CHAPTER EIGHT<\/p>\n
TAKING THE HARD ROAD<\/p>\n
Exodus 13\u201319<\/p>\n
I remember well the day that I learned that I passed the bar examination. I had taken the two-day exam in July and did not learn that I passed until the middle of December. I can remember praying over that envelope as I tore it open. When I saw that I had passed I rejoiced. I thought to myself, \u201cFinally, now the hard part is over!\u201d Boy, was I wrong. I soon began working for a large law firm and felt the pressures and demands of meeting my goals for billable hours. The work had just begun. It was a hard road.
\nPerhaps you have had similar experiences in your life. You achieve some long sought after goal, have an amazing triumph, and then you are rudely awakened by the reality of the difficult road ahead. Often our celebrations end quickly in the light of the reality that the hardest part is not behind us, but rather ahead of us. Have you ever had an experience like that? It can be very frustrating to come off the joy of a great victory only to encounter another, perhaps more difficult, challenge.
\nI think it is fair to say that Moses and the Israelites must have experienced something similar to this dynamic after the victory of the Passover and the ensuing exodus from Egypt. Moses had watched as God sent plague upon plague on Egypt. He had seen God\u2019s commands turn into fulfillment. He had witnessed the carnage that befell Egypt, culminating in the death of Egypt\u2019s firstborn sons. He had watched God bring Pharaoh to his knees and heard Pharaoh relent. God had won the victory and Israel had been freed from its bondage.
\nBut Israel\u2019s battles were far from over. The road ahead of them was fraught with new perils as well as old enemies. Hidden in the midst of this great victory was the seed of a future battle. A greater test remained for Israel, and this time the proctor of the exam was God:<\/p>\n
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, \u201cIf they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.\u201d So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. (Ex. 13:17\u201318)<\/p>\n
Israel was not to take the direct route to the land of promise. They were, by God\u2019s decree, to take the long road through the desert. While this circuitous route may have first seemed like a way to avoid conflict, since after all they were bypassing the country presently inhabited by the ancestors of the people who would later become known as the Philistines, in the end it would force them to confront an even greater enemy than the Egyptians or the ancestors of the Philistines. That enemy was themselves. Israel\u2019s struggles were far from over. They were about to battle with their own self-love and the human desire for autonomy. They were headed to the desert. God told them to take the hard road.<\/p>\n
THE HARD ROAD<\/p>\n
Chapters 14\u201319 of Exodus chronicle a series of challenges that the Israelites faced on their journey to the land that God had promised to them. The challenges spanned the spectrum from military struggle to hunger and thirst. Each victory quickly yielded to a new battle. This series of struggles tested Israel\u2019s resolve. It was so trying that Israel frequently yearned to return to the slavery of Egypt instead of going on with the fight. They often voiced their harsh displeasure with their circumstances to their leader, Moses. Moses was about to experience his second trial in a desert land, this time as the leader of a contemptuous people. But God is not arbitrary. He had a purpose in leading his people down this hard road. But before we get to the reason for the hard road, let\u2019s travel that road with Moses and Israel and experience it with them. The hardships began on the banks of the Red Sea.<\/p>\n
THE BATTLE AT THE RED SEA<\/p>\n
The problems for Israel began almost immediately after escaping Egypt. They had just been released from the clutches of Pharaoh and now God told Moses to turn around and wait for Egypt\u2019s pursuing armies (Ex. 14:1\u20134). After letting Israel go, Pharaoh quickly repented of his actions as it dawned upon him that he was losing his free labor force (Ex. 14:5). So Pharaoh responded by summoning his military might to pursue the Israelites.
\nWhen the Israelites saw Pharaoh\u2019s army charging toward them they were terrified. They rushed to Moses and lodged their complaints:<\/p>\n
Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn\u2019t we say to you in Egypt, \u201cLeave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians\u201d? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert! (Ex. 14:11\u201312)<\/p>\n
This would not be the last time that Moses would hear this type of complaint. One might think that Moses\u2019 response to them would contain a certain level of indignation regarding their faithlessness and ingratitude, but Moses was now a different man than he was in his early days. He was more patient and long-suffering. He was more like his Lord. Moses answered the people by assuring them, \u201cDo not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still\u201d (Ex. 14:13\u201314).
\nIsrael\u2019s back was against the wall. In front of them was the angered mob of the Egyptian army and at their backs was the seemingly unpassable Red Sea. But then God instructed Moses to raise his staff and to stretch out his hand over the sea in order to divide the water (Ex. 14:16). Moses did as he was told and the waters divided, allowing Israel to safely pass through to the other side. Pharaoh and his men were not so fortunate. God commanded Moses to close the passageway through the water so that the walls of water would collapse upon the Egyptian army as it attempted to cross the Red Sea. The end result was the utter destruction of Pharaoh and his army. God had won a complete victory and the Israelites witnessed the mighty outstretched arm of God. The account ends with these words:<\/p>\n
That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. (Ex. 14:30\u201331)<\/p>\n
God had once again delivered his people from their enemies, and Israel proclaimed a newfound trust in God and in Moses his servant. But the hardships for Israel were just beginning. The road to the land of promise was not only hard, it was long as well.<\/p>\n
THE DESERT OF SHUR<\/p>\n
After their incredible victory at the Red Sea, Israel entered a time of jubilation. The Red Sea victory was so definitive and the nation of Israel was filled with assurance regarding God\u2019s plan for them. This assurance was made evident through the composition and singing of a song. Exodus 15:1\u201318 contains the inspired lyrics to this anthem of praise to God. It was song by Moses and the entire nation of Israel. The content of the song stresses both the past victory at the Red Sea and the future hope of the nation of Israel. For example, the song contains this reflection upon the Red Sea victory: \u201cThe LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. Pharaoh\u2019s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea\u201d (Ex. 15:3\u20134). The song also contains this declaration of Israel\u2019s confidence regarding the future:<\/p>\n
The nations will hear and tremble;
\nanguish will grip the people of Philistia.
\nThe chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
\nthe leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
\nthe people of Canaan will melt away;
\nterror and dread will fall on them.
\nBy the power of your arm
\nthey will be as still as a stone\u2014
\nuntil your people pass by, LORD,
\nuntil the people you bought pass by.
\nYou will bring them in and plant them
\non the mountain of your inheritance\u2014
\nthe place, LORD, you made for your dwelling,
\nthe sanctuary, LORD, your hands established.
\nThe LORD reigns for ever and ever. (Ex. 15:14\u201318)<\/p>\n
But this moment of national celebration would soon fade in the memories of the Israelites. They would soon fall from this peak and return to the hard road. After this time of celebration Moses led the Israelites away from the banks of the Red Sea and into the Desert of Shur (Ex. 15:22).
\nIsrael was back in the harshness of the desert. Water was extremely hard to find. They were getting thirsty. It took them all of three days to forget God\u2019s faithfulness to them at the Red Sea. They arrived at a place called Marah, where they actually found water, but it was bitter and undrinkable (Ex. 15:23). Then the people lodged their formal complaint with Moses, \u201cSo the people grumbled against Moses, saying, \u2018What are we to drink?\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 15:24).
\nMoses responded by seeking the Lord and the Lord showed him a piece of wood and instructed him to throw it in the water (Ex. 15:25). Moses obeyed and the bitter water of Marah became drinkable. After that they arrived at Elim, where they encountered twelve springs of fresh drinkable water, and they made their camp there (Ex. 15:27). God had once again delivered his people from danger.<\/p>\n
THE DESERT OF SIN<\/p>\n
After enjoying the oasis of Elim, the Israelites moved on to another stop on the hardship highway. They entered yet another desert, the desert of Sin. Whereas the previous desert was short on water, this new desert was lacking food. As the bellies of the Israelites began to grumble, so too did their mouths. The complaints once again came to Moses:<\/p>\n
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, \u201cIf only we had died by the LORD\u2019s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.\u201d (Ex. 16:2\u20133)<\/p>\n
Once again Israel revealed a heart of faithlessness and ingratitude. The song of victory at the banks of the Red Sea had fully faded from their memory and from their lips. They were no longer exalting God and trusting in Moses; they were bitterly complaining against God and ready to rebel against Moses.
