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This… is a long one. But oh so good.

We start by following Moses down the mountain (for the 6th time). And he has bad news: God is leaving.

They’ve been assigned to “an angel” (not “THE Angel of the Lord Who IS in fact Yahweh’s avatar).

“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You may recall from the Pharaoh’s Hard Heart episode… (gee, that sounds like an ancient Egyptian soap opera). 😆

[Y’all! I found out that someone in Brazil actually did that! Made a soap opera set around the 10 Commandments! 🤯🤯🤯]

Anyway, one of the words translated “hard” was qashah (to be dense, tough, severe, stiff). We compared it to old boot leather. Here, God says they are oreph qasheh– literally: neck-hard or neck-stiff.

Did you ever have a stiff neck? I remember the first time I had a “crick in the neck.” I was seven. And it was rather scary. I could barely turn my head and if I turned it too far, there was a horrible pain which scared me. I felt reasonably sure that if I tried to turn my head an inch farther, my neck would get stuck there and I’d die in agony. As long as I was still, and propped up in bed, it wasn’t too bad. And I got lots of attention. My grandparents visited and that helped. I kinda remember my grandpa helping me realize that my condition was common, temporary, and would not in fact lead to my death. I think I also got a new stuffed animal for my woes. Not bad really.

Ever wonder why stubbornness is connected to a stiff neck? Why not a stiff leg? Or an achy elbow? I think it has something to do with the inability to turn the head.

The head speaks of leadership. It’s where your brain is; what Pixar deftly referred to as “Headquarters” in the movie Inside Out. It’s where we reason and consider. It’s where our feelings originate. (I have a theory that the brain is the interface device between the software of the soul and the hardware of the body but that’s a conversation for another day.) The head is where your judgment sits. Where decisions are made. And if you can’t turn it, can’t change its position… Well….

I’ve met people that are not open to considering a different viewpoint. You have too. You may even live with one. (Heaven bless you.) No amount of reason will sway them. They cannot turn their heads. You may not even be asking them to agree. You’re just asking them to consider another point of view. No. Nope. I’m right. End of discussion. They are a pain in the neck. 😏

How can God lead a person who isn’t flexible? Who will not turn his head? Will not realign his judgement, opinions, feelings, and choices according to God’s far superior way? The answer is- He can’t. Or, as one of my Bible College professors put it:

“Not even God can steer a parked car.”

I suspect that pride is the root cause of stiff-neck-syndrome. Pride and insecurity- which I also suspect are two sides of the same coin.

And how does God deal with their stiff neck? He tells them to remove their ornaments.

🤔

Come again?

Yeah. Remove their ornaments. Weird huh?

“When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I wanted to know why removing accessories and haute couture was the solution to stubbornness. And boy did I hit pay dirt. 😁

The Hebrew word for “ornaments” is:

You can see that it is 3 letters in Hebrew: Ayin, Dalet, and Yod. ADY. Time for a little paleo…

As usual, you can visit FathersAlphabet.com and follow along for more details.

Ayin – pictograph of an eye 👁️, means sight, perception, knowledge, understanding.

Dalet– picture of a tent flap ⛺️, means door, entrance, gate. But also move/movement because that’s what makes a door a door and not a wall. And because a tent flap hangs down, Dalet also means hanging down and low, because you needed to stoop to enter.

Yod – paleo drawing of an extended hand and arm, 🫱🏽 means hand and the things hands do- make, do, work, help. But it also symbolizes authority and power.

Time for Paleo letter math:

Ornament = sight + move + hand

An ornament is: anything I make or use or do with my power to move the eyes (the sight) of others.

Read that over a few times and ponder.

Adiy (ad-ee) is: “look at me” and “made ya look.” Why do people wear bling? It’s not because they want to go unnoticed.

And for all the introverted wall-flowers out there, don’t you think for a second that this doesn’t apply to you. I’ve seen people use a severe and noticeable lack of physical ornamentation as a way to steer the attention of others towards themselves. I’ve known quiet people to be some of the most stubborn in the lot. Heck, I’ve BEEN that person. So I know what I’m talking about.

If it’s too uncomfortable to consider the possibility that you truly may be wrong, you might be stiffnecked.

If you need everyone to do things your way or you can’t have peace, you might be stiffnecked.

If you assume that since the people in your life aren’t complaining, then they must be fine with your behavior so there’s no need to ask them if there’s anything they’d like you to do differently, you might be stiffnecked.

If you chafe at the idea of following someone else’s rules, or submitting to someone else’s preferences, you might be stiffnecked.

Don’t shoot me. I’m just the messenger.

Maybe you should consider Adiyectomy.

Do you find it difficult to turn your head? Do you find it easier for people to conform to you than for you to bend to the preferences of others? Do you experience frustration when things don’t go your way?

