Exodus 33:14 - God's Presence And Rest.
Exodus 33:14 (NIV) The LORD replied, My
Presence will go with you, and I will give you
rest.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Accepted and Loved
When Im hanging out with my grandkids,
they always want me to watch them do whatever it
is theyre doing. They might be riding a
skateboard or doing a cartwheel or some other thing,
and they say, Papa, watch me! So Ill
watch them, and afterward, Ill give my
approval.
You did that beautifully! That was
great!
They want to me to affirm them. They want
to know that I love and appreciate them. But
really, are we any different in our relationship
with God? In a sense, we all say, Lord, watch
me!
When Moses asked God for direction, God
gave him this promise: My Presence will go
with you, and I will give you rest (Exodus
33:14 NKJV). In the original Hebrew, the language
is vivid. We could translate it this way: My
face will go with you.
God was saying, Dont worry, Moses.
Ill go with you. You have My full attention.
Arent you glad, by the way, that God
doesnt have a cell phone? We all know what its
like to have a conversation with someone whos
busy scrolling through things on their phone. God
isnt that way with us, thankfully. We have His
full attention.
Hes watching us, but Hes watching
with great love and affection. Psalm 84:11 tells
us, For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the
Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing
will He withhold from those who walk uprightly
(NKJV).
God is for us, and God approves of us.
Now, if were living apart from Him in
sin, that isnt true. But if we have asked Him
to forgive us of our sin, then the Bible says
that He made us accepted in the Beloved
(Ephesians 1:6 NKJV).
God accepts us and loves us. We dont
have to earn that. It already has been done for
us, bought by Jesus Christ on the cross. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
The yoke is placed upon the oxen to aid
them in drawing the load, to lighten the burden.
So with the yoke of Christ. When our will is
swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts
to bless others, we shall find life's burden
light. He who walks in the way of God's
commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in
His love the heart is at rest. When Moses
prayed, "Show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee,"
the Lord answered him, "My presence shall go
with thee, and I will give thee rest." And
through the prophets the message was given, "Thus
saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and
ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for
your souls." Ex. 33:13, 14; Jer. 6:16. And He
says, "O that thou hadst hearkened to My
commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy
righteousness as the waves of the sea." Isa. 48:18.
Those who take Christ at His word, and
surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to
His ordering, will find peace and quietude.
Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus
makes them glad by His presence. In perfect
acquiescence there is perfect rest. The Lord says, "Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isa.
26:3. Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we
commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will
bring out the pattern of life and character that
will be to His own glory. And that character
which expresses the glory - character - of Christ
will be received into the Paradise of God. A
renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they
are worthy.
As through Jesus we enter into rest,
heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation,
Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the
life eternal. Heaven is a ceaseless approaching
to God through Christ. The longer we are in the
heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory
will be opened to us; and the more we know of
God, the more intense will be our happiness. As
we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be
filled with His love, satisfied with His presence.
All that human nature can bear, we may receive
here. But what is this compared with the
hereafter? There "are they before the throne of God,
and serve Him day and night in His temple: and
He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more; neither shall the sun light on them,
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev.
7:15-17. {DA 331}
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
My presence will go with you, and I will
give you rest. Wherever you are, wherever you go,
I am with you! This is an astonishing
statement, yet it is true. My unseen Presence is more
real than the flesh-and-blood people around you.
But you must "see" Me with the eyes of your
heart and communicate with Me through prayer,
trusting that I really do hear and care.
I assure you that your prayers make a
difference, though not always in ways you can see or in
the time frame you desire. I factor the prayers
of believers into My sovereign governing of
your world - in ways far too complex for finite
minds to grasp. Remember: As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are My ways and thoughts
higher than yours.
Since My methods of working in the world
are often mysterious, it's important to take
time to be still and know that I am God. Sit
quietly in My Presence, breathing in My Peace, and I
will give you rest. (Exo. 33:14; Isa. 55:8, 9;
Psa. 46:10; 29:11) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Matthew 28:20b - Christ Our Constant
Companion!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220120-0931.html
Hebrews 13:5 - You Can Be Content For God Is
Always With You.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220204-1026.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