\nBut once again God met the needs of his people. He delivered them from their hunger by giving them meat to eat in the evening and bread to eat in the morning (Ex. 16:4\u20138). Each evening the skies rained quail and each morning the ground was rife with manna. The manna would come to represent the entire wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. They would eat it for forty years, until they reached the borders of the land of promise (Ex. 16:35). God once again provided for his people.<\/p>\n
THE DESERT OF REPHIDIM<\/p>\n
After leaving the desert of Sin, the Israelites next camped at the city of Rephidim. Like their experience in the desert of Shur, Rephidim was a place without water. Israel was once again suffering from thirst, and they made their displeasure known to Moses: \u201cSo they quarreled with Moses and said, \u2018Give us water to drink\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 17:2).
\nMoses must have been growing a bit tired of this cycle. After all the dangers, toils, and snares through which God had brought his people, Moses must have chafed to see them constantly lacking faith and distrusting in his leadership and God\u2019s provision for them. You can see a bit of Moses\u2019 frustration in how he replied to the Israelites\u2019 demand for water: \u201cMoses replied, \u2018Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 17:2). But the people did not relent. They snapped back at Moses, \u201cWhy did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?\u201d (Ex. 17:3). Moses was miffed and even a bit afraid. The crowds were angered and restless.
\nMoses did the only thing he could do. He sought God for help. \u201cThen Moses cried out to the Lord, \u2018What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 17:4). God answered Moses\u2019 concerns and the needs of his people by instructing Moses to strike a rock with his staff. Upon his striking the rock, water flowed from it to quench the parching thirst of the Israelites (Ex. 17:5\u20136). But Moses was getting a bit fed up with the behavior of the Israelites, and he named the location where this occurred Massah (which means \u201ctesting\u201d) and Meribah (which means \u201cquarreling\u201d) \u201cbecause the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, \u2018Is the LORD among us or not?\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 17:7). The pattern here is the same, Israel grumbled and God provided.<\/p>\n
THE AMALEKITES<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s trials at Rephidim were not over. After quenching their thirst with the water from the rock, the Israelites were confronted by another military challenge. The Amalekites came and attacked them (Ex. 17:8). First it was the Egyptian army, now they were being pursued by the Amalekite army. Israel was facing one trial after another.
\nIsrael prevailed in their conflict with the Amalekites. Moses went to the top of a hill and, as long as his hands were held up, the Israelites gained the upper hand in the battle. Aaron and Hur helped to keep Moses\u2019 arms up until the victory was won (Ex. 17:10\u201312). Moses built an altar there and worshipped the Lord. He called the place \u201cThe LORD is my Banner\u201d (Ex. 17:15). Moses, and the Israelites, had once again been delivered by their Lord.<\/p>\n
ARRIVING AT SINAI<\/p>\n
After all of these trials, Israel would eventually arrive at yet another desert. \u201cOn the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt\u2014on that very day\u2014they came to the Desert of Sinai\u201d (Ex. 19:1). Some extraordinary things would happen there, but that is for the next chapter. At this point it is important to pause and reflect on God\u2019s purpose in sending Israel down this hard road. Why did God follow the redemption event of the exodus with such a series of trials\u2014and eventually forty years of wilderness wandering? Why did he take them on a desert road? What are we to learn from this account?<\/p>\n
A PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that God was the one who led Israel on its path through the wilderness. As we can see from Exodus 13:17, God was concerned to take the Israelites directly into the jaws of the mighty Philistines: \u201cWhen Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, \u2018If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.\u2019\u00a0\u201d So God instead chose the longer wilderness route to take his people to the land of promise.
\nBut there was more to God\u2019s purposes in choosing this path than simply avoiding the Philistine army. After all, God was their warrior and he could easily have vanquished the Philistines or any other army for that matter. God had something more in mind in choosing the hard road for his people. Israel had to learn that the pathway to the land of promise is difficult and that they would only get there if they relied upon the strength of the Lord rather than on their own strength.
\nThough it may seem that Israel was constantly putting God to the test, it was actually God who was putting Israel to the test. He was teaching his people something about themselves. He was showing them how much they needed him to survive, and he was showing them that he was sufficient to provide for them. He was demonstrating to them that he, and only he, could bring them to the land of promise.
\nThe forty years in the wilderness was God\u2019s way of wringing Israel\u2019s self-love and self-sufficiency out of his people, much as he had done with their leader, Moses. Remember, Moses spent forty years in a desert wasteland being transformed from a prideful fugitive to God\u2019s servant. What died in the deserts of Shur, Sin, Rephidim, and Sinai was Israel\u2019s sense that they could go it alone. They also learned that life after redemption was not meant to be easy. It is a hard road to the land of promise.
\nOf course, the wilderness wanderings of Israel were not only real historical events, but they also have metaphorical and spiritual meaning that relates to the universal experience of all believers. The wilderness wanderings of Israel reveal a template of the pilgrim life of Christians. After our redemption by the work of Christ, we enter into a period of wilderness wandering as we long to arrive at the land of promise. The land of promise for us is not the physical land of Canaan, but rather that land of rest to which Adam looked forward. Our land of promise is an eternity with Christ unencumbered by the remaining sinful desires we have as believers in the wilderness of this age.
\nThe entire book of Hebrews is arguably based on the idea that the Christian life mirrors that of the wilderness wanderings of Israel. The original recipients of that epistle were under great persecution and were wondering if they should turn back to their former way of life, much like the Israelites wondered if they would have been better off back in Egypt. In fact, the writer of Hebrews uses the unbelief of the generation of Israel which died in the wilderness due to its lack of trust in God as a warning to these early Christians:<\/p>\n
Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb. 3:16\u201319)<\/p>\n
But the writer to the Hebrews did not leave his hearers in despair. While calling them away from the example of that unfaithful generation, he also called these early Christians to place their faith in Jesus. He spurred them on, not by telling them that suffering would cease, but by assuring them that Jesus would bring them to the land of promise. Think of Hebrews 12:1\u20133, where the writer to the Hebrews declares:<\/p>\n
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.<\/p>\n
The call is to persevere through the trials of this age and to place our trust in Jesus Christ. This is exactly what God was teaching Israel in the wilderness.
\nThe sufferings of this life are never denied by the Scriptures. Redemption in Christ is not followed by a primrose path. Instead, Jesus calls us to the hardest task of all: \u201cWhoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me\u201d (Luke 9:23). Jesus calls us to enter the wilderness, just as he himself did in his encounter with Satan, and to trust in him and every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is what God was teaching Israel on the hard road of the wilderness, and this is what he is still teaching us today.<\/p>\n
THE GOD WHO PROVIDES<\/p>\n
But the story of the hard road is not ultimately a story of trials, tribulations, and failures. Yes, it reveals the frailty of the human heart and how soon we lose our faith and trust in God. But the wilderness account of Israel is ultimately about triumph and victory\u2014God\u2019s triumph and his victory.
\nEach and every struggle that Israel encountered on that road was met by the love and provision of God. When their backs were against the wall at the Red Sea, God provided the military victory over the Egyptians. When they were thirsty in the desert of Shur, God turned the bitter waters sweet and gave them the oasis of Elim. When they were hungry in the desert of Sin, God provided them with meat and bread. When thirst came again at Rephidim, God provided again with water from a rock. Finally, when the Amalekites waged war against them, God emerged as their mighty warrior once again and crushed the foes of Israel.
