If God be not for us
Rom.8:31,’ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? .’
Mankind has always been in search of truth or the true way to salvation. This verse answers all those questions which have challenged the salvation of mankind . This cancels all those doubts that makes us think that God and man can never be united. This presents the presence of God dwelling within man in complete unity and peace. When we say, ‘if God is for us, who can be against us?’, we also mean to say that it does not matter who is with us and who is not with us. As long as God is with us and for us, we are in safe realm, even if the whole world is against us. When we look at the other side of the coin, if God is not with us and if He is not for us, even if the whole world seems to be with us, we are in unsafe realm. But what we need to ponder is, ‘ is God really on our side?’ & and ‘what if not ?’
The scriptures have recorded Moses as the meekest man on the earth. He loved God and His presence. He lead a huge congregation for 40 years but none of them , except two souls could support him faithfully all throughout this journey of wilderness. Moses was often bombarded with accusations, blames and murmurings of Israelites. But nothing touched his love for God and for the congregation. God’s presence was always his strength. The question ‘If God is for us, who can be against us ?’ was rightly applicable in the life of Moses.
In Ex.24:12, God called Moses up onto the mount of Sinai to give him tables of stones with commandments written on it. Moses went up the mount and was in God’s presence for 40 days and 40 nights. God communed with him all these days. Ex.31:18, ‘And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.’ Meanwhile the Israelites who were down at the foot of mount Sinai, got restless and instigated Aaron to make an idol for them to worship. The wrath of God burnt up(Ex.32:10). When Moses saw it, his anger also waxed hot and he cast the stone tables out of his hands and broke them beneath the mountain (Ex. 32:19). The Lord plagued the people and 3000 men were killed through the hands of Levites who stood with Moses. Even after this, the Lord refused to go into the midst of Israelites for His anger was still burning against them for making and worshipping an idol. Moses interceded for the Israelites deeply and pleaded for the Lord’s presence to be restored, asking for forgiveness of the people.
All this while, Moses would have thought that he had not done anything wrong on his part. All he might have seen might have been the idolatory of Israelites. Finally, the Lord agreed to answer the prayers of Moses. He agreed to restore His presence back to His people. For that, the first thing he asked Moses was to cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Ex.34:1, ‘And the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.’
The Lord convicted Moses of breaking the stone tablets. We all know very well what exactly had made him do it. His zeal for the Lord’s holiness had made him do that. His hatred for the idol worship had made him do that. But none of these reasons could hide Moses from conviction of his sin. Before the holy one of Israel, Moses was silent. He had no words to justify his act. He could not blame the circumstance nor the congregation. He realized that the Lord was not for him that moment, for he was convicted of sin. As long as we have sins in our records that convicts us, let’s be reminded that the Lord is not for us. The Lord was talking to Moses and vice versa all this while, but that was not an assurance that God was for him. The Lord answered his prayers, yet it was not an assurance of God’s favor on him. We are bare and naked before Him. None of our justifications can ever hide us from our convictions. Let’s fear His holiness and choose to see ourselves through His eyes alone.
Ex.34:2-3, ‘So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. 3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”’ The Lord asked Moses to be ready by morning. He had a night to make the stone tablets, just like the ones which he had broken. Even when we are ignorant of our sins, the Lord is faithful to reveal it to them so that we repent and we are restored to His presence. Dear friends, today is the night time of this world. This is a time for restoration, a time to make up all that we broke. Let’s awake from spiritual sleep . The morning of the glorious coming of the Lord is too near.
The Lord asked Moses to come up to the mount, leaving behind every one else. We cannot experience His presence in fullness if we do not leave behind our cares, burdens and anxieties before entering into the prayer room. The Lord gave Moses a second chance. Every day of life is like a 2nd chance to rebuild, repair and to restore all that we broke and lost during our past days. Moses humbled himself before the Lord. He silently obeyed the Lord in completeness. And the glory which was revealed to him was a greater glory, greater than what he had seen when he had gone up the mount Sinai the previous time. The Lord is ready to give us all a 2nd chance. Let’s not loose it.
Ex.34:9, ‘Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked[a] people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”’ In v 10, God renewed the covenant with Moses and Israelites. He answered Moses prayers. The Lord agreed to go among the congregation of Israelites. He pardoned their sins and took them as His inheritance. Finally, Moses could again say, ‘If God is for us, who can be against us’. The Lord promised to fight for them and drive out their enemies from before them. Ex.34:11, ‘Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.’ His presence dwelling within us continuously is the only assurance of our Lord being for us. If so, no weapon of the enemy formed against us shall ever prosper.
Had Moses gone ahead with the journey, thinking that the whole congregation was with him, he and the people would have been swallowed up alive by Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites etc. in their midway. Moses knew that only His presence would make them victorious. Hence, he took all the pain to restore and repair all that he had broken. If we comprehend deeply the importance of His presence in our lives, we will be willing to pay the price essential for the same.
Is the Lord for us ? Let’s ask God to open our inner eyes to see the hidden sins that might be standing against our complete peace with God. Only those who are washed with the blood of the lamb of God can stand before the glorious Lord. Have we broken any divine gift or commitment made before Him ? If so, let’s humble ourselves to make them again with a committed heart. Let’s no more seek reasons to justify our failures, for none of them can clothe our nakedness before God. But if we confess and repent with a sincere heart, the Lord is faithful to restore His presence in our lives. And this continuing presence of the Lord alone can carry us to our eternal abode with Christ.
God bless us all
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