Monday: Seeing God
Daily Lesson for Monday 1st of September 2025
Read Exodus 24:9-18. What amazing experience were the children of Israel given here?
After the firm reestablishment of the covenant with God, Moses again climbed Sinai. In the beginning of this climb, Moses was not alone. He had the excellent company of 73 Israelite leaders. For the leaders, this was the pinnacle experience: they saw God (theophany), and twice the text underlines this amazing reality. It was also a time for the leaders, by eating together, to seal the covenant with God. This was a banquet, and the God of Israel was their Host. These leaders were deeply honored by God.
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In the Middle East during biblical times (and to a certain extent today), eating together was a high experience, great honor, and privilege. It offered forgiveness and formed a bond of friendship. It implied being there for each other and staying together in times of crisis and problems. By eating together, they promised each other, without words, that if something should happen to one party, the other would be obliged to come and help. To be invited to a meal was a special treat that was not extended to everyone.
Meanwhile, to refuse an invitation was one of the worst kinds of insults. This insight helps us to understand the stories in the New Testament in which Jesus Christ was heavily criticized for eating with sinners (Luke 5:30). When believers celebrate the Lord’s Supper, they also establish this close bond with other believers who are sinners like themselves. During this meal, we celebrate the forgiveness and salvation that we have in Jesus (see Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29).
Tragically, some of the men who had gone up with Moses later fell into sin and lost their lives (see Leviticus 10:1-2,9). Even though they had such a deep experience with God there, they were not transformed or converted by that experience. What a powerful lesson about how possession of truth and sacred privileges does not automatically mean conversion. Having experienced what they did, these men should have been the last ones to have done what they would later tragically do.
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Dwell more on the story of these very privileged men, even sons of Aaron. What warning should this give to us, as Adventists, who, with the light we have been entrusted with, are indeed privileged? |
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I know we like to get into deep spiritual meanings in our lesson study and what I am about to say may seem to some to be a bit light. Bear with me because I think eating together is really quite important. God knew that there was something special about eating together.
But first – a story. Many years ago, when computers were just starting to be used in education, I was lecturing in a South Australian university on Instructional uses of computers. All my students were teachers and the program consisted of an hour’s lecture, a meal break, followed by a workshop. We usually went to the student centre for our meal where we would all sit together and talk while we ate. That time spent together eating was really the most useful part of the whole program. We shared experiences, exchanged ideas, explained the difficult stuff to those who were struggling. The meal time was often extended much longer than intended because we all thought it was so useful. An important aspect of the meal was that I, the teacher, was treated as an equal. The fact that at the time, computers in schools were very new (this was the early 1980s) meant that we were all learning, including the teacher, how to use them in our classrooms.
Eating together can be a very rewarding experience. I know of one minister who conducts all his Bible studies at a meal table. And in the area where he lives, he is treated to a wide variety of ethnic dishes. But, it is the opportunity to develop our understanding together in an enjoyable environment.
I recall that the Israelites celebrated three festivals, which we discussed last week: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. People set aside a tithe to fund these festivals, which were occasions for sharing meals with each other and with strangers. These events were religious ceremonies but also opportunities for socializing, and this context provided the opportunity to pass on the really important stuff to one another.
And just a reminder that the Bible speaks in several places about a great feast in Heaven:
That is a feast we are invited to attend.
This question hmm!!!
At this stage and age in life, I struggle with this thought quite a lot. It's intriguing that those who know less tend to take faith more seriously than those who have learned so much. I think it has something to do with comfort zone. This is dangerous, actually blinding.
Take for example, the thief on the cross(Luke 23:39-43), with the little he knew, he made a quick decision and identified his need – and Christ was the answer. On the other hand, look at Judas, three years of daily journey, witnessing miracles, love, prayer, and worship, but still not finding Christ; then dying dejected and desolate (Matthew 27:3-5).
Today, we have the privilege of all these writings and studies, but do we believe in Christ?Are we scribes, keepers, and scholars of the Law, but not yet in a meaningful personal relationship with God through Christ? (John 5:39) Has your life really met God; are we converted?
Does our learning allow us to appreciate the beauty of God and love Him so that we express His commandments and statutes in our living and ways? (John 14:15)
Sadly, . We need to think really deeply about this.
Your comment about having really met God and being converted reminded me of an experience I had 18 years ago this week. I was told I had cancer and the very first question I thought was "what is my relationship truly like with God. Am I converted or am I just playing like I'm a Christian?" It put everything in perspective. I stayed focused on the "big" picture and I wouldn't trade nothing for this trial.
