When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” Exodus 20:18-19 (New Living Translation, NLT)

This might be one of the most heart-breaking passages in the Bible. God had delivered the nation of Israel from the Egyptians and had done a number of things to lead them and provide for them in the wilderness. God’s desire was to bless them and be among His people. God wanted to show His love to them directly. God is a personal God. Yet, because His power and might scared them, the people rejected a personal relationship with Him and chose to have Moses as a go-between instead. I wonder how different things might have been for Israel if they had just believed that God was interested in their benefit and not their harm. God loved them so He allowed them to have things the way they wanted- with Moses meeting with Him on behalf of the people. What a sad thing to consider. The people allowed fear to distance them from their God, and they relied on a go-between.

Today, many of us would rather have someone else go to God on our behalf rather than having an up-close and personal relationship with God ourselves. Instead of spending time in the Word and in His presence, how many of us rely on a minister to do it for us? We spend an hour or two each week in church- well some of us do- and then we go home and ignore God. We expect the pastor to get insights and illumination from the Word and shine it upon us. It doesn’t work that way. God is interested in knowing us on an individual basis, and He wants us to know Him. We can’t have a real relationship second-hand. For example, as a married person, would I develop an intimate relationship with my spouse if I never spent time with him, but instead heard what he had to say through other people? Of course not. And that’s not how we have a real, vibrant relationship with God. He wants to meet with us face-to-face, and heart-to-heart. Going to church and watching television ministers is a good thing, but God wants to spend time with each of us. He wants intimacy. He wants us to go to Him and not use a go-between. Let’s not be like the Israelites were- let’s give God what His heart desires: us.