\nThe most important lesson of the wilderness wanderings is not that we are incapable and insufficient in ourselves, which is certainly true; rather, the lesson is that God is stronger than any enemy we face in this life. He is the God who provides for his people and his salvation will not fail. He will bring his people home. That is the story of the wilderness. God brings his people home.
\nThe same is true for believers today. God will leave none of his people behind and no enemy will triumph over his love. As Jesus put it, \u201cI give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand\u201d (John 10:28). The hard road is real, but it ends with rest. It ends at the land of promise\u2014and Jesus promises to bring us there.<\/p>\n
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION<\/p>\n
1. This chapter focused on the arduous journey of the Israelites in the wilderness after their miraculous victory at the Red Sea. Have you ever experienced the discouragement of achieving some great success only to face a new and greater challenge? How did this impact your spiritual life?<\/p>\n
2. What were the names of the three deserts through which the Israelites journeyed? What happened to them when they travelled through each of these deserts?<\/p>\n
3. What were God\u2019s purposes in taking Israel on the \u201chard road\u201d through the wilderness?<\/p>\n
4. What does Israel\u2019s \u201chard road\u201d journey teach us about our spiritual journey as New Testament believers?<\/p>\n
5. What is the ultimate lesson of the wilderness wanderings of Israel? What did it teach them and what should it teach us?<\/p>\n
CHAPTER NINE<\/p>\n
THE LAW CAME THROUGH MOSES<\/p>\n
Exodus 19\u201330<\/p>\n
The wilderness wanderings of Israel were not easy times for Moses. His leadership was constantly challenged. Every complaint and problem that arose in this burgeoning nation came to him. He heard all the grumbling and complaining. By the time Israel reached Mount Sinai, Moses must have been exhausted and frustrated. Perhaps Moses was also feeling a bit despondent himself over where things were going. He must have been wondering if they would ever get to the land of promise. He must have questioned if God knew what he was doing. After all, the people had been wandering around in the desert for quite some time. Moses and his people were in need of some reassurance regarding God\u2019s love for them. They received that assurance at Mount Sinai.
\nAt Mount Sinai, Israel received the heart of the old covenant and Moses reached the pinnacle of his mediatorial work. At Mount Sinai, God cemented his covenant relationship with this nascent nation that he had elected from all the nations of the earth to be his firstborn son (Ex. 4:22). It was at Mount Sinai that God shared with his children how they were to serve him. He taught them how to live and how to worship him. There he gave Moses and the people a definitive and distilled declaration of his moral law in the Ten Commandments; he also provided instructions regarding how he should be worshipped by giving Moses the plans for the tabernacle. In this chapter, we will focus upon this twofold instruction that God gave to his people through his servant Moses.<\/p>\n
THE PROLOGUE TO THE GIVING OF THE LAW<\/p>\n
Often we as Christians take the Ten Commandments out of their original context. This is very easy to do because we so often encounter the Commandments as excerpted material in our church bulletins or on a plaque on the wall. While the Ten Commandments are representative of the timeless standards of God\u2019s moral law, we nevertheless increase the risk of misinterpreting them when we strip them from their covenantal and redemptive-historical context.
\nWe have already noted that the law was shared with Moses and Israel at a time when they were fatigued from their wilderness wanderings. They were betwixt the great victory of the Red Sea and the borders of the land of promise. They wanted to enter the land that God had promised them, but they were not ready. God had not finished his preparatory work. The people of Israel needed to understand what it meant to live in covenant with the God who had brought them out of Egypt. They needed to understand God\u2019s love and his expectations. This is the context in which the law was given. It was given to immature believers who had to learn how to respond to God\u2019s grace and to live a life pleasing to him.
\nIn Exodus 19, we see that God sets the stage for the giving of the law by establishing the nature of his relationship with his people. God also uses this opportunity to reaffirm his relationship with Moses and to confirm Moses\u2019 unique role as mediator. In Exodus 19, Moses ascends the mountain three times to enter into the presence of God, and each time descends to share God\u2019s words with the people. This series of ascents and descents accomplishes several things. First, it affirms the holiness of God. God, while near to his people, must also be separate from them because of his holiness. Second, it confirms that Moses is God\u2019s undisputed mediator. God does not speak to Israel directly, but he mediates his message through Moses. Third, this series of ascents and descents, along with the communication that followed, serve to reassure Moses and the people that God is with them and loves them.<\/p>\n
THE FIRST ASCENT<\/p>\n
The first ascent of Moses is documented in Exodus 19:3\u20136. Moses ascended the mountain and God told him what to say to Israel:<\/p>\n
Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, \u201cThis is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: \u2018You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles\u2019 wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\u2019 These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.\u201d (Ex. 19:3\u20136)<\/p>\n
In God\u2019s first communication with Moses at Sinai he set forth some basic building blocks of his relationship with Israel. He was providing context for his covenant and law.
\nFirst, God begins his discourse by setting everything within the context of his redemptive deliverance of the people from their bondage in Egypt: \u201cYou yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles\u2019 wings and brought you to myself\u201d (Ex. 19:4). God had purchased, or redeemed, Israel and it was this act that set them apart under his covenantal love. Israel had done nothing to earn that redemption from Egypt and they did not contribute to it. It was a unilateral act of God\u2019s unconditional love.
\nWhile God\u2019s redemption of Israel was unconditional and unilateral, this redemption had created a relationship between God and Israel, and God had clear expectations regarding how his people should respond to that act of deliverance. God expected his people to live according to his laws. He expected them to obey him: \u201cNow if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession\u201d (Ex. 19:5).
\nFinally, God revealed to Israel both the extent of his kingship and the depth of his love for Israel. Though God had chosen Israel as a nation with whom he would have a particular relationship and over whom he would extend his kingship, he wanted the Israelites to know that his kingdom was much larger than the bounds of the land of promise and this small nation. He reminded them that the \u201cwhole earth\u201d was his (Ex. 19:5). But while God emphasized to Israel the vastness of his rule, he simultaneously revealed to them the selectiveness of his particular affection for them. Although God is King over every nation, he particularly chose Israel as his precious people: \u201cAlthough the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation\u201d (Ex. 19:6). Israel alone had the privilege of having a special covenant relationship with God.
\nMoses took this message to the people of Israel as he descended from the mountain. He conveyed \u201call the words\u201d that God had commanded him to speak (Ex. 19:7) and the nation collectively responded, \u201cWe will do everything the LORD has said\u201d (Ex. 19:8).<\/p>\n
THE SECOND ASCENT<\/p>\n
After the people had consented to obey the Lord, Moses returned to the mountaintop to share their answer with the Lord (Ex. 19:8). Then God did an extraordinary thing. God told Moses that he would take direct and explicit action to confirm Moses\u2019 exclusive ministry and his role as God\u2019s chosen mediator. \u201cThe LORD said to Moses, \u2018I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 19:9). God planned on endorsing Moses before all the people. What encouragement this must have brought to the heart of Moses! After all those challenges in the wilderness, the people of Israel should have had no doubt that Moses was their earthly leader and God\u2019s chosen prophet.
\nBut there was more to God\u2019s message to Moses on this second ascent. God also gave Moses instructions regarding the need of the people to consecrate themselves. God commanded the people to take two days in preparation to meet with him (Ex. 19:10). They were to wash their clothes (Ex. 19:10). They were to be kept at a specified distance from the mountain and were warned not to touch it (Ex. 19:12). Anyone touching the foot of God\u2019s holy mountain would be stoned or shot with arrows (Ex. 19:13). Only Moses could touch that mountain.
\nMoses conveyed this message to the people and they obeyed God\u2019s instructions. Then on the morning of the third day, God did exactly what he promised:<\/p>\n
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (Ex. 19:16\u201319)<\/p>\n
God met with his people and spoke with his servant Moses in the presence of the entire trembling nation.
