Balance in Fellowship

“Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.” (Ex 24:9-11 AV)

At first glance, the underlined portion seems odd.  Why would it be necessary to include this small detail?  What significance is it that we know the elders, Moses, and the priests sat down to eat and drink?  The writers are all over the place on this.  It seems as though their guess is as good as anyone’s.  What we do know is God does not waste words.  If these words are in His word, then they do have significance.  We must consider these words are in the context of God’s and not being on or against those who ate and drank.  Why does this matter, or what are we missing?  Moses was told to forbid Israel from ascending the mountain for curiosity’s sake.  They were to remain at the foot of the mountain as Moses and those mentioned ascended.  The restriction was even more stringent as they ascended toward the top.  Only Moses was allowed to go to the very top where the law was given.  The threat of death was very real.  One commentator mentioned the custom of sharing a meal during a time of covenant-making.  But I think the more practical way of looking at this is communing with God should be seen as a normal and rudimentary activity for man.  Worship does not always have to entail a production.  Fellowship with God should be the normal course of life and not restricted to a scheduled event with much activity.

No one is suggesting we forego reverence and fear when communing with God.  He deserves our deepest and most humble respect.  He is the Almighty!  He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  By Him, and only Him, we exist.  God is perfectly holy and demands all those whom He has created to be so as well.  We cannot even think of approaching His presence on any merit of our own.  We deserve His unrestrained wrath for all of eternity.  If it wasn’t for the blood of Christ, we would have no privilege to meet with God at all.  For any reason!  The smoke, thunder, lightning, and earthquake that occurred when God descended upon the mountain were real and dramatic.  It scared everyone.  If I was one of the 70, I don’t know how motivated I would be to ascend that mountain.  I would have been terrified and like the rest of Israel sent someone else in my place.  I would have seen the top of that mountain, felt the earth shake, and gone straight to my tent; staying there until I had to come out.  But this is the point.  Despite all the glory of God to which the 70 were exposed, they ate and drank in the presence of Almighty God.

If we are erring too much today in one direction, I think God has become to familiar to us.  What I mean is that God has been made common.  We have lost our awe and fear of Him.  The N.T. church has overemphasized His love and mercy that there is no fear of God in our eyes.  We do not have a problem with eating and drinking before the LORD’s presence as if it is no big deal; because to us, it has ceased to be.  There should be a balance.  If you look closely, you will notice the men who ascended were well aware of the glory of God.  They saw it.  They trembled.  They were affrighted.  That is a good thing.  If the glory of God does not shake us to the core, then we are more than likely dead inside.  Despite the glory of God being a troubling thing, they were still able to eat and drink in His presence.  This is Moses’ point.  The hand of God did not slay them.  They were still there and life went on.  They were able to survive because they experienced the balance between God’s glory and His mercy.  This is the balance we need to find.  A healthy fear that makes us tremble, but a peace of mind and heart that God loves us.  Few have that balance.  May we strive to attain it.