The Curse of God's Blessing

"Go up to the land flowing with milk & honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff necked people & I might destroy you on the way."

Exodus 33:3

If we had to choose between God's presence or God's blessing, which would we choose?

Sound simply hypothetical?

It wasn't for God's people in Exodus. God has just brought them out of Egypt. Out of 400 years of slavery. And he did it in amazing fashion: ten plagues that exalted God & revealed his power over the gods of Egypt, parting of the Red Sea & the people walking on dry land as Pharaoh's army is drowned, a pillar of fire by night & a cloud by day to guide the people, & provision of food for them as they travel. And we could go on & on! This is a lifetime of miracles that God has accomplished in a matter of days & weeks. In addition to these things, God has given his people his law & his presence to dwell with them in the form of the tabernacle.

But this wasn't enough for the people. They rebelled against God by making images to worship while Moses was on the mountain with God.

And God tells them that because of their sin he will give them what he promised their forefathers, namely the promised land, but he will not be going with them. He offers them his blessing but he cannot give them himself. He gives them physical inheritance, wealth, provision, status, & protection but he cannot go with them.

I'm afraid that today's church & today's Christians would take this exchange & not only would take it but are actually actively seeking it. Most of us have interest in God simply for what God can give us & not for God himself.

If given the choice between the two, we would take God's blessing of provision, protection, status, wealth, & inheritance over God himself. Just look at our lives. What are we pursuing? What are we seeking? What is the basis of our relationship to God?

Is it him or his stuff? Is it him or what we get from him?

But Moses could not live with God's blessing apart from God. He understood that God's blessing without God is no blessing at all! In fact, if God gave us all his blessings but none of himself it would be a curse.

He tells God, forget your blessings, we want you! If you don't go, we don't go. We would rather dwell in the desert with you than in the promised land without you.

Is this our heart today? What do our lives say? Do we want him or his stuff?