\nThe second ascent of Moses thus prepared the way for the giving of the law by emphasizing two unequivocal points to Israel. First, God is holy and those who approach him must be holy. God emphasized this by requiring the people to consecrate themselves before meeting with him, and by prohibiting them from touching his holy mountain. Second, God also made it abundantly clear that he only spoke with and through Moses. After the theatrics of the thunder, lightning, and smoke, Moses spoke and the voice of God \u201canswered him\u201d (Ex. 19:9). God confirmed Moses as his mouthpiece to prepare the way for the giving of the law through him.<\/p>\n
THE THIRD ASCENT<\/p>\n
The final ascent recorded in Exodus 19 further emphasizes the holiness of God. In Exodus 19:20 God called Moses to the top of the mountain and told him to warn the people again that they must not attempt to push their way to the mountain in an effort to see the Lord. God declared that if the people attempted this they would perish (Ex. 19:21). He even warned the priests that if they were to serve in his presence they must consecrate themselves or perish (Ex. 19:22). Moses shared this message with the people.
\nAfter this last warning message, God spoke the words of his law to his people. He had set the stage by placing his law in the context of his deliverance of his people, his expectation of obedience, his setting them apart as his own special possession, and his teaching them about his uncompromising holiness. He had also set apart Moses as his sole spokesman and mediator. The people had fully consented to submit to the kingship of God.<\/p>\n
THE TEN WORDS<\/p>\n
As we come to briefly examine the substance of the Ten Commandments, it is vital that we keep in mind the context in which these imperatives were given to Israel. They were given to a delivered and redeemed people. This means that the Ten Commandments were not given as a means of earning redemption, but rather as a means of expressing gratitude for that redemption. God makes this clear in the prologue to the Commandments: \u201cAnd God spoke all these words: \u2018I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 20:1\u20132). God reminds Israel that he established his relationship with them by liberating them from the bondage they experienced in Egypt. As Mark Strom notes, \u201cThe Lord did not give the law to establish his relationship with the Israelites. He gave it because he already had a relationship with his people and he wanted them now to learn how to express this relationship faithfully.\u201d1 The law was given to Israel because God loved his children and he wanted to instruct them regarding how to please him and how to live wisely and well in the land he was giving them.<\/p>\n
First Commandment: A Call to Exclusivity<\/p>\n
You shall have no other gods before me. (Ex. 20:3)<\/p>\n
The First Commandment called Israel to covenantal fidelity with God. Much like in the human marriage relationship, God expected his people to forsake all other \u201cgods\u201d and to serve and love him exclusively. This expectation continues for believers in the new covenant. The moral law of God was not abolished through the coming of Jesus, but rather it was fulfilled; it was given its full meaning through his person and work (Matt. 5:17\u201318). Like Israel, we too are called into a covenantal relationship of exclusivity through the work of Jesus Christ. While most of us are not tempted to worship the pagan gods of old, we are constantly challenged by the false gods of our age\u2014sex, money, power, luxury, pride, and self-worship.
\nHow can we know if we are violating the First Commandment? Philip Ryken gives us a very helpful two-part test for this purpose.2 First, Ryken notes that we need to ask ourselves, \u201cWhat do we love?\u201d We need to inquire of ourselves as to our passions and obsessions and ask if they are replacing God in our hearts. Second, Ryken calls us to ask ourselves, \u201cWhat do you trust?\u201d Where do you run when there is trouble? What gives you security?
\nThe call for exclusive devotion to God has not changed with the coming of Christ. Jesus makes this abundantly clear in John 14:6 when he declares, \u201cI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second Commandment: Regulated Worship<\/p>\n
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Ex. 20:4)<\/p>\n
The First Commandment instructed the people of Israel regarding whom they should worship; the Second Commandment informed them about how they should worship. The commandment prohibited them from making idols of any false god and of the one true God as well. This commandment serves as part of the scriptural foundation for what the Reformed tradition has termed the \u201cregulative principle of worship.\u201d This principle states simply that God has prescribed how we should worship him in the pages of Holy Scripture and we are not free to devise our own manner of worshipping him that is not authorized by Scripture.
\nIsrael would struggle with this commandment throughout their long history. As we will see in the next chapter, they broke this commandment while they were still encamped at Sinai by making the golden calf (Ex. 32). But this proclivity toward idol making is not something restricted to Old Testament Israel. We still struggle with it today. While worship has changed drastically between the two testaments (i.e., the sacrificial system, temple, and priesthood have all been abrogated by God\u2019s express command), worship is still a matter that God regulates. It only makes sense that a sovereign God would regulate how we are to approach him. Of course, the core regulation of New Testament worship is that we can only approach God through our Great High Priest Jesus Christ. He is the only \u201cimage\u201d of God that we are allowed to worship (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). Jesus, in his exchange with the woman at the well in John 4, reiterated the heart of the Second Commandment when he declared how God is to be worshipped: \u201cGod is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth\u201d (John 4:24).<\/p>\n
Third Commandment: Revering His Name<\/p>\n
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. (Ex. 20:7)<\/p>\n
In chapter four, we witnessed God\u2019s revelation of his name (\u201cI AM\u201d) to Moses. One of the emphases of that chapter was the nexus between God\u2019s name and his character. Therefore, it should not surprise us that God demanded that Israel respect, regard, and revere his holy name. What does it mean to misuse God\u2019s name? Obviously, any profane use of God\u2019s name is a violation of this commandment. But the aim of the commandment is not just in forbidding profanity; it is also aimed at forbidding vanity. God also forbade the vain use of his name by attaching it to a false prophecy (Deut. 18:22), a false oath (Lev. 19:12), or using it as a magical incantation (Deut. 18:10\u201312). God\u2019s name should not be trifled with, invoked carelessly, or profaned in any manner.
\nThis reverence for the name of God continues in the New Testament, but it takes on additional significance in the coming of Jesus Christ. The New Testament emphasizes the preciousness and power of the name of Jesus Christ. God has given Jesus the name above all names and it is at his name that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord (Phil. 2:9\u201311). The New Testament also stresses the importance of praying in Jesus\u2019 name (John 14:13), and believing in his name (Acts 16:31).
\nLike ancient Israel, we continue to be challenged by this commandment. While most Christians are successful in refraining from using Christ\u2019s name as a curse word, we often are less successful in avoiding the vain use of Christ\u2019s name. Sometimes we simply fail to invest the appropriate honor in the name of Christ by treating his name casually or flippantly. We fail to honor his name when we speak false promises, whether or not we actually take an oath (Matt. 5:33\u201337). We can even run the risk of treating his name like a magical incantation when we become flippant and superficial in our prayer lives. We are called to revere the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
Fourth Commandment: The Lord of Time<\/p>\n
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Ex. 20:6)<\/p>\n
In this commandment God declared to Israel that he is the Lord of time. God pronounced dominion not just over one day, the seventh, but the other six as well. He told Israel to work for six days and then to set aside the seventh day for rest and worship. This pattern of six days of labor and one day of rest was set forth by God in his work of creation and he makes that connection explicit when he pronounces this commandment (Ex. 20:11). God declared his sovereignty over the entire life of Israel.
