The poem is chilling. The poem is in the public domain.

When I read this, I thought, oh, but it does matter...more than we could possibly imagine. But what about Biblical encounters with God? Today, people have a disturbingly casual attitude toward the subject. I’ve heard people’s attitudes range from carnal to comical. Think about it for a minute, what would you do, what will you do, when you see God?

Abram fell on his face and listened as God talked to him. When he says “be thou perfect” in the original Hebrew, that word means “entire, without blemish, complete, full, sincerely, undefiled, upright, whole.“ God wanted all of Abram. He didn’t want half of his heart, but all. This was a man who had previously encountered God. He’d heard God call him in Gen. 12 to leave his home and kindred and go where God would tell him to. (Gen 12:7) He’d worshipped God, been promised a son, had by the power of God delivered his nephew Lot from the kings who’d conquered Sodom and Gomorrah. In Gen. 14, he received a greater revelation from Melchizedek who God was, how he was the possessor of the whole earth, so Abram knew he did not and would not depend on anyone else for anything. Abram was a rich man by the time this happened. But his focus was God not wealth.

Remember as you read these scriptures in the previous chapter of Exodus these people of Israel had sinned greatly against God in making and bowing to a golden calf.

Moses was learning who God was, and at this particular time, he was wondering how he’d deal with sins of the people. He had seen God’s response to their needs, to their deliverance from slavery, he’d seen how God had led them here into this wilderness. He’d seen how God had dealt with their enemies. But now the people themselves had made themselves wrong before God. Moses had a love for God, and his ways, a desire to know him more, in spite of the miracles, in spite of the provision. Something had been in his heart for a long time, because though educated in the luxury of the palace in Egypt, after the manner of idolatry, and pagan worship, it had never gotten into Moses’ heart. He did not turn to idols when the going got rough like most of Israel did. His heart was for God. He wasn’t after the blessings, he was after the BLESSER.. I love what he says “Show me thy way, that I may know thee.” Oh, folks, when I read his Word, and see how he dealt with humanity, and look back on my life, and see how he’s dealt with me, in such mercy and gentleness, when I didn’t deserve it, oh, my heart is wowed, and I want to know him, too, for myself. God forbid that I should ever have to insult my Father by having to run to a preacher or call someone else and ask them what God thought about something, when I myself have his word and his Holy Spirit to teach me. And he WANTS to be my first responder! Woe to me if I don’t let him be. People can lead you wrong, but he never will!

Have you ever felt the warmth of his presence? I have, and it’s the most incredible feeling. It’s humbling. Whenever I feel his presence, my eyes react by welling up with tears. My heart aches, with this longing, and I just cry. I want more of him. Like Moses here, I agree, his presence is wonderful, I need it, I wish I could feel Him constantly-but I want more. I need more. I’m hungry for more of HIM .

So, what is his glory? His splendor, his majesty, his love, his mercy, his goodness, his willingness to forgive those who don’t deserve such grace. His love for those who don’t deserve such pure love, myself included.

Well, Lord, let me see your face and die. If you aren’t sure what I meant by that, well, no flesh can glory in his presence. (1 Cor 1:29) If my “self” life dies, if I hand over to God completely the right to rule and govern unchallenged and unhindered this life he gave to me in the first place, if I give it back to him, then and then only is it worthwhile. I can not govern my own life successfully. I can look back on my life and see so many mistakes due to my own lack of wisdom and judgment. But what I have I have from the hand of God, including the breath I breathe now. The only way to secure and protect what I have is to give it back to Him from whence it came, and commit it into his hand for safe-keeping. What if I hold a part back from him? Anything he has no part of is dead and corrupt by default. So I don’t want to hold back anything. I want to die so completely to this world and it’s passing things, that flesh doesn’t provoke me to anger, but rather to compassion, and that my eyes are completely and singly focused on things above, where my heart already is. (Col. 3:2) I want my life to be about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many lost souls as I can-not just in word but in deed. For actions speak louder than words. My treasure is there, because He is there. He is my Treasure. This is the desire he has given me. Only he can empower me to get there. Only his Spirit living in me, and strengthening me, can raise me up.

