Batesville Presbyterian Church
121 Eureka Street, Batesville, MS 38606; Phone (662) 563-3001
PC(USA) Founded 1841
Mysterious Ways
Dr. Jon Burnham delivered this sermon on October 16, 2005
We've been traveling through the wilderness with Moses and the Hebrew people these last weeks. We've listened in on Moses' and GOD's "heart to heart" talk up on Mount Sinai. As part of their talk, GOD gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Suddenly GOD tells Moses to go back down to the Israelite camp on the double. The Israelites had done a horrible thing. They had forsaken God and Moses and fallen down in worship before a golden calf they had molten out of earrings and necklaces.
GOD said to Moses, "I look at this people--oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."
Moses tries to calm GOD down. Moses basically tells GOD, "You can't kill them off! You can't break the covenant you made with them. You are not that kind of God."
And GOD did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people. (Exod. 32:10-14) Moses and GOD had an intimate relationship. They often engaged in back and forth conversations. Moses listened to the Lord GOD. The Lord GOD listened to Moses. Theirs was a close relationship based on mutual respect.
This morning we're going to listen in on another fascinating conversation between GOD and Moses. Moses starts by saying to GOD, "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, "I know you well and you are special to me. If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility." Moses suggests to GOD that God is being coy. GOD is being vague. GOD is not being frank enough or revealing enough. Moses wants the road map to the future. Moses thinks he deserves to see the road map because, after all, he is the leader of God's people.
GOD says, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." God is saying, "You don't need to see the road map. Trust me. I'm a good driver. I won't get lost. I'll see the journey to the end."
Moses responds, "If your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you're with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?" Moses seeks reassurance from God. A little hand holding. Maybe a hug. Are you traveling with us or not? This is a strange question since God has just told Moses that GOD will go with him and see the journey to the end. It sounds like Moses wants to pin GOD down. Let God put it down in writing. And no fine print at the bottom.
GOD says to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name." God says I'll say it however you want me to say it. We have a tight bond between us. I know you intimately and we have a special connection."
But that's not enough for Moses. Moses wants more from GOD. Moses says, "Please. Let me see your Glory." Moses wants to see the glory. Moses wants to see GOD's blazing brilliance shining like the sun. Moses wants to be dazzled by God. We may think GOD would deny such a request. After all, who is Moses, a mere mortal, to request a personal demonstration of God's glory.
But let's not be too hard on Moses here. After all, is that not what we want too? Are we not like Moses in this regard? We want to see GOD's glory! We want GOD to demonstrate some interest on our behalf. We'd like for GOD to go out on a limb for us sometimes. Especially when life crashes down on us like a ton of bricks. When a hurricane hits and all is lost. When test results come in and the cancer is malignant. LORD GOD, show us your glory please! We need to see your glory because our faith is weak. We need to see your glory because we are creatures with eyes. Seeing is believing. How are we to believe what we cannot see?
GOD knows how we are. After all, God created us. God knows us by name. So God responds to our desire to see GOD's glory. GOD says to Moses, "I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out the name, GOD, right before you. I'll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I'll be kind to whomever I want to be kind." God seems to be saying, "I don't you owe you anything, Moses. I don't owe anyone anything. I don't have to do this. I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you. But if it means that much to you, OK, Moses, OK, church, I'll make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out my name so You'll know it's me!"
GOD continued, "But you may not see my face. No one sees my face and lives." There GOD goes again, setting limits. I'll go this far with you, Moses, church, but I won't go an inch further. GOD demands God's space. There is a certain mystery that God will not reveal.
GOD gets very specific about this. GOD says, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."
You won't see my face. Note the mystery that GOD maintains. GOD doesn't want to be obvious. GOD doesn't want to be apparent. A good wholesome relationship with GOD does not depend upon, or require that kind of God.
That may be the huge difference between GOD and idols. Like the golden calf. We think the more we can see, touch, feel GOD, the better. But GOD thinks not. GOD's design for a divine-human relationship is grounded in mystery. Seeing God from behind, not by face. But why? Because that forces us to trust? To cast our lots with the One who requires faith instead of proof?
That is how our Christian faith works. It is easy not to pay the pledge we made the church. Good grief, we think, I could buy a plasma TV for the amount I owe on my pledge. And I can sit down and see a plasma TV every night and day. There it is. I paid for it. And don't it look good? And I'm supposed to forgo the plasma TV to pay my pledge to the church? For what? To somehow acknowledge a GOD I can't even see? How do I know the LORD GOD even notices what I do? How I spend my money? What I do with my time? Here is a test of our Christian faith. Do we buy the Plasma TV or do we pay our pledge to the church?
Whether we pay the pledge or not one thing is for certain. We won't see GOD's face. Because we don't need to. The Lord GOD has already given us enough of God's self. Traveling with us through the wilderness to the Promised Land. And above all, coming to us in Jesus Christ, GOD's full revelation. Each Sunday in worship we proclaim our faith. We're saying God has done enough. We have learned trust. We share in the mystery. Remember the old gospel song?
When darkness veils GOD's lovely face,
I rest on GOD's unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
GOD wants us to learn to trust. To cast our lots with One who requires faith instead of proof. GOD sets intentional limits on what we can see and what we can know about GOD. GOD will cater to our desires but only so far and no further. Then it's back on us. How will we respond to GOD's mysterious ways? How will we react to the hidden face of GOD? GOD chooses to withhold the divine mystery. For GOD moves in mysterious ways.
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