\nThe continuing application of the Fourth Commandment is a much debated issue in the modern church. That is very unfortunate because it seems unlikely that any Christian would want to deny the underlying premise of this commandment\u2014that God is Lord of all of life and that he has dominion over time. While we may disagree about the details of Sabbath observance in the modern church, we certainly cannot argue with the core calling of this commandment. We are called to worship and to rest, and we are reminded that our work, the other \u201csix days,\u201d matter in the eyes of God. The commandment, of course, most importantly reminds us of the Sabbath rest that we find in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Matt. 11:28\u201330; Heb. 4:9\u201310). As with so much of the Old Testament law, the Fourth Commandment finds its meaning and fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
Fifth Commandment: Honoring Authority<\/p>\n
Honor your father and your mother. (Ex. 20:12)<\/p>\n
With the Fifth Commandment we witness a turn to the topic of human relationships, but there is still a strong connection here to our relationship to God. In the Fifth Commandment, God addresses the human relationship that is most central to the continuation of the covenant through generations\u2014the parent-child relationship. This relationship, of course, also serves as a reflection of God\u2019s relationship with us. God reveals himself as a father and gives us the privilege of addressing him in that manner (Gal. 4:6).3
\nThe call to honor our parents is ultimately a call for us to respect those who are in authority over us. God is the ultimate authority to whom we are called to submit, but we are also in many human relationships where God has placed authorities over us, including the parent-child relationship. When we honor our parents we are ultimately honoring God. The New Testament continues to call us to honor our parents. Paul makes this explicit in Ephesians 6:1\u20133 when he says, \u201cChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. \u2018Honor your father and mother\u2019\u2014which is the first commandment with a promise\u2014\u2018so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n
The Remainder of the Law Summarized<\/p>\n
As previously noted, the Ten Commandments are divided between commandments related to our relationship with God and our relationships with others.4 As we have seen, the first five commandments clearly set the boundaries and parameters of our interaction with God. The next four commandments (commandments six through nine) instruct Israel regarding how they should treat one another. Murder (Sixth Commandment), adultery (Seventh Commandment), theft (Eighth Commandment), and false testimony (Ninth Commandment) were all prohibited by God. With these commandments God reminded his people that loving their neighbors is as important as loving him because each human being is made in the image of God.
\nThe final commandment prohibited the people of Israel from coveting goods, spouses, servants, animals, or any other items which belonged to their neighbors. Of all of the commandments, this is the one that penetrates most deeply into the thought and heart life of the Israelite. Though Jesus would ultimately apply all ten commandments to the area of the heart in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5\u20137), the Ten Commandments, in their original redemptive-historical context, mainly focused on outward actions rather than on inward intentions. The Tenth Commandment is the one exception because it targets the covetousness and greed which often spring forth from our hearts and minds. This final commandment foreshadows powerfully that God\u2019s ultimate concern in giving the law is to see our hearts changed toward him and toward our neighbor.
\nLike the first five commandments, the remaining five continue to apply to the lives of believers living in the new covenant era. The New Testament provides us with corollaries to each of the commandments as can be seen in the chart below:<\/p>\n
Commandment
\nNew Testament Corollary
\nYou shall not murder. (Ex. 20:13)
\nYou have heard that it was said to the people long ago, \u201cYou shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.\u201d But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, \u201cRaca,\u201d is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, \u201cYou fool!\u201d will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt. 5:21\u201322)
\nYou shall not commit adultery. (Ex. 20:14)
\nYou have heard that it was said, \u201cYou shall not commit adultery.\u201d But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matt. 5:27\u201328)
\nYou shall not steal. (Ex. 20:15)
\nAnyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. (Eph. 4:28)
\nYou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Ex. 20:16)
\nYou were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Eph. 4:22\u201325)
\nYou shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s house. You shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Ex. 20:12\u201317)
\nFor it is from within, out of a person\u2019s heart, that evil thoughts come\u2014sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed (ESV = \u201ccoveting\u201d), malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:21\u201322)<\/p>\n
The giving of the law at Sinai is one of the most significant redemptive-historical events in all of Scripture. God, through his servant Moses, set forth the foundation of his redemptive relationship with the nation of Israel and his expectations of how they would approach him and treat one another. There was no negotiation of terms. God as the Sovereign King established the parameters of his relationship with his people. Though the Ten Commandments must be understood in their unique original redemptive and covenantal context, we have seen that their substance is ultimately a reflection of God\u2019s eternal moral law which continues to apply to believers today. Like so much of the Old Testament revelation, the Ten Commandments can only be fully understood through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, it should not surprise us that Jesus gave the best summary of the heart of these commandments when he responded to the question, \u201cTeacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?\u201d (Matt. 22:36), by replying:<\/p>\n
\u201cLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u201d This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: \u201cLove your neighbor as yourself.\u201d All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matt. 22:37\u201340)<\/p>\n
But the greatest gift that Jesus gave to his people was not his exegesis and distillation of the law; rather, it was his own perfect life lived in fulfillment of that law on our behalf. This is something Moses could not have done on behalf of his people. It is important for us to remember that our redemption was secured not only through Jesus\u2019 death on the cross, but also through the righteous life that he lived upon this earth. Jesus lived for our salvation as much as he died for it. Without the life and death of Jesus, the law that came through Moses could only bring condemnation and death to us. But by Jesus\u2019 perfect obedience imputed to us and by his perfect sacrificial death on our behalf, Jesus accomplished what the law never could\u2014he made his people righteous and holy:<\/p>\n
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3\u20134)<\/p>\n
Moses was the human vessel that God chose to communicate his law to his people, but Jesus was the one who fulfilled that law, both in meaning and in practice. The law that was given through Moses could only bring death, but the law fulfilled by Jesus brings life and liberty. This is perhaps the greatest contrast between these two mediators. As the apostle John reminds us, \u201cFor the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ\u201d (John 1:17).<\/p>\n
THE TABERNACLE<\/p>\n
Though the Ten Commandments usually garner most of our theological reflection and attention when it comes to the giving of God\u2019s law, we should not forget that the commands and instructions God provided to his people at Sinai extended beyond the Ten Commandments. It is easy to forget that in the remainder of the book of Exodus, from chapter 19 forward, Israel remains encamped around Sinai. There was much more that God wanted to teach them than what is contained in the Ten Commandments, some of which is itemized in Exodus 20\u201323. The most significant additional area that God addressed was how his people should worship him. The bulk of this instruction was focused upon the construction of the tabernacle. As with the Ten Commandments, God mediated these lessons through his servant Moses.
\nThe tabernacle demonstrates a powerful and wonderful aspect of God\u2019s covenantal relationship with his people. God promised to be with his people\u2014and not merely in an abstract way. God promised his very presence to his people. At the core of God\u2019s covenant promise is not only that he will be our God and we his people, but also that he will \u201cwalk among\u201d us (Lev. 26:12). God promised Israel that he would dwell among them.
\nBut there was a basic problem that God faced in fulfilling that promise and that problem was us. There was a time when God could dwell with humans because we were created without sin. Thus, we see God walking amid the garden with Adam and Eve. But after the fall, this all changed. Israel was certainly not without sin. But God found a way to dwell with his people by building a tabernacle, a tent where he could meet with Israel. God shared his plans for the tabernacle with Moses (Ex. 25\u201330) and he gave very detailed instructions regarding its construction (Ex. 35\u201340).<\/p>\n
Regulated by God<\/p>\n
As we saw with the Second Commandment, in providing plans for the tabernacle God was once again demonstrating that he regulates how he is to be worshipped. God gave Moses very specific instructions regarding how the people were to approach him in worship. In other words, God regulated his own worship. As Graeme Goldsworthy notes, \u201cNo detail in the construction of the tent and its contents is left to the imagination of the people, for they are completely dependent upon the revelation of God for knowledge of their relationship to him.\u201d5<\/p>\n
Involving His People<\/p>\n
Although God devised the plans for the construction of the tabernacle, he did call his people to share in and contribute to its actual construction. First, the people were called upon to contribute materials necessary for the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:1\u20137). When Moses brought this requirement to the people (Ex. 35:4\u20139), they responded in great faithfulness and generosity (Ex. 35:20\u201327). In fact, the people responded with such generosity that they actually gave more than was necessary (Ex. 36:3\u20137).
