for the work I have for you. That will require
steadiness which will come from standing on solid ground. One more thing Moses. You must not only
be on the rock, but you must move inside the rock. You must move into the cleft of the rock. I will
provide the cleft, the opening, into which you go. Then I will cover you with my and. Only then Moses,
will you behold my glory.
Can you see the parallels? Can you see that God desires to show you His glory in the same way
He showed Moses? And can you see the provision He has made that you may see His glory? JESUS
CHRIST is the answer. Jesus is the one standing next to the Father, so as we are in Christ, we are by
the side of the Father. Jesus Christ is the rock upon which we stand and within which we abide. He is
both our foundation and our refuge. He is our filter that allows us to see the Father without perishing.
God has provided the very same opportunity to you that He provided to Moses.
Moses obeyed and climbed up the rock and into the cleft and waited. God covered him with His
hand and then passed by. Only then, was Moses fully prepared to go up the mountain once again, his
anger having been dealt with. The broken pieces that once lay in a pile on the ground would now be
behind Moses and the new tablets would be in his hands. He was now ready to move forward. But
Moses was NOT ready to move forward prior to drawing near to God, standing upon the rock and
moving into the cleft. Then he beheld the glory of His everlasting Father. Then he was ready to move
forward once again.
Pastor Ted
