M.a. Imoukhuede, Surulere, Nigeria

It stems clear from Exodus 3:1,12 that the actual place where God met with

Moses for the first time was one of the peaks of Mount Horeb known as

Mount Sinai. Moses learned many lessons there in his experience with God.

At Sinai (Ex. 19:l-6) God established His covenant with Israel. He gave them laws to guide them so that they could enjoy the privileges of the

covenant as long as they obeyed them. Israel did not keep their promise for long. They soon fell into apostasy. Moses was very disappointed and he

broke the "two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18). These stones were given to Moses by God when He had finished communing with him on Mount Sinai.

The wonderful grace of God was fully shown to Israel as, in spite of their failure, He took steps to bring in the covenant. He began with His servant Moses. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest: And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to Me on the top of the mount" (Ex.

34:1-2).

God caused Moses to realize his guilt in very clear language. He had broken the stones. The laws of God, the instrument of judgement, were written thereon. But when the inexplicable grace of God pronounces the words "... and I will write ... the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest...", what else can we say than "mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85:10).

"Present thyself there to Me" must not be only a Lord's Day experience when we gather to keep the Lord's Remembrance. We must resort there often and see ourselves in the light of Calvary. Mount Sinai was not only the place of revelation to Moses in relation to the past, it was the place of revelation of God in relation to the present and future.

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin: and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation (Ex. 34:6-7).

As far as the present and future are concerned; God reveals Himself so that we can respond accordingly. It is interesting that, consistent with instances when God revealed Himself to other people, Moses worshipped God. "And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped" (Ex. 34:8).

There was no doubt that Moses was a different person after the encounter with God at Mount Sinai on this occasion. It was a place of renewal. As the covenant was renewed, Moses was reassured to face the future based on this revelation and. the promises of God.

The basis of acceptable worship is the fact that the past has been dealt with. The quality of our worship is enhanced by how often we resort to Calvary and how long we spend there.

unknown | Sept 1991
Present Thyself There To Me