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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
Page 10 |
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| Volume 24 Number 10 October 2022 |
Page 10 |
What Moses Learned
When
He Encountered God
Hiram Kemp
The Book of Hebrews teaches us that in the past, God spoke to His people in various ways (Hebrews 1:1). Sometimes God spoke to individuals directly (Genesis 17:1). Other times, He communicated with priests through the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30). There are instances when God appeared to His people in dramatic visions (Isaiah 6:1-4). However, Moses is described as having had a unique relationship with God (Exodus 33:11). God declared that He spoke with Moses in a way He did not speak to anyone else in the Old Testament (Numbers 12:5-8). After Moses’ death, there was never another prophet like him who knew the Lord face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). While there is much to appreciate about Moses’ relationship with God, there are several important lessons we learn from the very first encounter that Moses had with God. Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, but eventually, his faith led him away from Egyptian prestige and into the wilderness (Hebrews 11:24-27). While Moses kept the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, he came to Mount Horeb, and Moses was never the same (Exodus 3:1). He met God at the burning bush for the first time and learned some lessons that every one of us must learn as well (Exodus 3:1-6).
God Is Holy
Moses stood before the burning bush, which was a manifestation of God’s presence. There, Moses was told, “…Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5 NKJV). Moses had probably walked on that same ground countless times, but at that moment, it was holy because of God’s presence. Moses’ protégé, Joshua, would have a similar experience as he was leading God’s people to conquer Jericho (Joshua 5:13-15). Isaiah heard the seraphim cry out, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:2-3). John heard the heavenly beasts echo a similar cry as he peered into heaven (Revelation 4:8). The holiness of God runs throughout both the Old and New testaments. God is pure, sinless and sanctified. Moreover, this has bearing on how we live our lives as God’s people. We are to be holy just as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). As Moses later received the Levitical laws stressing the need for God’s people to practice holiness, perhaps he remembered this first encounter when he was introduced to God as the Holy God (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26). What should drive our behavior as children of God is the Holy God we serve (Ephesians 5:1).
God Is a Promise Keeping God
The first thing God told Moses was that He is the God of Moses’ ancestors. “Moreover He said, I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). This introduction was designed to acquaint Moses with God as the God of the patriarchs. He had made promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and God was about to fulfill those promises partly by the hand of Moses (Genesis 12:1-3; 26:2-5; 46:1-4). Eventually, God fulfilled every promise He made to the children of Israel (Joshua 21:43-45). Moses needed to know that God had not forgotten the things that He spoke to Moses’ forefathers and that He would deliver. In the New Testament, we are reminded that all the promises of God are “yes and… Amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). He has promised us eternal life (1 John 2:25). Since God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), we can be sure that our eternal reward is secure. Moses learned that God keeps His promises no matter how much time elapses, and we should be glad that this has not changed (Hebrews 6:13-20).
God Sees
Moses was awestruck as he realized that he witnessed a display of God’s glory (Exodus 3:6). Moses hid his face in fear. In the next verse, God told Moses, “…I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.” God promised to bring deliverance to His people and to lead them into the promised land (Exodus 3:8). Decades before Moses, Hagar acknowledged that God is a God who sees (Genesis 16:13-14). God observes His people not only to judge their deeds but also to protect and to provide what they need (Proverbs 15:3; 1 Peter 3:12). Moses learned that the groaning and crying of Israel was not ignored in Heaven (Exodus 2:23-24). Instead of being indifferent toward His people’s suffering, we are told, “God saw the people of Israel–– and God knew” (Exodus 2:25 ESV). Aren’t you glad that God sees you? Little children often jump up and down in the presence of their parents or grandparents to get their attention so that they can be seen doing some trick or some activity. The Bible tells us that we do not have to try to get God’s attention. We already have it.
As Christians, God looks at us with approval because we are in Christ (Romans 8:1). We may sometimes feel alone or forgotten, but we should learn from Moses’ interaction with God that we are known, seen and loved by our Heavenly Father. As God was speaking with Moses at Mount Horeb, there were probably enslaved Israelites in Egypt who assumed that God had forgotten about them, but that was incorrect. God sees you struggling with temptation, and He cares. God sees you worry about health issues, and He cares. God sees your bills mounting and your anxiety over those things, and He cares. We should cast all our anxieties on God because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We are not alone, and we are not neglected. When God appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb, Moses hid his face, but God was not hiding His. God observed His people’s circumstances then, and He observes them now (Hebrews 4:13).
God Is with Us
Moses felt ill-equipped to go before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites (Exodus 3:11). God said to Moses, “…I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). Notice the first part of God’s statement, “I will certainly be with you.” That was all that mattered. God would be with Moses, and that would make nothing too hard for Moses to accomplish. Moses needed to know that God was not asking him to use his own power or genius to deliver His people. God asked Moses to trust in His presence and provisions to deliver His people. The reality of God’s presence brings peace, assurance, confidence and faith. We are told later that Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). Moses pressed on because he knew God was with him.
The New Testament tells us God came to be with us as He sent His Son into the world (Matthew 1:23). As Jesus ascended into Heaven, He reminded the disciples of His abiding presence (Matthew 28:20). Since we know God will not abandon us, we do not have to covet wealth or cower in fear (Hebrews 13:5-6). The Spirit of God dwells in His people today (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 5:5). God has not abandoned us. As we follow His Word, we can accomplish the good works He has called His church to do (Ephesians 2:10). When Moses encountered God at the burning bush, he learned that God was active, involved, holy and concerned about His people. As we encounter God through the Scriptures, we should realize the same is true today (Malachi 3:6).