\nA second way in which God enlisted his people in the construction of the tabernacle was his call for the employment of specific skilled craftsmen (Ex. 31:1\u201311). Two men were set apart by God for particular recognition, Bezalel and Oholiab (Ex. 31:3). These two men displayed particular skill and their gifts were used by God in completing the tabernacle (Ex. 35:34).<\/p>\n
Central to Israel\u2019s Life<\/p>\n
By God\u2019s design, the tabernacle was placed in the center of the camp with the twelve tribes situated around it. The centrality of the tabernacle to the life of Israel was purposeful. The tabernacle was a constant reminder to Israel that God was to be at the center of their lives.
\nThe physical construction of the tabernacle also reminded Israel of the holiness of God and their need of mediation to approach to him. The tabernacle served to distinguish between the holy and the common. For example, the tabernacle was surrounded by a fence which served to create an inner courtyard. This reminded the Israelites that they did not have unfettered access to God because of their sinfulness. Another reminder of their sinfulness was the fact that an altar was present inside the courtyard and that a priest would have to mediate for the people. The people could only have access to God through sacrifice and through his appointed priesthood.
\nThe inside of the tabernacle only served to further emphasize God\u2019s holiness. The basic structure of the interior of the tabernacle included a division, separated by a veil, between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The Most Holy Place was where the ark of the covenant resided. The ark was, in essence, God\u2019s throne, or perhaps better stated, his footstool (see Ps. 99:1\u20135). Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and then only once a year. The high priest also was required to make careful preparation before entering the Most Holy Place.
\nThe tabernacle was a constant physical lesson to Israel. As Graeme Goldsworthy writes, \u201cEverything about this structure speaks of three great truths: God wills to dwell among his people and to meet with them; sin separates people from God; and God provides a way of reconciliation through sacrifice and the mediatorial office of the priest.\u201d6 The tabernacle spoke volumes to God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
The True Tabernacle<\/p>\n
Of course, the greatest function that the tabernacle served was in foreshadowing the ultimate dwelling of God with men through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. As John declares in his Gospel, \u201cThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth\u201d (John 1:14). The word translated \u201cdwelling\u201d in this verse is related to the concept of tent or tabernacle. Jesus became the tabernacle par excellence. Later in Israel\u2019s history, after they settled in the land of promise, the tabernacle was replaced with a fixed temple. Jesus also fulfills this imagery and directly connects his own body to the temple (John 2:19).
\nBut the connections between Jesus and the Old Testament tabernacle do not end with his incarnation. The New Testament also teaches us that the veil that denied access to the Most Holy Place was torn during the crucifixion of Jesus (Matt. 27:51). In other words, Jesus, through his sacrificial death, removed the barrier between God and sinner (Heb. 9). Jesus also replaces the sacrifice that was required in the tabernacle and the priesthood that mediated on behalf of the people (Heb. 4:14).
\nIf all of this were not marvelous enough, Jesus fulfills the covenant promise of dwelling with us even after his resurrection and ascension. Prior to ascending, Jesus promised his church the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through his redemptive work on our behalf, the people of God actually have the privilege of being God\u2019s dwelling place. Jesus made it possible for his people to be the tabernacle or temple of God. Thus, Paul urges the saints at Corinth toward holiness by these words:<\/p>\n
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Cor. 6:19\u201320)<\/p>\n
Jesus is Emmanuel. He is God with us. God first demonstrated this reality to his people through the construction of the tabernacle and he fully revealed it to them through the tent of the flesh of his Son.<\/p>\n
THE LAW AND TABERNACLE COALESCE IN CHRIST<\/p>\n
After surveying the magnitude and significance of the giving of God\u2019s law and the construction of the tabernacle, we can understand why Moses is regarded as the greatest among the Old Testament figures. God gave his law through Moses and he gave the plans for the tabernacle through Moses. Moses mediated these realities to the people of God. What an extraordinary privilege!
\nBut Moses\u2019 privilege was not ultimately found in his role of mediator. His great privilege was that he was truly a preacher of Jesus Christ. While he was not fully aware of this service, he was ultimately pointing to Christ when he shared the law with Israel and when he worked on the tabernacle. For, as we have seen, the law and the tabernacle coalesce in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus exegetes, clarifies, and expands on the meaning of the law. Even more importantly, he actually fulfills it through his active obedience. In addition, Jesus becomes the fulfillment of God\u2019s promise to dwell among his people by \u201ctabernacling\u201d among us. It is Jesus who now resides in the center of our lives and serves as a constant reminder to his people of God\u2019s holiness, their need of a mediator, and their glorious redemption from bondage to sin.<\/p>\n
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION<\/p>\n
1. When Israel arrived at Mount Sinai, Moses made three ascents to the top of the mountain. What do we learn about God and his relationship to his people from each of these ascents?<\/p>\n
2. What does the prologue to the Ten Commandments reveal about the role of the law in God\u2019s relationship with his people?<\/p>\n
3. What is the core teaching of each of the first five commandments?<\/p>\n
4. What distinction can be drawn between the first five commandments and commandments six through ten?<\/p>\n
5. Do the Ten Commandments continue to apply to the lives of New Testament believers? Can you find New Testament support for each commandment? Are there are differences with regard to how we relate to the Ten Commandments and how Old Testament Israel related to them?<\/p>\n
6. What three spiritual lessons are taught by the structure and location of the tabernacle?<\/p>\n
7. Who is the true tabernacle of God? How does this reality relate to us?<\/p>\n
8. How do the law and tabernacle coalesce in the person and work of Jesus Christ?<\/p>\n
CHAPTER TEN<\/p>\n
FROM IDOLATRY TO GLORY<\/p>\n
Exodus 32\u201334<\/p>\n
Sometimes life can feel like an emotional roller coaster. We can be in the midst of experiencing the heights of joy over some wonderful news only to soon find ourselves plummeting to the valley of discouragement. Of course, it often works in the exact opposite direction as well; we are stuck in a valley of discouragement and then something happens which lifts us to new heights. Moses\u2019 life, like our own lives, included both types of experiences.
\nAs we have seen, Moses began his young adulthood on a great high as a son in Pharaoh\u2019s house, but he soon plummeted to a new low when he fled from Egypt as a fugitive after killing the Egyptian man. But now we find Moses experiencing the exact opposite. In this chapter, we will see Moses at a new low of discouragement regarding the people of Israel, but then he is lifted up to extraordinary heights by God\u2019s self-revelation. We will see Moses\u2019 journey from the low of Israel\u2019s idolatry to the height of God\u2019s glory.<\/p>\n
THE GOLDEN CALF<\/p>\n
As we saw in the previous chapter, God brought the nation of Israel to Mount Sinai to enter into covenant with them. That covenant relationship was predicated on God\u2019s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. As Israel\u2019s King, God set forth stipulations of his relationship with Israel which find their most succinct expression in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20). As we come to Exodus 32, Moses is once again ascending the mountain to meet with God. The purpose of Moses\u2019 visit was to bring down the tablets of the law. Israel was on the cusp of receiving a written affirmation of their covenant with God. This was meant to be a high point in their history. Unfortunately, it soon turned into what is arguably Israel\u2019s lowest spiritual moment.
\nWhat led to this spiritual low? The people simply grew impatient. In their opinion, Moses was taking too long. Where was he? They grew restless. Then they found Aaron and surrounded him and declared, \u201cCome, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don\u2019t know what has happened to him\u201d (Ex. 32:1). One would have expected that Aaron would have chastised the Israelites for making such a request. After all, such an act would be a violation of at least the first two of the Ten Commandments. But Aaron provided no resistance. He caved in to the pressure of the masses gathered around him and stated, \u201cTake off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me\u201d (Ex. 32:2).
