God's Face, God's Works

How could the Israelites see all of God's miracles and still not believe and follow Him? And more, how can people today see all that God has done and not believe in Him?  That was incredulous to the Psalm writer also. Psalm 78 recounts all of the wondrous works (v. 11, 12) but laments, v.32:
    In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.
Adrian Rogers was talking about that and quoted Psalm 103:7.
    He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.
Moses wanted to know God intimately. The sons of Israel were satisfied with witnessing His works. It is essentially the difference between infatuation and intimacy. Just as a marriage built on infatuation is almost doomed to fail, one that is based on true intimacy will last through almost anything. Adrian commented that every marriage that he saw fail due to trivial matters was based on trivial motives. Committed marriages did not fail when troubles arose.

And here we find the problem. David in Psalm 25:4 spells it out for us.
    Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.

Moses was applying what David penned years later in 1 Chronicles 16:11. He had established Asaph as the singer in the service of the Lord and sang this song. Later repeated in Psalm 105:4.
    Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.

Moses had asked to see God's glory in Exodus 33. He was not asking for an every day viewing of a person. Moses wanted a more intimate knowledge of the Lord. God said that Moses could not withstand seeing His "full glory," but he could view "His back."

The Israelites, like anyone else who depends on miracles, soon "forget" what they have seen. They are not changed inside, but were merely affected by the "Gee Whiz!" factor. That is also why the Jews in Jesus' day witnessed His miracles, including the resurrection of Lazarus, and were unmoved. Miracle bread, healings, even raising dead people did not and does not change lives.

Do miracles convince people today? It is not impossible, but often they are dismissed as just coincidence. A friend of ours nearly died as a child from a severe liver condition. After she was healed, the doctor commented that doctors do not always know what is happening. He refused to accept that it was a miracle. Incidentally, she is a grown adult now.

Without the change of heart produced by exposure to God's ways, viewing His Works merely fascinates people. Moses was not satisfied with just knowing what God could do. He wanted to know God. Paul prayed that same thing in Philippians 3:10
    ...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

God can and does do miracles for us, but that is like the guy who drives the ice cream truck. If his kids only wanted him to give them bars and cones, they would miss out on most of the family benefits. Wanting to know God, does yield "benefits" but, like the kids, we would rather have Daddy than a whole truck load of treats.

Be like Moses and seek to know God's ways. The "acts" will become less important.