Deuteronomy 34:10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
We have learned several things during the recent specially named flu. We learned how to conduct business over the internet using Zoom, Google Meet, and other Web Hosting platforms. We have also learned that some people haven’t learned to turn off their cameras when they are doing questionable things.
But to our detriment, we have learned how to use these platforms. But platforms like these have their place, but nothing beats face to face meetings. Too much of language and communication takes place beyond the face.
Body language makes up much more of our communication than the words we say, or the way we say them. And if you can’t see the body in detail, you miss much of the communication. Let me give you an example.
Much of what I do as a Marriage and Family Therapist involves paying attention to the smallest of details. The eyes, for instance, often give a clue about the level of distress that can’t be seen over a computer. The slight shifts in tear production can’t really be seen. But in person, this shift so often tells me that there is sadness, something beyond the words that needs to be explored.
Watching the position of the feet, or their ceaseless bouncing, opens up questions that can be asked about the actual situation. They are not conclusive, but open up a channel of discussion that otherwise would not be known. And it is in seeing these very small things that are outside of the camera’s view that propel therapy questions and deeper conversations.
Our text tells us something very disheartening. When I read it I think, “Look what Israel excluded themselves from experiencing on a continual basis.” That is right! They could have continued to hear the LORD face to face, but they chose to have Moses be their representative. They experienced it once and then they didn’t want it any longer.
I wonder what would have happened if they had accepted the LORD’s offer of intimacy. What if they had spent as much time with Him as Moses had. Would all of their faces shone? Would they have had to wear veils?
I think of our contemporary church services. Some people just come and sit. They are physically there, but they aren’t really involved emotionally or spiritually. They are checking the box. They are fulfilling and obligation.
No wonder their lives lack the power that is available. When there is no buy-in, then power transfer can’t and won’t take place. They must plug in to get the Spirit’s current flowing through them.
So just like the Israelites, who chose not to stay at the Mountain and hear the LORD day after day, we can get so involved in our other life, the life outside of the worship service, that we never really show up for worship. Our priorities signal that we don’t really want what the LORD has to offer. We are fine just the way we are.
So many who claim to be Jesus-followers today don’t even spend any time on a regular basis in His Word. They might get a devotional sent to their email, but it rarely is read when it does arrive. Their real life takes over even their email box. He is pushed out of even their electronic life.
What difference would it make if we really showed up for worship, not just the hour or two on Sundays, but in the rest of our lives? What would happen if we engaged with the LORD and then with our spouses and family? Would that change the dynamic, the priorities, the sense of being there with them?
Then let’s do it!
The Arnold Journey 