May 28, 2013

GOD ALMIGHTY: THE LION OR THE LAMB?

Exodus 34:11-35

Melissa McKee
Tuesday's Devo

May 28, 2013

Tuesday's Devo

May 28, 2013

Central Truth

Words that describe God: merciful, compassionate, and loving. But what about: just, full of wrath, and jealous? Do these describe our Almighty God? Scripture says yes! God is jealous for our hearts to be completely HIS. Will you submit to His commandments? Or will you continue a life with worldly idols?

Key Verse | Exodus 34:13–14

"But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim -- for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (Exodus 34:13-14)

Exodus 34:11-35

11 Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

17 You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

18 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male 1 34:19 Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. 23 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year.

25 You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

27 And the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 2 34:28 Hebrew the ten words

The Shining Face of Moses

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 3 34:29 Hebrew him 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Footnotes

[1] 34:19 Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[2] 34:28 Hebrew the ten words
[3] 34:29 Hebrew him

Dive Deeper | Exodus 34:11-35

When I think of words to describe the Almighty God, I think of words like merciful, compassionate, loving, kind, and perfecter of our faith. Characteristics that I often forget are just, mighty, transcendent, and jealous. We all too often picture God as the suffering lamb and forget that He is the omnipotent Lion.

As we already read in Exodus 20, "And God spoke all these words: . . . 'You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:3-4 NIV)

This theme from the Ten Commandments is reiterated again in Exodus 34:13-14, "But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim -- for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Our God is a jealous God, and He wants the desires of our hearts to be for HIM alone.

In this season of life, my idols are money, possessions, having a well mannered child, being the perfect homemaker, and having the best Bible study answers. I'm embarrassed to even admit these ugly idols, but it's the truth.

I have always struggled with legalism. I can walk into my community group and say with confidence that I have had a quiet time every day of the week and have even memorized a few verses on being a godly mother. The Lord and my loving community have recently revealed to me that God doesn't want to be a box checked off. The Lord desires my heart -- a heart willing to be transformed and molded into HIS image by HIS Word and Spirit.

Pray Jeremiah 17:5-8 with me: "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind . . . . Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water."

Discussion Questions

1. What character traits do you associate with God? (Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 27:1-5)

2. What areas of your life are idolatry?

3. Have you confessed these areas not only to God, but to fellow believers? (1 John 1:9)

4. 1 Corinthians 10:14 says, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." What practical steps can you take TODAY to flee from the idols in your life?