Can you imagine what it would be like to talk directly with God? I imagine that would be an incredible experience, to be able to talk with Him, and to have Him directly respond. The amazing thing about it is this, we can! Prayer is us talking with God, and the number one way that God talks back with us is through the Bible. We are going to get a front row seat for one such conversation that God had with Moses in Exodus 24. Exodus 24:12-13 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.’ So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.”
With Israel at the base of Mt. Sinai, God is about to summon Moses up the mountain to speak with him, and to give him the Law. Moses is going to spend 40 days up on the mountain communing with God. Not only is God going to give the Law, He is also going to give instructions for how to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle would be the mobile sanctuary for Israel. In the center would be the holy of holies, which would contain the very presence of God. It was the evidence that God was with Israel.
God wrote down the Law for Israel, and the rest of what we know as the Bible for us, so that we could know Him. God didn’t want to leave it to chance for us to figure out how we could love Him and please Him. He didn’t leave us in the dark about what He expects of us, or what would happen in the future. Not only does God want us to know about Him, but He also wants us to teach others about Him. Moses here was training Joshua. Joshua was going to lead the nation of Israel once Moses was no longer there. What we see is the pattern that we as Christians are to follow. It is the pattern that Paul speaks us in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 when he writes, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” What Moses is doing, what Paul was doing, and what we are commanded to do is learn of God and pass on what we are learning to others. We were never to simply gain spiritual knowledge for the sake of gaining knowledge. What we learn about God is meant to draw us into a deeper, more personal walk with God and we are meant to pass it along to others. The primary place that we are to do this is in our homes. It is time for families to get back to reading Scripture and praying together. It is time for husbands to lead their wives, and dads to lead their families. God’s word was recorded for us, and for those who would come after us. Let’s pass it on!
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin