“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with His
friend…” Exodus 33:11
Although Moses has been dead for quite a while :), I keep finding that God
uses Moses’ life to teach me really important truths. Some of these truths are ones I learned years
ago. Some are ones I thought I learned…but
I need to be reminded of these every day.
Even this week I was struck with another truth! So I wanted to write these down as a “stone of
remembrance” as I start a new school year tomorrow!
TRUTHS from Moses’s life:
1.
The answers to the biggest questions/doubts
we have in life revolve around who God is, not who we are. (Exodus 3-6)
a.
“Who am I?”
(3:11) - IDENTITY
i.
God replies:
“I will be with you.” (3:12)
b.
“O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in
the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (4:10)
- GIFTS/TALENTS
i.
God replies:
“Who gave man his mouth? Who
makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him
sight and makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go, I will help you speak and will teach
you what to say.” (4:11-12)
c.
“O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this
people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your
name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your
people at all.” (5:22-23) – SETBACKS
i.
God replies:
“Now you will see what I will do…I
am the LORD…I am the LORD…I will…I will…I will…I will….I will…I am the LORD….I
will…I will…I am the LORD.” (6:1-8)
(**It sure seems like God’s going to take care of things, eh? J)
2.
The ability to persevere through the hard
times in this life is made possible by keeping our sights on God.
a.
Hebrews 11:24-27 “By faith Moses, when he had
grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the
people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ
as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead
to his reward. By faith he left Egypt,
not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered
because he saw Him who is invisible.”
3.
It is one thing to see what God is doing
around us. It is another thing completely
to trust in His ways. (even if you don’t
fully understand)
a.
Psalm 103:6-7 “The LORD works righteousness and
justice for all the oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His
deeds to the people of Israel.”
b.
Trusting in His ways comes from knowing who He
is. (I’m sensing a theme….)
c.
Moses specifically asked God that he would
better understand His ways. (Ex 33:13)
4.
This last one I’m going to frame as a question,
because this is the one I have had to relearn this week. What
is most important to me in this life?
Exodus 33:12-17 “Moses said to the LORD, ‘You have been telling me, ‘Lead
these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have
found favor with me.’ If you are pleased
with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with
you. Remember that this nation is your
people.’
“The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you
rest.’
“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your
Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased
with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people
from all the other people on the face of the earth?’
“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing you have asked,
because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.’”
This was a very important passage to me when I was
graduating college a few years ago. I
read it and thought, “Yeah! All my
friends are getting married…I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing for
you – who are you going to send with me?”
And I realized that God was going with me. He loved me. He knew my name. He would direct me and give me rest.
But as I looked at this passage again, I realized that being
married or single is not what this passage is about (although God used it years
ago to remind me of His presence going with me into the unknown). Maybe Moses was never asking God about people
to be with Him. Maybe the whole time
Moses was making sure that God would go with Him. It sure seems like a theme throughout Moses’
life.
Beth Moore looked at this passage (Exodus 33) in her devotional
book, Whispers of Hope. Her thoughts were so encouraging to me, I
wanted to retype them here:
- “Moses had a remarkable relationship with God…He experienced and indescribable level of intimacy that comes from two having their full attentions and expressions turned toward each other.” (face-to-face)
- “So deeply involved were God and Moses that the weary servant could not bear the thought of proceeding a single step without God’s presence….Moses didn’t want good results. He wanted God.”
- “How would you feel if God promised you success and victory but without His presence? Would we know the difference? Would we go on reluctantly? Or would we trade in every victory, every dream come true – our chosen destiny – just to enjoy His presence? Difficult questions. But I think if we knew God – really knew Him so well He felt He could talk with us like a friend and share HIS heart with us as we share ours with Him – we would trade in everything just to enjoy His presence.”
- “…We will not want to make a move without receiving an answer to this question: ‘Is your presence going with me, God? If not, keep me in the wilderness, seal away the milk and honey, keep the Jordan from my sight. For if your presence does not go with me, do not send me from here.’” (p. 103)
Moses’ life is filled with reminders that we experience the
fullness when we know who He is, not who we are (but that also knowing Him
clarifies who we are). We can rest when
we keep our eyes on Him. We can trust in
His ways. We can develop a relationship
where we speak with Him face-to-face. Hopefully, someday, we can say like Moses that God speaks with us as a man speaks with his
friend.
And when all of that is true – I am sure that the choice
between worldly “success” and God’s presence won’t even be worth
contemplating.
In the 2014-2015 school year, may His Presence be my goal.