Amen!
God is not subject to human opinion or any form of cultural preference. He declares of Himself, “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6), and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). What matters is not the kind of God we want to believe in, but the God who actually exists and has made Himself known. To know Him rightly, we must seek Him through His Word, for “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). We must learn to allow Scripture to shape our understanding, we must see God in His truth as holy, just, merciful, and loving besides worship Him for who He truly is.
The story of the Children of Israel “seeing” and “hearing” God on Mount Sinai is a tragic one. They had the greatest privilege to experience the presence of God in a very powerful way, and yet within few days later they were in a rebellion and sin. This is not only their story, but also our story too! We too “see” and “hear” God and yet become rebellious and fall into sin. In our time how do we “see” and “hear” God?
1. All around us we see the wonderful and vastness of creation which declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). Tragically, many times we fail to acknowledge God even for the air we breathe every second!
2. Every day, we are the recipients of God’s providence: food on our table, the roof over our head, protection, health, and many more. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
3. Through scripture we see God’s grace paying the penalty of sins by the works of Jesus on the cross. How can we “see” Jesus on the cross and walk away and rebel against God?
4. We have witnessed changes in our lives. We know at some point we were blind, but now we see. How can we turn against the One who has made us see?
5. We have seen our prayed answered and we have heard the Spirit speak to our hearts. Can we claim ignorance of God?
Like the Children of Israel, we can “see” and “hear” God and yet drift into the idolatry of material possession, fame, success, technology, food, relationships and religion.
We need to do self-examination and deeply reflect on whether we are idol worshippers.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” - 2 Corinthians 13:5
Like Nadab and Abihu, we too hold sacred responsibilities—not as priests of Levi, but as members of a movement called to proclaim God’s final message (Revelation 14:6–12). The lesson is unmistakable: privilege does not excuse disobedience; it increases accountability.
As Christians, if we handle holy things—God’s Word, the Sabbath, the health message, or our calling—with irreverence, we place ourselves in danger of repeating their mistake.
The "Communion Service," we celebrate now in our churches every quarter, is anything but "A MEAL," it is a celebration of Jesus' Last Supper, that has deteriorated into a "Spiritual Celebration" with a "small portion of grape juice" and a tiny bit of "Unleavened Bread." When Jesus celebrated this with his 12 Apostles, it was an actual "Full Course Meal," and it was not celebrated by them "On The Sabbath" either.
I don't think there is a right and wrong way to clebrate communion other than with a humble heart and a genuine desire to put things right with one another. I have experienced both the full meal and the symbolic drop of grapejuice and crumb of bread and I have experienced the fellowship with believers in both senarios. We have a choice: we can complain about the symbolism, or we can enter into the experience that God wants us to have.
OK Maurice, so then what do we do about people that only feel cleansed when they attend "A communion service," and the rest of the time they "moan and groan" about the trials and tribulations of their lives and feel absolutely sinful and dirty all that time until they attend another communion service "Three months later?" And all the time all they need to do is just do what 1 John 1:9, 2:1,2 Isaiah 1:16-18 all say and these scriptures are there all the time for us and them to go to GOD and present to HIM to cleanse us "Daily" with them? So according to you, what they do this is right for them? How sad!
Pete, I don't know anyone who thinks that way. Mostly, it is a "straw man" argument. But, if there are folk who have this attitude, i think they have a very poor understanding of the Gospel,
If you know of anyone who needs that message, bring a little joy into their lives.
I've never met anyone who thought like that. The Communion service is symbolic. It doesn't magically cleanse us, no more than baptism does.
The problem with privileged people is pride. Pride becomes blindness and blocks the heart. Then, the blessings are not seen as blessings and become burdens.
The lesson we learn from the elder's spiritual high of dining with the Lord is that if we rely on self to be stay converted by saying I am saved, we run the high risk of losing to temptation. Because we are relying on self. We can stay converted or if you prefer to have a genuine conversion which is to have hope and faith in Christ, by not leaning on our own self, rather leaning on Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13.
Remember that we can have power from Christ if we surrender our will to Him. Philippians 2:13.
Christ has pledged Himself to be our substitute and surety, and He neglects no one. He who could not see human beings exposed to eternal ruin without pouring out His soul unto death in their behalf, will look with pity and compassion upon every soul who realizes that he cannot save himself. Christ Object Lessons 157.1
JC, my prayer is that we do not count ourselves as privileged, rather we count the grace bestowed on us because we allow us to abide in the loving arms of Christ a privilege. Is it not a privilege to drive a car or truck, if we treat it that way we abide within the law.