So what did Moses do when God showed him His glory? How did Moses react? I mean, he was standing in the tabernacle, talking face to face with God, but all he could see was the cloud, and he wonderfully felt the presence of the Lord and heard his voice. It was awesome, but he could stand there and converse with Him.

Oh, I stand on the Rock which is Christ Jesus, in whom I am complete! With whom my life is hidden! (Col 3:3) You know I think God is so vast, that he can’t reveal to us how vast he is for we in our flesh and mortal bodies could not handle it. Our feeble minds can’t comprehend his very vastness. I mean how big and strong is our God who with the words “let there be light” made the sun? It’s made of the Word of God. He spoke something from nothing. The scientists’ have invented all sorts of names for what it’s made up of, they say. But I know what it’s really made of. God’s Word. Period. God said it. It’s there. Remember, the scripture says in Heb. 12:29, our God is a consuming fire.

Be ready to present thyself to me. Just reading those words makes my heart long for his presence. Someone who’s never met him, who doesn’t really know him, would probably think I’m some kind of nut. But if you only knew what my precious Lord has delivered me from, how he literally saved my life, and my soul, and if you could just do what Psalms 34:8 says “taste and see that the Lord is good.“ People try drugs. People try different foods. People try on clothes. People try out new things, watch new programs, but oh, I say if you have not tried out the Lord, if you’ve never given him a chance then you are missing it! There is NO greater high than being in his presence and becoming aware of just how precious you are to him. It’s humbling. It’ll cause you to love him who you’ve not seen literally with your eyes. Wow. What an invitation not to be refused! You know Moses was hungry for more, too. He got up early the scripture says and did what God told him to.

I’ve heard people get stuck right here, “well, look, why does God punish the children and the grandchildren for the sins of the fathers?” HE doesn’t. Sin is contagious and has awful consequences. Abusive parents raise children who are often emotional, and unstable, and are often abusive themselves. Violence begets violence. Sin begets more sin which eventually leads to death. How many stop to look at this from God’s point of view? I think Moses was. He was the One who gave these people the very life they lived. He destroyed the nation of Egypt, which we’ve already discussed, to lead these people out to freedom. He calls a weak, enslaved people his ARMY. (Exo 7:4) He gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians and they gave their jewels and gold and silver to the Israelites, who plundered them, and then left out of Egypt led by the Lord God himself, in a cloud by day and fire by night. He loved these people. He destroyed a nation for their deliverance because this nation refused his warning to let them go. He led them to the Red Sea, parted the waters, and drowned every enemy that would have tried to taken them back into bondage. (Oh how new Christians need to know that! Even us who’ve been saved a while and still battle the pull of the flesh and the world, need to know that!) WHAT A MIGHTY GOD! And then just a few months later after he’s fed them, provided for them, given them his commandments so they would know with wisdom how to treat Him and one another, the first time Moses is gone they get bored, start complaining, and turn to idolatry and sexual orgy, betraying the God who loved them so. And he reveals to Moses, an understanding and compassionate heart, willing to endure the injury to HIS heart these people (and us as well-for we are all guilty) had inflicted in turning to idolatry that had been so all around them in Egypt. It had gotten in their hearts. They were in a desert, but God had given them water. Imagine how much water came out of that rock to satisfy the thirst of 3 million people. Imagine how much manna God rained down to feed all these folks. Remember he put his fear on the nations around them to protect them so no enemy would attack Israel. But every time a problem or need arose, instead of looking up with faith to the God who had so visibly demonstrated his faithfulness and devotion to these people, they complained, and whined about wanting to go back to Egypt, not realizing that only death awaited them there had he let them go back. Sound familiar? We all fail him, we all get frustrated with the pressure at times. I’ve caught myself “venting my frustration” at times, but what I was really doing was murmuring to myself, and I’m so thankful the Holy Ghost let me know it really fast and I could say “I’m sorry,“ just as fast. He says he will forgive sin, but it by no means clears the guilty, well, if that bothers you, consider this: If you spend 20 or 30 years smoking, and drinking and ruining your health and then find God at an altar, in a church somewhere, or like I did, in my bedroom, at the foot of my bed, and you pray through, he will save you, he will forgive and cleanse you from your sins. He’ll put them away and not remember them against you anymore. He’ll lovingly welcome you into his family. But you may very well have health problems from the abuse your body has endured over the years. Sin has consequences. It can be forgiven, but it scars. Just remember the precious hands of our Savior, who never sinned, and you’ll know it’s true. Every time he looks on the scars on his hands, he remembers us. We are graven on his hands, he told Isaiah, and that before he ever went to Calvary (Isa 49:16). Oh, Lord, help me stay on subject here.

