Exodus 33_18-23      God Is Shy

Rev. David Holwick  A

First Baptist Church                    

Ledgewood, New Jersey                              

January 7, 2001

Exodus 33:18-23


GOD IS SHY



  I. Shyness is a common human trait.

      A. You probably consider yourself to be shy.


      B. Some are more shy than others:


            George Lyon of Scotland was 68 when he finally proposed

               to Catherine MacDonald, age 60.

            They had been dating 44 years.

            When asked why George waited so long, Catherine replied,

               "He is a bit shy, you know."

                                                                    #2248


II. God is shy.

      A. Not bashful, but shy to intervene.

          1) He exercises incredible self-restraint.

              a) God of the Bible is more reticent than other religions.

              b) Few scenes of linkage between seen and unseen worlds.

          2) Miracles & visions are tucked into long periods of silence.

              a) Intervention may come after many prayers, many

                    centuries.

              b) God is not impetuous, but shy to act.


      B. He overcomes his shyness when evil or suffering overflows.

          1) Sometimes he intervenes with a personal appearance.

          2) Sometimes he intervenes through natural phenomena.

          3) Most often he taps a person to convey words on his behalf.


      C. A unique appearance of God.                        Exodus 33

          1) Moses had just brought down the Ten Commandments only to

                find the people carousing before a golden calf.

              a) He had to plead with God not to destroy them.

          2) He wanted to know where he himself stood with God.

              a) Teach me your ways.                       33:13

              b) I want your presence to go with us.       33:15

              c) I want to see your glory.                 33:18

          3) The theophany.

              a) The goodness of God passes before Moses.

                  1> His essential character traits are proclaimed.

              b) There is a limitation - he cannot see God's face.

                  1> Apparently this is always fatal.

                  2> Instead, Moses is hidden (in cave?) by God's

                        "hand" and is only allowed to see his "back."

              c) Anthropomorphisms of hand and back.

                  1> Some think this is indication of primitive religion,

                        where God is just another guy.

                  2> Instead, it is the description of reality of God

                        in terms people can understand.

                  3> Since God is Spirit and has no form, the word "back"

                        could just as well be translated "the

                           after-effects" of his radiant glory, which had

                              just passed by.

          4) Even Moses, who spoke to God "face to face," could only

                catch a glimpse of the glory.


III. Why is God shy?

      A. The problem of an invisible God appearing visibly.

          1) We lack sensors to see supernatural.

          2) We are limited.  God can see everything, of all time.


      B. When God manifests himself he must accept limitations.

          1) Limits of time and space.

          2) Burning bush had to be in a particular place.

          3) The cleft in the rock was also (same place, even?)


IV. God hides.

      A. God hides; the earth can seem empty of him.         Isaiah 45:15

           "Truly you are a God who hides himself..."

          1) "Hide and seek" between parent and child, as a metaphor.

          2) Perhaps God plays hard to get for the sake of discovery.

              a) He places a premium on faith, which can only be

                    exercised in circumstances that allow for doubt.

              b) The direct presence of God would overwhelm our freedom.


      B. God is camouflaged, but he is in the world.

          1) He is hidden in grace, goodness, love, nature, music.

          2) God is here, but we are not aware of it.           Gen 28:16

              "When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 'Surely

                 the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.'"


  V. God is gentle.

      A. We can hurt God.

          1) Contrast with demon possession, where human is hurt.

          2) God puts himself at our mercy.

          3) We can grieve his Spirit, quench it.


      B. Jesus showed this gentleness.

          1) In dealing with people he states consequences of a choice,

                then hands decision back to other party.

              a) Examples of woman at well, adulterous woman.

          2) The heavenly Father "errs" on the side of human freedom.


      C. Why?

          1) Coercion doesn't work well in remaking people.

          2) You have to work from the inside out.


VI. God's presence varies.

      A. Job.

          1) God goes from being a "faint whisper" to a roaring lion.

          2) Same person experiences God's presence and absence.


      B. Varieties of Old Testament experience.

          1) Solomon saw God descend spectacularly on Temple.

          2) He withdrew in Hezekiah's day.

          3) Jonah was pursued like a bloodhound.


VII. We cannot control God, but we can meet him.

      A. What we can do:

          1) Confess our sins.

          2) Purify our life.

          3) Wait, seek solitude and silence.

          4) Meditate on the life and character of Jesus.

              a) When we look at him, we see the Father.


      B. What we shouldn't do.

          1) Avoid anything that leads us off the beaten track.

          2) Concentrate on worldly things.


      C. God desires to reveal himself to us.

          1) We must have receptive hearts.

          2) Our imperfect image of him will one day be crystal clear.



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Adapted from "God is Shy," by Philip Yancey, in Discipleship Journal

#119, Sept-Oct 2000.


SOURCE FOR ILLUSTRATION USED IN THIS SERMON:


#2248   "Visioning Or Vanishing?" by Rev. Eric S. Ritz, Dynamic

           Preaching, Seven Worlds Publishing; February 1992.


This and 16,500 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,

absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html

=======================================================================



Philip Yancey, "Through a Glass, Darkly," Discipleship Journal #119,

   Sept-Oct 2000, page 45.


  I. God is shy.

      A. Not bashful, but shy to intervene.

          1) He exercises incredible self-restraint.

      B. He overcomes his shyness when evil or suffering escalates

            to point of crisis.

          1) Sometimes he intervenes with a personal appearance.

          2) Sometimes he intervenes through natural phenomena.

