Exodus 33:12-23 The LORD will give you rest!

Many woke up early full of excitement for the 4^th of July. Especially this year as the USA celebrated 250 years as a nation. Red, white and blue outfits, parades, candy, BBQ, pool parties, July heat, late nights watching fireworks, fighting traffic to get to and from all the events and no naps between may have described your 4^th of July. Throughout a day filled with celebration we often push past the warning signs that we need to take a break, and when the day has ended, little ones might be so tired that screams and tears characterize bedtime when trusting mom and dad tucking them in would give rest they need.

Adults too push on days of celebration cutting corners on rest to make every event. Our multiple calendars are filled with multiple events. We have phrases for these days and attitudes like FOMO, burning the candle at both ends and having too much of a good thing. Overextending ourselves is so common that I would venture it is safe to say that all of us have already had a conversation today about how we would love to have a moment to rest. Then, ironically when we do get a moment of rest, we still avoid rest because our minds are filled with thoughts about how useless we are and how we are not doing anything.

Moses’ mind would not rest as he considered what was ahead for himself and the Israelites. In our Old Testament reading from Exodus 33, we pick up with Moses after the infamous golden calf incident when the Israelites grew restless waiting from Moses to come down from Mount Sinai while talking with the LORD. The Israelites could not wait forty days while Moses spoke with the LORD and they turned to idolatry having forgotten all they had seen the LORD do for them in the ten plagues, parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock, manna and quail, and the LORD showing his presence with clouds and fire. After this incident, the LORD was going to send an angel with his people as they traveled to the promised land, but Moses pleaded for God to go with them. We hear the response in Exodus 33, 14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” This was a gracious, merciful, forgiving and patient answer, but Moses wanted further assurance the LORD would go with them. And again, we read in Exodus 33, 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Moses’ heart was restless knowing himself and the stubborn people he was leading. Trusting his future, his role and his day-to-day needs in the hands of God and trust there would be rest for him from God was a struggle.

We are so eager to work without rest from the LORD. The busy nature of our lives does not happen because there is so much to do. We make the many things available to us to do the reason we are so busy. We picture the potential benefits of pouring into a relationship, career or hobby, and what we might give up if we do not pour into them, but those people and things do not make us busy. Our attitude makes us busy. When our heart is not set on God, we get busy. When the attitude of our heart is not set on God, we could be humanely restrained on a hospital bed and spoon-fed pudding with enough crushed up melatonin to put an elephant to sleep, and that might work to slow down most of us, but even so it would eventually wear off. The kind of rest we need that starts in our heart and works its way into our attitude, words and actions comes from trust in God. When we do not trust God to handle our lives, we keep working. Avoiding rest becomes sinful even when we are doing good things. The conflict we have as Christians is recorded in our New Testament reading from Romans 7, 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. With these words, Paul expresses the frustration our sinful nature causes all of us. Our sinful lack of trust in God causes us to avoid rest for our hearts leading us to tirelessly do what we end up hating.

Rest comes from God. The kind of rest God offered Moses as he led the Israelites and to us is a pause in activity and relief. God gets his rest into our hearts through his Word. Our faith, hope and trust in God come from what he has done for us which is recorded in Scripture. Moses was given rest by God when God spoke to him. Moses wanted assurance from God and was so bold to ask in Exodus 33, 18 … “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” This side of heaven, no sinful human can stand in the presence of God, but God did the best thing for Moses and shared who he is with Moses. The LORD assured Moses that he is merciful and compassionate, and Moses’ need was met. And we know the LORD had shown mercy and compassion to Moses his whole life as he allowed him to be spared death as an infant from Pharoah’s order to kill all Hebrew male babies, spared from crocodiles floating in a basket on the Nile, found by a princess, nursed by his own mother, raised as a prince, spared from standing trial for murder, called to lead God’s people, mouthpiece of God for the ten plagues, parter of the Red Sea and the one who could go up Mount Sinai to speak with God. We have the same LORD as Moses who walked with us on this earth trusting his heavenly Father who worked, but was not too busy to spend time alone in Scripture, bringing rest to the world as we read in our Gospel reading from Matthew 11, 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus calls us to him with his words. His yoke is not one of burden like you would picture oxen wearing, but a strong link and bond to Jesus. Rest for our heart comes from Jesus who put the weight of the sin of the world on his shoulders and died in our place. His life’s work was to give us rest in the forgiveness of our sins, his righteousness and eternal life in heaven. Our hearts find rest in the presence of God, which is found in Scripture. The constant, repeated promises fulfilled of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life give us rest.

Our time is well spent when we read, hear, sing, pray and meditate on the Word of God on our own and together. Trust in God to be with him ought to have been easy for Moses considering all God had done for him. Thoughts like this fail to acknowledge the reason Moses repeatedly went to God with questions. His heart still had the sinful nature waring against his faith, so Moses needed to hear God speak to him often. Moses might think the same of us since we have the benefit of looking back at Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. Our hearts still have the sinful nature waring against our faith. Even when rest from God sounds so good, we avoid it. Our New Testament reading from Romans 7 captures our struggle, 21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Paul gives an honest spiritual x-ray of our hearts. As Christians, we are at war, wretched and restless as we move closer to death. No work that we do will bring us relief, which is the good news. Jesus delivers us. As miraculous as the deliverance the LORD worked for Israel was, the deliverance we have through Jesus is greater. Rest waits for all of us in the words of Scripture. As the promises of Scripture envelop us like a refreshing swim in the pool, feed our soul like good Texas BBQ, rap around us like a soft towel and like a fireworks display fills our eyes with wonder, and tears so much more does the miracle of God’s mercy and compassion fill us with wonder and tears in Jesus who rose victorious from the grave, we will have rest in the LORD.

Many woke up early full of excitement for the 4^th of July, especially this year as the USA celebrated 250 years as a nation. On a day filled with celebration we often push past the warning signs that we need to take a break. We have phrases for these days and attitudes like FOMO, burning the candle at both ends and having too much of a good thing. Moses wanted to make sure the LORD would continue to be with the nation of Israel, and the LORD assured Moses many times that he would go with him and give him rest. Jesus carried the burden to take away our sins and give us eternal life in heaven. Stop working without trust in God’s work for you, go to him in his Word, and the LORD will give you rest. Amen.

        

Gunnar Ledermann, Pastor Divine Peace Church