Consider Job. He loved God, he served him faithfully. The devil came against Job, trying to destroy his faith and love for God by destroying his family and his possessions. Job had children who were unconcerned with God and righteousness, preferring to party and feast. He prayed faithfully for them, daily sacrificing just in case they had sinned. He helped the poor, he comforted those in need. He was a pillar in his community, everyone thought highly of Job. But when God allowed him to be tested so that generations from then to now would have a testimony of the faithfulness and keeping power of God, and if you let God help you see it, a handbook that exposed the tricks the enemy uses against God’s children and that old devil had no idea that in attacking this saint of God, he was exposing himself. God had it written, he made a record of every tactic the enemy used against Job so that his children who suffered down through the ages would have a rock solid testimony of the faithfulness and goodness of God. God’s love for those who would come after was so great, he let this dear saint suffer these things to expose that slimy devil, and then he restored Job and his wife’s youth, gave them 10 more lovely and more obedient children, and much more wealth than they’d had before. Though suffering all this loss didn’t cause Job to curse God, so the devil played on the grieving Mrs. Job’s mind, provoked her in her despair, to urge Job to just give up and die. Curse God and die, she says. When that didn’t work, the devil goes and stirs up a friend of Job’s he knows is only to happy to get 3 other friends and drag them to Job’s house to increase the man’s misery. They sit for a long time and accuse Job of sin, of doing something to bring this wrath on his head, they think God is angry with Job. But Job knows his heart and his life and knows he hasn’t sinned. He curses the day of his birth, but not his God. And you know, God is listening closely to every word. He is listening to these “religious” men who think they know him, talking about him whom they don’t really know, as if they did. Their advice is bad, their insight wrong. If you read between the lines, you can sense their haughtiness and pride in Job’s misery. They have a smug sense of superiority about them, in the way they challenge this man. You get a pretty complete picture of how the enemy accuses the saint of God in their minds, or through others. When he can’t get at you directly and cause you to stumble, he will keep trying things until he either finds something that provokes you to sin, or gets tired of trying and goes away for awhile. But he always comes back. So, finally, God gets tired of listening to himself being so misrepresented, and he shows up on the scene in a whirlwind. He asks Job “who is this talking that doesn’t know what they are talking about?” (Job 38, and I’m paraphrasing, here) he spends the next two chapters revealing himself and asking some hard things of Job. Now think about this: Job hadn’t sinned, he had done nothing to bring this misery on himself, he’d endured I don’t know how long listening to these “friends” of his accuse and interrogate him, in his misery, with very little or no compassion, and then God comes on the scene, and reminds him whose in charge. So you have this righteous man, that even God testified is “perfect and upright” and when faced with God, what does he do?

Does he rant at God and accuse him of being unfair for allowing these things to come upon him? Does he turn on God? No. Listen to what he says. It’s humbling.

Remember what God said back in chapter 1 of Job about this man being perfect, and upright? But when faced with the reality of God, how did Job react? He hated himself when he saw the majesty of God. Job is saying, I had no idea, I thought I knew who you were, but I didn’t have a clue. He repented. He humbled himself. No matter how we feel about ourselves, when faced with the majesty and perfection of God, we will see our own lack, our own corruption, and hate what we are if there is any truth in us. That’s why he gave us such exceeding precious and great promises as he told Peter in 2 Pet 1:3-5 so that by them we could partake of his Divine nature, and escape the corruption in the world. I believe you have to want to know him more, there has to be a hunger in your heart for more of him before you will see him. Because if the hunger is present, if the desire for him is there, you will seek more of him and the more you seek, the more you find, the more you understand about the Lord, and his holiness, his utter perfection, the closer you get to him, the more the Light will spotlight your own deficiencies, and flaws and you will loathe what you are in comparison with him. But there is this, praise the Lord! Just keep your eyes on his beauty, his power, and his love and trust that just as he was able to save your soul, and redeem you from the darkness of this world, he is most surely able to transform you into the image of his Son, as you give him yourself to do with as he pleases. We are his, not our own. We just have to trust he is able to perfect, complete and fully accomplish what he wants to do in us if we just trust him and give ourselves to him without holding anything back.

