Class #9: We think that God is working, when we are victorious and everything is going our way. When tragedy hits, we think that God has abandoned us. That kind of thinking is dead wrong. We learned from Jacob’s wrestling with God(Gen 32) and Manoah’s visit from God that we don’t recognize God. We don’t have spiritual receptors. Like Moses we want to see the glory (Ex 33:18). God tells him, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (v.20). God promises to go with Moses and show him goodness, graciousness, and compassion. The Divine Service proclaims those same promises of forgiveness and Jesus’ presence with His church. We call that revelation proclaiming “the name of the Lord” (v.19). With that promise revealed to us in the Word, we can face anything, even death. God is mightily working through suffering and the cross. Sometime after the fact, we get to see God’s back–where He has been working.
The prophet Moses is unlike any other prophet. Moses does get to talk with God like a man speaks to his friend face-to-face, mouth-to-mouth. He doesn’t see the essence of God(Jn 4:24), but a similtude or form(Num 12:8).
Handout: Jacob Wonderful Name
Handout: The Name of the Lord Jun 24 2018
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