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TL;DR:
This devotional article challenges the idea of obeying God merely out of duty, fear of consequences, or concern about “getting caught.” Jesus taught that love is the greatest motivator for obeying God’s commands. Moses’ interaction with God in Exodus 33 demonstrates that genuine obedience flows from a relationship founded on trust, intimacy, and dependence on God’s presence. The reflection questions invite readers to examine whether their own faithfulness comes from love or obligation.
12 Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people."
14 The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"
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."
18 Then Moses said, "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."
21 Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
What should you do when one of your Sunday school students steals your wife's watch?
Should you call the police? Should you begin a series of lessons on the Ten Commandments, beginning with number eight (the one about stealing)? Should at least one Sunday be spent on the Last Judgment with plenty of talk about fire and brimstone?
We were puzzled as to what to do. We were certain, however, that one of our ninth-grade class members had taken Barbara's watch on a particular Sunday morning.
Most of the class members came from non-Christian homes. They were a racially diverse group of young people whose names had appeared only a few months earlier on a list of prospective students for our church's ninth-grade department.
Barbara and I had spent a lot of time visiting and developing friendships with these young teens, winning their trust. Our classroom in that Kansas City church wasn't much. In fact, we shared a large, windowless storage room with Christmas decorations and janitorial supplies. But in spite of that, our group of teenagers was growing both numerically and spiritually.
Then, one Sunday morning not long before Christmas, Barbara's watch was missing after class. We felt certain that someone in the class had stolen it.
Throughout that week, I asked the Holy Spirit for guidance. I didn't want to merely be "the long arm of the law" meting out justice. I wanted God's presence to be felt.
The next Sunday, I used the opening few minutes of class time to talk about Barbara and her missing watch. I told those young people that it wasn't just the dollar value we were concerned about. We could purchase another watch, but it could never replace the sentimental value of the one that had been stolen.
The following Sunday came and went, and we resigned ourselves to the likelihood that the watch had already been sold. Then, on the second Sunday after my brief appeal, one of the fellows shyly handed me a small package wrapped in aluminum foil. A ribbon was clumsily tied around it.
“Merry Christmas,” he said softly.
Inside the aluminum foil was the watch. Although Barbara and I were the teachers, we were the ones learning an important lesson that day. We learned that love could accomplish what fear of getting caught or a sense of legal obligation could not. In passages such as Exodus 33, we discover that a respectful and loving relationship—not merely a sense of legal responsibility—is the proper basis for healthy relationships with God and other people.
A few years ago, a Christian college administrator whom I knew well was confronted about his adultery. His arrogant response was: “A lot of other people are doing it too. I happen to be the one who got caught.”
What a tragic disregard of Jesus' words about the greatest commandments in Mark 12.
Legal obligation alone has limited power to keep someone “in line.” When Jesus said, “There is no commandment greater than these,”1 He meant that obedience to God's laws must spring from love. We must be as conscious of our need for God's loving, sustaining presence as Moses was. The conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 33:12–23 reveals the respectful, caring relationship between them.
What is your motivation for “staying in line” as a Christian? Do you refrain from stealing or from being unfaithful to your spouse simply because you are afraid of getting caught? Or does your faithfulness to your marriage vows grow out of your deep love and respect for your spouse and your Creator—and your recognition that you need His presence in your life?
Why do you keep the rest of the Ten Commandments? Is it merely because you fear hell or being caught, or because you feel obligated?
Aren't those motives rather poor substitutes for what Jesus said was the greatest motivator of all: love?
1 Mark 12:31, New International Version
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
I wrote this devotional blog post while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals written for The Standard, a weekly take-home publication for adult Sunday school classes in the Church of the Nazarene's Faith Connections curriculum.
Exodus 33:12–23 records a powerful conversation between Moses and God. Here are seven additional lessons we can draw from the passage:
In short, Exodus 33:12–23 offers valuable insights into the nature of God, the value of intimacy and trust in our relationship with Him, and the importance of seeking His guidance and presence in our lives.
M - Moving with us through every wilderness path,
Y - Yesterday, today, and forever the same.
P - Present in the guiding cloud and fire,
R - Reassuring our hearts with His steady nearness.
E - Every step shaped by His faithful compassion,
S - Surrounding us with unshakable peace.
E - Even in uncertainty, He is our certainty.
N - None can lead like the One who knows our name.
C - Carrying His people with tenderness and power,
E - Ever-present, He goes before us and gives us rest.
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
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