What about Ezekiel?

Consider how Ezekiel reacted. He was awed. He fell on his face. Completely submissive, completely vulnerable.

Next, in the scriptures, consider Daniel. Daniel received great revelations and visitations from angels. He had stood before kings and interpreted dreams, read the writing on the wall, watched kings destroyed and conquered. He had seen a lot of destruction, and arrogance. He had been blessed and delivered by God, in the lion’s den, from destruction when the king ordered the wise men slain. Through out a life mostly spent in captivity in a strange land, having been educated in an idolatrous society by magicians and idolaters, God had kept this man, kept his heart, from a child up. He never got proud or arrogant or self-reliant.

One day, while sitting outside near the river Hiddekel, (which is the present day Tigris river that runs from Turkey through Iraq into the Persian Gulf,) he sees the angel of the Lord. He falls on his face like a dead man.

He was so amazed, it sounds like he passed out. Those that were with him, fled.

What about Isaiah?

When Isaiah saw God, he mourned his own sinfulness in comparison. When you see the Holy One, or get this revelation of who he is, how perfect he is, you will realize how unclean you are apart from his grace, and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s humbling, I imagine. From what I read, it’s very humbling...and very intense.

And there’s one last one, I must consider: John, the beloved disciple. Oh, he got the complete revelation.

The word “revelation” means “disclosure, appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, to be revealed.”

I have noticed, in several of these passages when men encountered the Lord, they fell before him like dead men and he had to reach out and touch them and reassure them, and help them back up on their feet. He did not desire to talk to the back of their head. He wanted them on their feet facing him, it seems. Oh, Lord, who am I to speak for you to say what you wanted....but it appears like the Lord wanted to talk to his servants. He wanted to reveal himself to them. There was always a reason. There was always a purpose. And if this is how people reacted who saw him, whether in dreams, or visions, or in their spirit, how we need to consider these things, when we enter his house. When we enter his presence. When we say we love him, and want his presence, and know we have need of him, should we not dig in to his word, ask for wisdom to prepare the way for him, make him welcome, the Most Honored Guest, and wait on him, after all is ready, to show up?

If we invite relatives to stay in our home who live out of state, surely, we set about cleaning, changing the sheets on the bed, cleaning the carpet, if it needs it, we will wear ourselves out cleaning the house to be presentable for those we invite to come over to stay. What about our Lord? There is no one higher, more to be honored and revered. No one is more necessary than Him. I want to have it always before my eyes how these dear saints of God reacted in his presence. I want to know him. I want to see him. If I am casual, and take the things of God lightly, or take his Word for granted, it will not happen until I stand before him on that day and then woe be unto me for I won’t be prepared. I want Him here and now. My flesh recoils from the thought because it doesn’t want to die. It’s wanting its own way. But there is something holy in me, something that is feeding and eating his precious Word that longs to be under it’s ruler ship completely, that longs and aches for HIM. If I consider my own resources and strength I will despair. I am completely unable to get to Him on my own. I am completely unable to survive an encounter like this with God. BUT HE is able.

He’s given me his Spirit to teach, strengthen, prepare and guide me into all truth. To prepare me to face him. To meet him. He’s given me his word, to educate, and defend myself with. He’s given me an angel to encamp around about me because his fear is in my heart. He’s given me precious exceeding great promises so that by them I can partake of his divine nature. (2 Pet 1:3-5) He’s given me a new life. He’s given me his power, his grace and mercy and his truth. And his eyes watch over his children, waiting to act on our faith.

There is a raw hunger in my soul for his eyes to light up when they see me-to light up with the reflection of his own light and life being lived in me. To have that, as John the Baptist said, I must decrease so he can increase. It’s not about me, or what my flesh wants. It’s all about HIM. It’s about living so completely for him, that those around me can see the light and come out of the darkness and be saved. That’s why he came, to deliver people from sin, fear, and death. He cares so much about the lost. Oh, God, pour your heart and compassion for this world into mine that I may love what you love and hate what you hate.

In Jesus’ precious and mighty name....

Amen..