\nAfter gathering the gold from the people, Aaron fashioned it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it they proclaimed, \u201cThese are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt\u201d (Ex. 32:4). Aaron proclaimed that a feast would be held on the following day and the next day the people \u201csat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry\u201d (Ex. 32:5\u20136). Israel was having a feast to the idol they had made.
\nWhile Israel\u2019s deeds were unknown to Moses, they were fully known to God. God revealed to Moses what the people were doing:<\/p>\n
Then the LORD said to Moses, \u201cGo down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, \u2018These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 32:7\u20138)<\/p>\n
He then pronounced his desire to punish Israel:<\/p>\n
\u201cI have seen these people,\u201d the LORD said to Moses, \u201cand they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.\u201d (Ex. 32:9\u201310)<\/p>\n
God was ready to dispense with Israel and start over again.<\/p>\n
A MAN OF MERCY<\/p>\n
One might think that Moses would have taken this opportunity to concur with God\u2019s judgment against Israel. After all, these people had continually rebelled and grumbled against him! Didn\u2019t they fully deserve God\u2019s wrath? They were breaking the very covenant that Moses was planning on bringing to them on the tablets of stone. But Moses did not call for Israel\u2019s demise; rather, he interceded on her behalf:<\/p>\n
But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. \u201cLORD,\u201d he said, \u201cwhy should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, \u2018It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth\u2019? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: \u2018I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 32:11\u201313)<\/p>\n
Moses pleaded for mercy for his people and the manner in which he made this plea not only reflects his spiritual maturity, but also serves as a continuing pattern for prayer.
\nGod had offered Moses a most attractive alternative of starting over with a new nation with Moses as its appointed leader. This offer was both a condemnation of Israel and an affirmation of Moses. But when Moses launches into his intercession on Israel\u2019s behalf, he does not focus on either himself or Israel, instead he focuses on God\u2019s glory. He explains to God that the destruction of Israel would allow Egypt to question his deeds and to sully his reputation. Moses\u2019 concern was not for himself or his own glory; his concern was not even for the safety of the people he had been leading. His concern was for preserving and protecting the name of God. He was fulfilling the Third Commandment. Our prayers should always begin with a focus on the glory of God\u2019s name and character and not our own glory and needs.
\nMoses also based his plea not on any good thing he had done, but rather, solely upon God\u2019s revealed will and promises. Moses asked God to remember the covenant promises that he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. He set his plea upon the bedrock of God\u2019s covenant and his self-attesting oath to bring Israel to the land of promise. Our prayers should always be offered based on our covenant relationship with God and our requests couched within the context of God\u2019s promises to us.
\nWhile the golden calf incident was certainly a low point for Israel, it was for Moses one of his most exemplary moments. Here Moses displayed the heart of a mediator as he interceded on behalf of sinful Israel. He offered a selfless prayer focused on preserving God\u2019s glory. He endeavored to turn God\u2019s wrath to peace, and God accepted Moses\u2019 efforts: \u201cThen the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened\u201d (Ex. 32:14).1 Of course, we must remember that God is the ultimate source of mercy in this account. God could have exercised his judgment upon Israel without involving Moses, but God purposefully involved Moses to allow him the opportunity to intercede on behalf of his people. While God was the ultimate source of Israel\u2019s salvation, Moses\u2019 actions should not be diminished. Moses was faithful to his calling as mediator and was instrumental in saving his nation from utter ruin. Moses showed himself to be a man of mercy.<\/p>\n
A MAN IN CHARGE<\/p>\n
Moses\u2019 efforts to secure mercy for Israel did not mean he was not upset with the scandalous behavior of the Israelites. The Bible declares that when Moses actually saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it, \u201chis anger burned\u201d (Ex. 32:19). More than that, Moses was so upset that he threw the tablets out of his hands; they crashed to the ground and broke into pieces. This action was more than a mere expression of frustration on Moses\u2019 part; it was an act of legal significance, similar to the tearing up of a modern contract. Israel had broken God\u2019s covenant.
\nBut Moses was not finished displaying his indignation over Israel\u2019s idolatry. After throwing the tablets to the ground, he then took the golden calf and ground it to a powder. He mixed the ground up remains of the calf with water and made the Israelites drink it (Ex. 32:20). He then confronted Aaron and angrily inquired, \u201cWhat did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?\u201d (Ex. 32:21). After confronting Aaron, Moses next dealt with the people by ascertaining those whose allegiance was with God. He stood at the entrance of the camp and he stated, \u201cWhoever is for the LORD, come to me\u201d (Ex. 32:26). The Levites quickly rallied to Moses.
\nBut not everyone chose to serve the Lord that day. Moses was then faced with a difficult task. There were certain people in the camp who would not repent of their sin of idolatry. Moses needed to act decisively to rid the camp of this sin. He enlisted the Levites to preserve the holiness of God\u2019s people and commanded them to kill all those who had not rallied to the side of the Lord. Scripture states that about three thousand people died that day, and some of them were the family members and neighbors of the Levites who were executing the sentence (Ex. 32:28).
\nThis is admittedly a difficult text for us to understand in a twenty-first-century context. It strikes us as a harsh punishment for three thousand people to die for idolatry. Why was this slaughter necessary? We must remember that the issue at hand here was a blatant violation of the first three commandments. The problem here was sin. Those who were slain failed to love exclusively the one true God, had created an idol, and were failing to revere God\u2019s name. Sometimes we simply take sin too lightly. The Scriptures are clear that the wages of sin\u2014of any and all sin, no matter how small or large\u2014is death (Rom. 6:23). Israel was called to be a pure and holy people exclusively set apart to God; the presence of idolaters among them made this impossible. Through their blatant sin, they had earned its wages.
\nAs new covenant believers, we likely see this incident as harsh, but we should be careful to remember that though such forms of punishment for idolatry are not prescribed in the new covenant era, the underlying antithesis between believer and nonbeliever continues with us today. Much like Old Testament Israel, the new covenant church cannot tolerate idolatry, and its officers and leaders must eliminate it. We don\u2019t use swords like the Levites, but we do use the power of church discipline to preserve the holiness of God\u2019s people. We must remember that Jesus issued a similar rallying call of allegiance in Matthew 12:30: \u201cWhoever is not with me is against me.\u201d There is no middle ground when it comes to our allegiance to God. We are either with him or against him.
\nWhile the slaying of the idolaters remains difficult for us to fully understand, it does demonstrate the leadership skills of Moses. He had pleaded for mercy for those who had committed the sin of idolatry but were repentant. However, when it came to the unrepentant, Moses took action that preserved God\u2019s name and Israel\u2019s holy calling. Here we see Moses taking charge and making the hard decisions required of a leader of a holy people.
\nMoses did what he had to do. He displayed an appropriate righteous anger over what the Israelites had done. By doing so Moses foreshadowed the righteous anger of Jesus as he turned over the tables of the moneychangers in the temple (Matt. 21:12). He confronted Aaron on his failure of leadership. He confronted Israel regarding its sin. He called the people to serve the Lord, and he dealt with those who would not ally themselves with God. He demonstrated that he could mete out judgment as well as mercy. Through his decisive actions Moses showed that he was a man in charge.<\/p>\n
A MAN LIKE CHRIST<\/p>\n
The day after the three thousand had died, Moses addressed the people again. He continued his skilled leadership by confronting Israel once again for their sin, but also informing them that he would attempt to intercede on their behalf. \u201cThe next day Moses said to the people, \u2018You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin\u2019\u00a0\u201d (Ex. 32:30).
\nMoses once again ascended the mountain and spoke with the Lord. Previously, Moses had stayed God\u2019s hand of judgment by pleading for mercy. He had based that plea on God\u2019s covenant promises made to the patriarchs. This time Moses took his efforts of intercession a step further and even personalized them:<\/p>\n
So Moses went back to the LORD and said, \u201cOh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin\u2014but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.\u201d (Ex. 32:32)<\/p>\n
Moses offers his own life to secure God\u2019s forgiveness and in this moment he foreshadows brilliantly the person and work of Jesus Christ.