Talk to your doctor. You may be a candidate for Adiyectomy Treatment. Adiyectomy involves the removal of the adiy and should not be undergone without consultation. Recovery times vary. Initial side effects may include feelings of sadness, disorientation, anxiety, fatigue, and general malaise. These side effects are common and usually clear up within a few weeks. Patients report greater mobility, flexibility, and more freedom than they’ve ever known.

“I’ve never been happier since I had Adiyectomy Treatment. I couldn’t understand why my family argued with me all the time. There was no peace in our home. I thought that if everyone just did things the right way- MY way- everything would be fine. Turns out I had stiff neck syndrome. Then my doctor told me about Adiyectomy. I wasn’t sure at first if Adiyectomy was right for me. I thought I’d never be able to hold my head up if I didn’t have eyes of admiration on my family and my accomplishments. I was wrong. I can hold my head up just fine now but it’s different. I don’t have to have everyone’s approval. I have nothing to prove. I can change my mind and even admit that I was wrong and it’s ok. I can bend down low again and even stay low. I’ve got my teachability back! I’m more flexible than ever. It’s great! Thanks Adiyectomy!” 👍🏻

Ask your doctor if Adiyectomy is right for you. Studies show that Adiyectomy is effective in 100% of patients. Failure to treat stiff neck syndrome will result in years of needless suffering and being known as a pain in the neck. Stiff neck syndrome is fatal. But it doesn’t have to be. Now there’s Adiyectomy.

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Take off your ornaments. Remove from the throne of your heart all the trappings that make people go, “Ooo look at them! They’re really successful.”

Remove the status symbols. Your status is: redeemed by Christ and member of God’s family. Luxury brand names can’t hold a candle to that.

Self-censor the self-promoting speeches, the fishing for affirmation, and jockeying for notice. You only need God’s approval in Christ.

Strip yourself of the insistence on being right. Communication isn’t a contest to win or a battle to fight. It’s about understanding others and being understood, not winning arguments and making points.

Take off all your finery of achievements and awards and donate it to Goodwill.

The Apostle Paul actually threw his in the garbage. After listing his degrees and pedigrees he said,

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So from the time they left Mount Sinai, the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.” Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If we would make it to our Promised Land, we will have to embrace humility and make her our friend and companion.

These former slaves had to learn that being free doesn’t mean living like our former masters- with all the finery and having people cow-tow to our demands. That is only another kind of slavery. True freedom means I am not in bondage to the demands of a taskmaster- be that taskmaster another man or my own baser desires.

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Well, I’ve spent this whole post on the first 6 verses. 😅 But I do need to at least bring up verses 12-23.

{This is a good spot for a break if you need it.}

It feels like Moses and God are just having a friendly chat over a cup of tea in the tent of meeting.

☕️🫖☕️

God consents to Moses’ request and agrees to go with them after all.

Have you ever asked your boss for something and he says yes so you figure it’s a good time to ask for something more?

Moses really really wants to know and understand their mysterious YHWH more fully. Keep in mind that Moses has talked with God at the burning bush. He has seen the Angel of Yahweh in the pillar of fire. He spent 40 days with God on Sinai. He knows Yahweh better than any other human alive on earth at that moment. But he knows there is so much more for him to understand. So he asks,

“Please show me your glory.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I want you to pay close attention to God’s reply:

“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Q: What did Moses ask to see?

A: God’s glory

Q: What did God say He would show Moses?

A: His goodness and His name

Q: Did God grant Moses’ request?

A: Yes.

Q: So what can we infer from God’s answer?

A: That God’s idea of His glory is His goodness and His name.

The Hebrew word for glory is kabowd. And it means “weight.” It is the weight of His splendor and honor and copious presence.

This is what God counts as kabowd:

But these aren’t disembodied, subjective ideas passing before Moses. This is a person.

Yahweh is beauty embodied. He is joy defined. He is wellbeing with a face. He is goodness. If you look up the word “good” in the Heavenly dictionary there’s a picture of Yahweh.

But His goodness is only part of His glory and it is inextricably linked to His Name. The thing Jacob asked for- God’s name- Moses is about to experience. But only with serious safety precautions.

“The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

John wants to make sure his readers are clear on this. Moses did interact with God to receive the Law, but he only saw the face of God’s avatar- The Angel of the Lord. Otherwise it would’ve killed him.

This moment where Moses gets to see God’s “hinder parts” is as close as a human could get to seeing God and surviving the experience. Moses didn’t see God’s back- as in the thing the chiropractor adjusts. God is Spirit. Spirit does not have a back made of flesh and bones. I think the terms “aftermath” or “afterglow” may be helpful.

Think about what we just read.

God is so beautiful, so radiantly joyful and so superlatively good, that if you beheld the full frontal presentation of His glory, your heart would stop.

Cardiac arrest.

Code blue.

Flat line.

You can’t handle how gloriously good God is.

We might doubt a lot of things. God’s goodness should never be one of them.

And in the next chapter we get the rest of the encounter with The Lord declaring His 34-word name.