Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Journey Towards the Promise Land - The Book of Exodus

Transcript

Journey Towards the Promise Land - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: abundant in goodness and truth. Exodus 34.6 Dear God, as
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: I rise today, I will set my heart on the
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: cry of Moses and ask for you to show me
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: your glory. Give me divine understanding so that I can
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: know and discern the directions you want me to take.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: I confess that I cannot move unless your presence goes
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: with me, like Exodus 33-40. I acknowledge today that a
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: promise without your presence is no promise at all. For
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: my heart desires to be close to you. Therefore, I
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: will make the posture of my heart my priority and
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: not material things. I will desire the giver more than
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: the gifts because I know that the blessings you give me, Lord,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: are a byproduct of me seeking your heart. Thank you,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, that you desire to spend time with me
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: and to walk with me through life's ups and downs.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: In this moment, right now, I will lift my hands
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: and worship you. for your unfailing love and devotion for
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: my life. My promise is before me, and more importantly,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: your presence is surrounding me. With this as my truth,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: I know I am unstoppable, because you will stop at
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: nothing to bless me, because even with my mistakes, you
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: still love me. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: praying with us today. Continue your time with God by
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Journey towards the promised land. In our last story, We
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: witnessed the heart of Israel falling into slavery to idols
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: and sin. They erected a golden calf in place of
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: the God that freed them from slavery. God's anger boiled,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: yet he was still filled with steadfast love and patience
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: and would not forsake them. In this story, we will
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: learn about God giving Moses new tablets and letting him
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: see his glory, and also the construction of the tabernacle
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: as commanded by God. Inspired by the book of Exodus.
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous reading, the
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: Israelites broke the very first commandment of God and built
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: a golden calf to worship. God determined to destroy them all.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: But Moses interceded and prayed, pleading with God, and God
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: chose to relent. But there was a price to pay,
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: and 3,000 Israelites died in the camp. Today, we'll find
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: the people leaving their camp as God leads them on
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: to the next leg of their journey to the promised land.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: God will promise to clear the way, but they must
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: trust in Him as they walk alone. Listen as the
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: people's hearts turn back to the Lord and they beg
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: for His presence to be among them. We'll see how
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: God responds, how they receive a second set of tablets
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: with God's commandments, and how God instructs His people to
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: construct His dwelling place, the tabernacle. Let's listen now to
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: today's reading.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: It was a cool morning and the sun was just
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: peeking over the valley. Sun rays splashed against the morning
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: clouds and lit the sky with a bright orange. God
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: met again with Moses. This time they met as friends,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: walking in the stillness of dawn. Depart from here with
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: the people to the land that I promised Abraham, Isaac,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: and Jacob, God said. I will drive out those who
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: dwell there to keep you safe. However, I will not
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: be going among you, lest I consume you on the
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: way for your stubborn attitudes and wicked hearts. Upon hearing this,
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: the people mourned. They could not fathom their protector departing
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: from them. The one who parted the seas, sent manna
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: from heaven, and drove out the Amalekites would be gone.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: It was too much for them to bear. The people
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: removed their jewelry and fine ornaments as a symbol of
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: that they cared for their hearts more than their external selves,
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: and they begged God to stay. Moses pitched a tent
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: away from the camp where people could go to meet
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: with God face to face. He called it the tent
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: of meeting. Anytime Moses went to the tent, people would
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: rise up to go stand at the entrance. When the
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: glory of God descended to meet with Moses, the people
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: would rise up to worship. Israel struggled in their faith
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: with God, yet they loved him. YEARS OF SLAVERY UNDER
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: EGYPT HAD CONFUSED THEIR SPIRITS, YET THE THOUGHT OF GOD
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: DEPARTING FROM THEM WAS ALMOST UNBEARABLE. WHEN MOSES DREW CLOSE
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: TO GOD, THE PEOPLE DESIRED TO DRAW CLOSE TO GOD
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: AS WELL, ESPECIALLY JOSHUA, THE SON OF NONE. MOSES CAME
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: TO MEET WITH GOD ONCE AGAIN. HE CAME WITH A
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: BOLDNESS JACOB ONCE DID ON THAT LONELY HILL WRESTLING WITH GOD,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: CLINGING TO HIM AND IMPLORING HIM FOR BLESSING.' How many
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: times have you told me that I have found favor
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: in your sight?' Moses asked.' If I have truly found
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: favor in your sight, please show me your ways.' Moses
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: spoke with intensity, for the thought of God not going
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: with them to the promised land frightened him. Moses continued
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: his case before God, saying,' Please, God, consider your nation,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: your people. If your presence does not go with us,
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: the promised land means nothing.' The only thing that makes
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: us a nation and a people is your presence. God
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: did not answer with rage or match Moses' intensity. Rather,
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: he answered gently and said, My presence will go with you,
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: and I will give you all rest. I will do
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: this for you, for you have found favor in my sight.
