"...And Seek My Face"

[dave c]

simpletruth #138as Revisited 29SEP10 salicart@msn.com

HOSEA 10:12—Part Forty Five: “… And Seek My Face”

by rev. dave c

Hosea 10:12, Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you (NKJV).

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2Ch 7:13&14; NIV).

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen" (Ex 33:18, NIV).

These passages from Second Chronicles 7 and Exodus 33 contain a spiritual paradox. On the one hand we are told “to seek God’s face”—on the other hand we are told that “no one may see God’s face and live.” Similarly, Jesus tells us in the New Testament, No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father (Jn 6:46; NIV). I have to confess that I really like bumping into apparent contradictions in the Bible—not because they tear down the Word, but because they build up my faith and understanding. By God’s good grace, I have complete confidence in Scripture’s inerrancy and infallibility...and assurance born from over a half century’s experience that my mind is neither. Theologians, especially avowed Christian theologians, who write-off chapters (even entire books) as being the product of cultural mythology or allegory make me nervous...ditto for those who argue with Paul, or discount James and Peter. There are even teachers within the Church who describe the Bible generally as, “God’s moldy love letters to the Church.” I can almost hear the angels bark, “Drop your sword, put your hands up, and move away from the congregation!” God forgive me, the arrogant pride of such men inflames my own.

The fun and joy in dealing with a Scriptural paradox lay in asking God, “What does this mean?,” then praying for the patience to wait for His response. Sometimes He answers, at least in part, right away. Sometimes an answer is presented over the course of years. I am also sure that some questions will go unanswered in this life...and that’s ok. Recently the Holy Spirit showed me a direction of thought regarding God’s command to “Seek My face...but don’t look.” In John 14:8 we read: Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (NIV). Jesus of Nazareth is the face of God. He is the Divine Incarnate Who was seen by tens of thousands, and Who has touched millions. Anyone who has seen [Jesus] has seen the Father.

God is spirit (Jn 4:24), but each year we celebrate God come to Earth in human form. Jesus, the Christ, is fully the Second Person of the Godhead, but He is also fully one of us. The virgin Mary was His mother, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father is His Abba Daddy. There was a generation of mankind that was so blessed as to actually look upon the Person of God, to see Him face to face, to listen to His voice, and to touch His Person and to be touched by Him. Hallelujah, what a blessing! But just as there were hundreds of generations of those who sought God’s face while anticipating that moment in time, there have been almost 2,000 years worth of faithful disciples who look forward to Christ’s return, when we will once more see Him in all His glory and for all eternity.

In Second Chronicles Chapter Seven, we are told to seek God’s face. Yes, we are to seek the knowledge, the presence, the proffered mercy, grace, and lordship of the Son of God/Son of Man; but we are to also seek the warmth of His intimacy because He calls us His friends...His brothers and His sisters. This is all about a relationship with Jesus, and nothing of man’s religions. Seeking God’s face speaks of our recognizing and accepting His enduring love for us. It speaks of our actively pursuing His desire for us to know Him personally. Ours is not a god of mythology, nor philosophy, nor theory. He is not a god of rocks, nor wood, nor metal. He is not a god of lusts, nor indulgence, nor deprivation. He is not even a god who is far away. Our God is the God of Eternity...the God of Creation...the God of Final Judgment. Ours is the Almighty Who is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. Yes, our God is spirit—but He came to us as flesh and blood, as mind and emotions—as a new born baby grown to manhood. All so that we might touch Him, and listen to Him, and see His face, and know how much He loves us: Love that would lead Him to the Cross, to the Tomb, to Resurrection and Ascension. All so that we might accept His love and join Him in forever grace and glory. Jesus tells us, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. To seek the face of the Father, we must seek the Person of the Son—for no one comes to the Father except through the Son (Jn 14:6). Amen.

[MacUser]

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you,

Awwww zowie... we often miss / skip over so much truth in this one mondo revelation of Moses request. God's Glory is His Amazing Goodness! Quickly.. It's the Lord's Song by the Revelation Order of King David, "Lord you are GOOD and your Mercies endure forever". As Hebrews 1:3 states.. Jesus is the Brightness of His GLORY and very essence of God! In John 10:30.. Jesus says the Father and I are one! But the real proof is here in Acts 10:38 that states Jesus went about doing GOOD for God was with Him!!!

Then finally the real religious shocker. We don't have to do anything but freely receive it by belief. Jesus reveals in John 17:22 that the Glory that was given to Him.. He GIVES FREELY TO US. So we already have it!!!

Can we receive this?

Stop striving so hard to earn what is freely yours by inheritance.
It's not about us.. it's all about HIM people.

Behold the Lamb! Thank You Jesus!!!