          3) Most often he taps a person to convey words on his behalf.

      C. The God of the Bible is more reticent than other religions.

          1) Few scenes of linkage between seen and unseen worlds.

          2) Miracles & visions are tucked into long periods of silence.

              a) Intervention may come after many prayers, many

                    centuries.

              b) God is not impetuous, but shy to act.

      D. Why is God shy?

          1) The problem of an invisible God appearing visibly.

              a) We lack sensors to see supernatural.

              b) God sees everything, for all time.

          2) When God manifests himself he must accept limitations.

              a) Limits of time and space.

              b) Burning bush had to be in a particular place.

II. God hides.

      A. God hides; the earth can seem empty of him.    Isaiah 45:15

          1) "Hide and seek" metaphor.

          2) Perhaps God plays hard to get for the sake of discovery.

              a) He places a premium on faith, which can only be

                    exercised in circumstances that allow for doubt.

              b) The direct presence of God would overwhelm our freedom.

      B. God is camouflaged, but in the world.

          1) He is hidden in grace, goodness, nature, music.

          2) God is here, but we are not aware of it.      Gen 28:16

III. God is gentle.

      A. Best shown by contrast of destructiveness of demon possession.

          1) God puts himself at our mercy.

          2) We can grieve his Spirit, quench it.

          3) "Don't hurt me."

      B. Jesus showed this gentleness.

          1) In dealing with people he states consequences of a choice,

                then hands decision back to other party.

          2) The heavenly Father "errs" on the side of human freedom.

      C. Why?

          1) God recognizes WE are the ones on the journey.

          2) The journey is the goal, and it shapes us more like Christ.

          3) Coercion doesn't work well in remaking people.

              a) You have to work from the inside out.

IV. God's presence varies.

      A. Job.

          1) God goes from being a "faint whisper" to a roaring lion.

          2) Same person experiences God's presence and absence.

      B. Varieties of Old Testament experience.

          1) Solomon saw God descend spectacularly on Temple.

          2) He withdrew in Hezekiah's day.

          3) Jonah was pursued like a bloodhound.

      C. Julian of Norwich.

          1) Her spiritual moods seesawed.

          2) There are no absolutes about God's presence and absence.

              a) He does what pleases him.                  Psalm 135:6

              b) He is free to reveal or conceal himself.

              c) Our freedom derives from his.

      D. We cannot control God, but we can meet him.

          1) What we can do:

              a) Confess sins.

              b) Purify life.

              c) Wait, seek solitude and silence.

          2) What we shouldn't do.

              a) Avoid anything that leads us off the beaten track.

              b) Concentrate on worldly things.

__________________________________________________________________________


Expositor's Commentary, Exodus 33


  I. God's presence is what made Israel unique among nations.

      A. Moses also requests to see God's glory (his entire character).

          1) His goodness seems to be equivalent to his glory.

      B. The name of God is also proclaimed.

          1) Includes his nature, character, person, doctrine and

                standards of living.

          2) In this context his name includes his mercy (or grace) and

                compassion (womb or bowels, = deep-seated feelings).

          3) Romans 9:15 applies verse to sovereignty of God.

II. Hid in cleft of rock.

      A. Perhaps Elijah hid in same cave.        1 Kg 19:11

III. Seeing God.

      A. Not allowed to see God's face.

          1) Causes death.  Ex 33:22; John 1:18; 6:46; 1Ti 1:17; 1Jn 4:12


__________________________________________________________________________


Brevard Childs


"The name of God, which like his glory and his face are vehicles of his

essential nature, is defined in terms of his compassionate acts of

mercy."


__________________________________________________________________________


Maxie Dunham


At the burning bush Moses had asked essentially the same question, but

now he was asking for far more.  He wants not just the name but the

glory.


Face cannot be seen - there are limitations to revelation.  God is not

limited, but we are.  No one, not even Moses, could know all about God.

Even though He has revealed Himself fully in Jesus Christ, there is the

sense in which He remains "hidden."


What Moses sees is not nearly as important as what he hears.  The Lord

God is merciful and gracious.


__________________________________________________________________________


HOLWICK'S ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION        Number: 178

TOPICS: Marriage, Shyness, Sex

TEXT: 1 Cor 7:5

SOURCE: Weekly World News

DATE: 880607


ILLUSTRATION:

Shy Japanese couple, Sachi and Tomio Hidaka, waited 14 years to

consummate marriage, had heart attacks in doing it.  They could barely

make eye contact when fully clothed.  Much in love, but more in regard to

spirituality and mutual respect.  She wrote in diary, "Tomio and I are

very much afraid but it's now or never.  Tonight is the night."

(Chiba, Japan)


Paul admonishes, "Do not abstain except for spiritual reasons and for a

short time."  (1 Cor 7:5).


                                                                    #178


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HOLWICK'S ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION        Number: 2248

TOPICS: Shy, Hesitate, Proposal, Dating, Romance, Indecision, Commitment,

Delay, Procrastinate

TEXT: Isa 62:5, Jer 2:2, John 3:29, 2 Cor 1:17-20, Rev 19:7

SOURCE: Dynamic Preaching Disk, Winter 1992 "A"

TITLE: Visioning Or Vanishing?

AUTHOR: Reverend Eric S. Ritz

DATE: 1192


ILLUSTRATION:

George Lyon of Scotland was 68 when he finally proposed to Catherine

MacDonald, age 60.  They had been dating 44 years.  When asked why George

waited so long, Catherine replied, "He is a bit shy, you know."


                                                                    #2248


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