God Never Gives Up

Because we’ve seen movies and heard the Bible story as kids, and because we know that the Israelites make it to the Promised Land, it’s easy for us to imagine that this is like a television episode, everything gets wrapped up and resolved in 44 minutes.

But that’s not what happened.

Moses comes down from the mountain, and he’s not happy. He throws down the tablets of the Law, grinds the cow into powder, and makes the Israelites drink it in the water. But it gets worse, Moses rallies the Levites (one of the tribes devoted to God), and they kill about 3,000 of their family, neighbors, and friends. They famously had not bowed down to the golden calf and had stayed faithful.

This is something most of us might wrestle with because it seems messed up and very harsh. But this is how serious sin is.

Moses is not the only one upset, God is extremely upset. God promises punishment down the road. It’s the ultimate, “just wait until your father gets home” moment. But then something interesting happens. God still promises an angel to lead them to the promised land.

And even as this is going on, Moses starts pleading with God to relent. Even as judgment is happening, Moses starts appealing to God to be merciful. And God says, “Moses, you and I are good, but I’m done with the rest of them.”

God Feels, God Grieves
In Exodus 33, God tells the people to get moving, but that He’s not going with them because He’s still angry. The people realize they were wrong and are contrite. This is like when you have a big fight with someone, you’ve really blown it, and you come back to them, but they’re still not ready to reconcile.

So, they get on the road again. And although God is not in their midst, He’s still around. As much as God is justified in leaving, judging, or even destroying, He can’t and won’t quit them. He’s never going to give them up.

Exodus 33
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 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 their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

His presence is hanging out in this tent. Far outside the camp, but still with them

This goes on for a while, but we see something we wouldn’t expect. Moses starts arguing with God. He actually reminds God of what’s true, and what God had already promised. They go back and forth, and then it seems God changes His mind.

Exodus 33
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 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 people on the face of the earth?”
17 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.”

God Shows Up
God shows up, not on the mountain, but in the valley. The place where it makes a difference is where God shows up. And He shows up most powerfully after our failure.
We see that you can appeal to and even argue with God by appealing to His character and promises. This is why it’s so important for us to know what God has promised to us.

Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God."

And because His nature, character, and faithfulness never change, as followers of Jesus, we can claim these promises too.

Sometimes we might not feel like God is there or that we don’t deserve for Him to be there.

And some of us can’t imagine a God who wants to be with His people, right in the center of everything in our lives and not just on the periphery. But He does because that’s who He’s always been and who He is.

How do we bring this into our lives?

Know God and set the intention to meet Him.

• Even when things seem tense.
• Even when you’ve fallen short.
• Even when God feels distant.
• Even when you don’t think God would want to be in the middle of whatever your life is.
• Even when things are good.

How do we do this?

Create a place and a space. The time doesn’t make the difference, the place doesn’t make the difference, but places and spaces create intention. Being in church on Sundays is intentional, but we can do some form of this daily. Some “tent” where we go to meet with God. We can get to know Him, His promises, His nature, and His faithfulness. We can appeal and even argue. Knowing that He made the relationship possible, and He is never going to give up on you.