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: I know you by name, Moses. Moses crumbled before God.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: His heart melted at hearing God's words. He looked up
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: to God with his eyes foggy from tears. Show me
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: your glory, Moses whispered. God said to Moses, I will
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: show you my goodness and have it pass before you,
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: but you cannot see my face, for no man can
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: see my face and live. So God placed Moses in
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: a cleft between two rocks, and God, in his glory,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: passed by Moses, and he could see his back pass by.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: For a brief moment, Moses was able to gaze upon
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: the beauty of the Lord. A small sliver of eternity
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: glowed before Moses. The maker of the cosmos, the destroyer
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: of stars, and the shepherd of humanity revealed a part
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: of himself to Moses. The true beauty was in God's
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: restoration of his covenant with Israel. Again he wrote on
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: the stone tablets his commandments and promises to his children.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: He would go before them, walk with them, and be
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: their strength and shelter. Moses left the presence of God
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: with the tablets. His face shone brightly because he had
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: been with God, and the people marveled. They built the
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: tabernacle for God. They had master craftsmen pay attention to
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: every detail given to them. As Israel built the tabernacle,
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: it was almost as if they were mending their fractured
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: relationship with God. With their hands they had once made
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: a golden calf to replace God, but now they were
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: using their hands to make for him a place to dwell.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: Since the beginning of humanity, it was always God's purpose
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: to dwell with men and women and walk with them
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: in unity, to guide them and provide for them, to
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: give them purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. He did so in
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and even
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: though they sinned, he still protected them. He did so
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: with Abraham's family and walked with them through life. Even
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: though they sinned, he still kept his promises and stayed
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: beside them. And now he would dwell with Israel in
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: the tabernacle. He would go before them and protect them.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: Even though they would sin, he would still keep his promises.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: For the Lord of God's people is not a story
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: of bravery or heroism. It is a story of flawed
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: people straying away from their God and God stopping at
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: nothing to bless them.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: As we open today's reading, God tells Moses to take
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: the people and go to the land that he would
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: give them. God tells Moses that he will clear the
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: way for them and keep them safe, but his presence
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: will not go with them. The people are afraid, and
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: despite their sinful wayward hearts, deep down they know that
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: only God's presence can protect and satisfy their longing for
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: connection to him. They remove their jewelry and offer it
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: to God. a reminder of what they'd done when they
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: offered their gold to a false god. They wanted to
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: discover forgiveness and atone for their sins. For now, when
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: they wish to meet with God, Moses must go with
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: them outside the camp to a very special tent, the
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: tent of meeting. God's presence will descend and meet with
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: Moses and the people worship outside. There was one among
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: them who desired fellowship more than the other, Joshua, the
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: son of Nun. He stays by the tent even as
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: the others leave. Joshua will become an important figure in
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: history and God is working in his life already. Critically,
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: Moses approached God and asked him to teach him his ways.
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: a very important request. Here's what Moses said. So I
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: may know you and continue to find favor with you.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Remember that this nation is your people. Lord, teach me
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: your ways. Do we desire to know the ways of God?
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: How often do we boldly and honestly ask God to
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: teach us the way that we should go? Do we
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: seek him with all of our hearts? Do we seek
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: not only his ways, but his will in our lives?
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: Moses doesn't stop there. He asks God to commit his
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: presence to his people as a sign that they are
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: set apart from other nations. God honors the request and
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: agrees to be with them as he always has been.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: Moses asked for one more thing, the boldest of all requests,
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: show me your glory. Moses has met with God in
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: the past, but he wanted more. He wanted to know
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: the fullness and the greatness of God's glory. God says
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: to Moses that he can look but he cannot see
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: his face or he will die. Moses is a sinner
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: and cannot look into the face of a holy God.
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: God protects Moses in a cleft in the rock as
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: the glory, his glory, the glory of God passes by.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: There he gives Moses his commandments once again, and Moses
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: chisels them into stone and takes them to the people.
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: His brush with God's glory causes Moses' face to shine
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: to the amazement of all the Israelites. Then God puts
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: the people to work, building the tabernacle, his dwelling place
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: among them. This will for a time satisfy both their
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: desire to have him near and God's desire to have
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: communion and fellowship with his people. God desires to have
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: a relationship with us, to live among us, to live
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: in us. And that desire is fulfilled by sending his
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: own son, Jesus Christ, to be our savior, to live
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: in us, so that a temporary house like a tabernacle
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: or even a temple would no longer be needed because
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: now with Christ within, his spirit alive in us, we
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: are the temple of God. Dear God, thank you that
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: you live in us, that your very presence goes with
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: us everywhere that we go. We pray, oh God, that
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: we would live in your presence and seek not only
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: to know your hand, but to seek your heart. and
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: to seek your glory every day of our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: app and make prayer a priority in your life. If
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love,
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: because by sharing this podcast, you can make a difference
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: in someone's life. And if you want more resources, on
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: how to tap into God's Word for power in living
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: the Christian life, be sure to visit jackgraham.org.