Just more than a year ago I moved with my family to Minnesota because I accepted a call to teach at FLBCS. My distressed children asked me many times why I said, “Yes,” to accept this new position. My wife was very supportive but was also quite sad about moving. We said goodbye to an amazing church family (in two congregations) and to the wonderful friends we had made after living nine years in Beresford, S.D.
Saying “goodbye” was hard enough, but then it became overwhelming to say “hello” to new people, routines, stores, a homeschool co-op, a house, a church, and new responsibilities, etc. I found it difficult to prepare to teach four new classes. My wife missed not seeing her sister and the other moms at the co-op each week. My kids missed their next-door neighbors and best friends, Sydney and Jack. Yes, it was difficult, but we took comfort knowing that God was with us. That didn’t make it less hard, but it made our transition possible, bearable, and hopeful.
Moses understood this better than anyone. In the Book of Exodus, you could say that the Israelites went through a difficult transition. Soon after leaving Egypt, a disaster happened: the Israelites made a golden calf and worshiped it (Exodus 32). God told Moses to get out of the way while He consumed them in His wrath. Moses interceded for the Israelites by reminding God of His promises. God relented from destroying them completely but still killed more than 3,000 Israelite idolaters.
I pause here to state the obvious: the transition of Moses and the Israelites was more difficult than my family’s transition. Further, it’s probably the case that my hard days in my vocation are not as difficult as Moses’ normal or easy days were during his. How did he follow God’s call day after day? What kept him going?
In Exodus 33, the Lord told Moses and the Israelites to go to the land that He promised to Abraham’s offspring and that He would send an angel to drive out the inhabitants of that land. But God said, “I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” (33:3).
Moses and the Israelites were devastated. What good would it be to live in the land of promise without the Promiser? Moses, the mediator, reminded God that the sinful Israelites were His sinful Israelites and that they needed His grace now more than ever. God mercifully answered Moses’ prayer and said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (33:14).
This didn’t mean that Moses would have a pleasant journey. It didn’t mean he was done suffering and dealing with stubbornly sinful people. But since God promised to go with them, Moses would go and lead and fulfill the role to which God had called him.
Jesus Christ has come to be our mediator and to be God’s presence with us as we journey to the heavenly inheritance that God promised to all who believe and are baptized. As our mediator, Jesus gave up His life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Risen and ascended, He now intercedes for us before God. With Jesus as our mediator, God’s presence guards and keeps us as we journey to the promised land.
The Bible says more about God’s gracious presence with us in Jesus. His name is called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28:20). This promise does not remove our trials or wipe away our tears—for now. But it gives us strength to endure hardships on our way and to carry out what God has called us to do.
Dr. Jarrod Hylden [FLBCS faculty] teaches New Testament classes.
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