09/05/08

Remove your shoes in the present of God

Exodus 1:5 - And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

In the Bible if you take the incident of Moses when Lord / Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. The Lord told him to remove his sandals. Now get into the scene, where did the Lord / Angel of the Lord appear to him? It was on the mountains / hills. Moses was walking with those shoes on those very mountains / hills. The dust / sand under it would be the same at to the ones near to the burning bush. God did not make a concert slab near the bush! Meaning God did not tell him to remove the shoes so that he does not dirty the place near the burning bush, nor as a sign of respect like removing a hat. It had a spiritual meaning for it. It meant that a man, when he walks through life he pick up dirt (sins) on the way, some times not aware of where he puts his foot. Removing your sandals symbolizes rejecting our sinful nature, getting forgiveness and being clean before we come in the presence of God. There use to be a fear that when sinful man comes in the presence of God, he would die which is true. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples just before giving them His broken Body in the form of bread, meant forgiving them of their sins (which are known like the dirt which is visible) and preparing them to receive His sacrifice. To receive the Broken Body of Christ, one needs to be in a worthy state else it is disrespect to it and can harm the person, which Paul warns in his letters. Removing the shoes is the physical part to complement the spiritual part which is important. You may not remove your shoes physically but you need to reject your sinful nature and get forgiveness for your sins before you come in the presence of God.


[ Prayer Starter ]

Lord, You are Holy and your dwelling place is Holy. Lord, I ask for forgiveness for the times I came into your presence in an unworthy way. Knowing that You can see all things, yet I hide my dirty feet full of un-forgiveness and sins. Let not your anger come on me O merciful God. Help me next time to wash my feet before I come before You. This I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]

Exodus 1:1-5
1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

John 13:3-14
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.
5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?"
7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."
8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."
9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"
10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

1 Corinthians 11:23-30
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

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