Exodus 34:34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded
The question we should ask ourselves today is, “How much authority do we have and what kind of authority is it?” Moses was a man who was given by God to lead the nation of Israel, yet when Moses came off the Mount and Israel had prepared a golden calf which became their god, they said dismissively of Moses, “As for this Moses…we wot not what is become of him.” They referred to him as just “this Moses.”
The context for Exodus 34 is, first of all, possession. In Exodus 32 God and Moses are kind of having a back and forth. God says, “Hey, these are your people. You brought them out. You take care of them.” Moses replied, “God, these are Your people. You brought them out. Please, You take care of them.” It is kind of like when your child his crying at three o’clock in the morning and you tell your spouse, “Hey, your kid is crying.” This is a question of possession and surely and certainly God owned His people. God was the authority. He was the author of that leadership. So, there is possession.
In Exodus 33 we find the idea of presence. God said, “I am going to send you into this new land, but I am not personally going with you.” In fact, Exodus 33:7 says that Moses “took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.” That is where he went. It seems that is where the Lord had His manifest presence. Moses famously says in Exodus 33:15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” In other words, “God I will do anything or go anywhere, but please don’t send me alone. I don’t want to be an orphan. I need Your presence.” So, we see God’s presence and God’s possession.
Then, consequently, in chapter 34 you read about God’s covenant with His people. The Lord says, “I am making a covenant with you before all thy people.” That is the context of Moses’ authority, God’s possession, presence, and covenant.
Let me say, you will wield the authority you live under. You don’t just intrinsically have authority. You are not born with authority. You will wield the authority and use the authority you live under. In Exodus 34:27 the Bible says it this way, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.” He is saying, “I have made a covenant with you, and what I want you to write are the words I have given you.”
Verse 34 says, “But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.” Moses was not just making things up. He was transporting them from the authority, God, to His people. That is why I say Moses had authority, but he had the authority that he lived under. If I don’t live under authority, then I really don’t have any authority.
Let me give you two takeaways. First, don’t seize authority; live under it. Don’t look at authority as something that must be grabbed, clutched, or swung around. Live under authority, and you will have authority.
Second, there is only one authority; everything else is delegated. God is the authority and the authority I have is delegated. Verse 6 tells us who the Lord is. Moses proclaimed the Lord God “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy… forgiving iniquity.” So, God is who God is. God is not who I want Him to be or who I think He should be according my culture. God is who He revealed Himself to be, and God is the authority in my life. When I am under that authority, I have authority.
I have often said that the more authority you are under the more weight you carry. Do you ever feel like a lightweight, like no one pays attention to you, no one listens to you, and no one follows you. Sometimes the best way to gain authority is to demonstrate your submission to it. Here is a dad or mom whose son or daughter is being resistant. Now the parents can’t roll over and play dead because they are obligated by God to be the authority in that child’s life. However, sometimes it is better to demonstrate our submission than to wield our power. I don’t need to beat people over the head. I need to show that I am in submission because I am in submission. I have authority.
So, there is only one authority; everything else is delegated. The question this morning is, “To whom can you point as your authority?” No one ever outgrows authority. No one ever gets to the point where they are not under some sort of authority. Today, you will have authority, but you will wield the authority that you live under.