3. PREPARED HEARTS

3. PREPARED HEARTS

The People of Israel

1. They sinned (Exodus 33:3). “Stiff-necked” means “A farming term – when a beast refused to wear his owner’s yoke.”

2. They mourned (Exodus 33:4). When God confronts us in an area of sin, there must be a response on our part; and if we are truly seeking the heart of God, that response will be to mourn (wail, Hebrew) that sin.

3. They stripped off their ornaments (Exodus 33:5-6). Our ornaments are anything that would keep us from taking God seriously; our connection with the world, and our forgetfulness of God (2 Corinthians 7:10). If there is true repentance, it will always be accompanied by a sense of sorrow. It is God’s will for us to repent of sin.

4. They worshiped (Exodus 33:10). The word “worship” means to “prostrate oneself, to crouch, to bow down.” They fell on their faces before God.

The Leader of Israel

1. He continually practiced an intimate relationship with God (Exodus 33:7-11). We are to practice a consistent intimacy with Christ, no matter what the climate of the day is. When you have a holy habit, you cannot keep from going back to God (Exodus 33:20). The word face (paneh, Hebrew) means “presence.” Moses presence was turned up while God’s countenance was turned down on him. They were face to face. The meaning that it displays in the Hebrew is “to be accustomed to someone; to know them so well, although you may not be able to see their face with your eyes; you know what their expression would be, from what you hear them say.”

2. He shared the awesome responsibility of a corporate relationship with God (Exodus 33:12-13). Moses immediately began to appeal to God on behalf of the people. He took responsibility, which pleases the heart of God.

3. He faced the futility of proceeding without God (Exodus 33:15). There is no job to leave God good enough to take. In the life of the believer, the presence of God is it. Everything else is futile.

The God of Israel

1. He hears (Exodus 33:14). We are so shocked when God responds to us the first time; e think we need to throw a fit; when we say “God” in just one little sentence “this is what I need,” and He does it.

2. He acts (Exodus 33:14). God is affected by what He hears. Prayer changes things. He heard one man’s plea and He responded.

3. He gives rest (Exodus 33:14; Matthew 11:28-29). When God’s yoke goes on us, it is focused. It is not a burden. There is a goal, and our energy becomes efficient. Lives are changed and eternal works are wrought. Rest accompanies submission to God’s authority. Peace always accompanies authority.

4. He sets us apart by His presence (Exodus 33:16). Without God, we are just like everyone else. He is what makes us different. “I don’t really want to live another day without your power in my life.”

5. He knows us by name (Exodus 33:17). The word “name” was important. It was the mark of individuality. God knows you on an individual basis, separate from every other living being.

6. He moves beyond natural limits on our behalf (Exodus 33:19). There is nothing God cannot do! God can move heaven and earth for you. It is an invitation and a response to one of His children. God did that for us in Christ. He became man to dwell among us. He violated the natural, because He is in charge.

7. He is protective (Exodus 33:21-23). God will hide us in the cleft of the rock and cover us with His hand. Hand (kaph, Hebrew) means “very specifically inside the palm.” That is where God will hold you, and that is where He will cover you.

Isaiah 49:16 – “engraved” in the Hebrew means “to cut or trace.” The picture is holding something so tightly in your hand, that it makes its mark there.