\nMoses had been rejected by Israel, yet he was willing to give himself for her. God, of course, did not require this of Moses. He forgave Israel\u2019s sin and Moses remained Israel\u2019s leader. But Moses\u2019 offer points us to Jesus. Like Moses, Jesus was widely rejected by his own people. They had once worshipped him as the coming Messiah, placing palm branches of victory in his path in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But they quickly turned against him and demanded his crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate. Upon the cross, Jesus showed compassion on the very people who had demanded his crucifixion. \u201cFather, forgive them, for they do not know what they do\u201d (Luke 23:34).
\nBoth Moses and Jesus were willing to give their lives for the sins of God\u2019s people, but the major difference was that the offering that Jesus made was efficacious in all respects. Moses\u2019 offer, while displaying the heart of a mediator, could not atone for the sin of God\u2019s chosen people. In stark contrast, Jesus\u2019 offering of himself was fully efficacious to atone for the sin of God\u2019s chosen people. Moses\u2019 heart was in the right place; he simply lacked the requisite righteousness to satisfy God\u2019s holy standard.
\nIn the account of Israel\u2019s sin of idolatry with the golden calf, we witness Moses at his best. Here Moses serves as a merciful mediator and just leader. He mixes together judgment and mercy in just the right proportions. He is even willing to give himself to secure the protection of his people. Of course, what we really witness here is Moses fulfilling his greatest role of typifying and foreshadowing Jesus and his work. Moses was a man like Christ.<\/p>\n
DESIRING TO SEE HIS GLORY<\/p>\n
After the disaster of the golden calf, Moses must have been both physically exhausted and spiritually discouraged. He had just witnessed the fickleness of God\u2019s people and the consequences of idolatry. Israel\u2019s idolatry had a profound impact on Moses and also on God\u2019s relationship with his people. The beginning of Exodus 33 reveals that because of Israel\u2019s idolatry God decided to withdraw his presence from his people. God ordered Moses to establish a \u201ctent of meeting\u201d outside the camp of Israel so that God could meet with Moses and be separated from the Israelites (Ex. 33:7).
\nThis tent of meeting was a place that demarcated God\u2019s separation from his people, who had made their camp unclean by their idolatry. For the people of Israel, the tent of meeting resulted in a loss of intimacy with God, but for Moses the experience was quite the opposite. Moses continued to meet with God with increasing intimacy during this time. Scripture references this intimacy in Exodus 33:11: \u201cThe LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.\u201d The golden calf incident caused a clear rift between God and his people, but Moses was God\u2019s loyal servant and friend. God was distancing himself from Israel, but growing closer to Moses.<\/p>\n
THE DESIRE OF MOSES\u2019 HEART<\/p>\n
It is during these visits with God at the tent of meeting that we get an incredibly revealing glimpse into Moses\u2019 heart. In some ways, Moses revisited his encounter with God in the wilderness where, at the burning bush, he inquired after God\u2019s name and God revealed himself to Moses as \u201cI AM.\u201d At that point, Moses needed the reassurance that he could carry out the task of returning to his people and be their leader. He needed to know more about God and he begged for God\u2019s self-revelation. God granted it.
\nNow Moses was bearing the full weight of his leadership of Israel. He had witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of Israel\u2019s initial wanderings in the wilderness. They had traversed far, but were still not in the land of promise (and he did not yet know that it would take them another forty years to get there). Now Moses was alone again in the wilderness with God. He was longing for a deeper knowledge of God. He again yearned for God to reveal himself in a powerful way:<\/p>\n
Moses said to the LORD, \u201cYou have been telling me, \u2018Lead these people,\u2019 but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, \u2018I know you by name and you have found favor with me.\u2019 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.\u201d (Ex. 33:12\u201313)<\/p>\n
Moses wanted more of God. He wanted to understand what God was doing and to peer into his plans. He also wanted to make sure that God would be with him as he led the people to the land of promise.
\nGod responded by promising that his presence would go with Moses and the people (Ex. 33:14). This must have greatly reassured Moses, because he now understood that without God\u2019s presence his efforts would fail. God promised that he would do everything Moses asked because he was pleased with Moses and knew him by name.
\nIt was at this moment of deep intimacy that Moses made his boldest request of God. He not only wanted God\u2019s presence to be with Israel, but he also wanted to experience God\u2019s presence on a personal level and in a unique way. Moses said to God, \u201cNow show me your glory\u201d (Ex. 33:18).
\nWhat exactly did Moses want to see? After all, he had seen the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptians. What more did he need? But Moses did not ask to see God\u2019s power here. He had seen that sure enough. He wanted to see God\u2019s glory. He wanted to experience the weightiness of God. He wanted to experience fully the splendor of God\u2019s presence on a personal level. He was begging God for a unique form of self-disclosure and self-revelation. He was asking God for something that God had not granted to any human since the garden of Eden. He wanted full and unfettered access to the resplendent glory of God! This was the desire of Moses\u2019 heart.<\/p>\n
GOD\u2019S GRACIOUS ACCOMMODATION<\/p>\n
What Moses was asking for was a wonderful thing and it reflected where his heart was spiritually. He wanted more of God. He wanted to know God. These were commendable desires. There was only one problem\u2014if God granted Moses\u2019 request it would have killed Moses. God explained to Moses:<\/p>\n
\u201cI will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,\u201d he said, \u201cyou cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.\u201d (Ex. 33:19\u201320)<\/p>\n
God could not allow Moses to have what he desired, but he promised him all the glory he could grant Moses to see without killing him:<\/p>\n
Then the LORD said, \u201cThere is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.\u201d (Ex. 33:21\u201323)<\/p>\n
God promised Moses a glimpse of his glory and beauty.<\/p>\n
SEEING THE GLORY OF GOD<\/p>\n
The fulfillment of God\u2019s promise to Moses occurs in Exodus 34. This chapter is in many ways a recapitulation of Exodus 19\u201320 and the original giving of the law at Sinai. Moses once again ascends Mount Sinai to receive the two tablets of the law. During this meeting God reveals himself to Moses:<\/p>\n
Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, \u201cThe LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.\u201d (Ex. 34:5\u20137)<\/p>\n
God\u2019s revelation was twofold. First, he revealed his glory in a physical manner by passing in front of Moses. Moses could see God\u2019s veiled glory. But there was more than just seeing here. God also spoke to Moses. He revealed his glory through sight and sound. God\u2019s voice spoke to Moses and shared words which express the very heart of God\u2019s character, much like the \u201cI am\u201d declaration of Exodus 3:13\u201315. The revelation of God\u2019s covenant character as being a compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, and forgiving God is just as profound as the \u201cI AM\u201d declaration. The words that God spoke as he passed in front of Moses reveal so much about God\u2019s character and nature that they are repeated numerous times throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Pss. 103:8, 17; 145:8; Jer. 32:18\u201319; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). Moses both saw and heard God\u2019s glory.
\nThis revelation left Moses fundamentally changed. Something profound had occurred on that day. This was reflected in Moses\u2019 own appearance. When he descended from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, his face was visibly radiant (Ex. 34:29). When the people saw this they were afraid to even approach Moses (Ex. 34:30). Moses had seen and heard the glory of God and he was transfigured by it.<\/p>\n
UPON ANOTHER MOUNT<\/p>\n
Like so many experiences in Moses\u2019 life, this episode also serves to point us to the one greater than Moses. Moses desired unfettered access to God and to see his full glory, but Moses could not see that because he was a sinner. His heart was in the right place, but he was simply incapable of dwelling in the unveiled presence of a holy God. He desired an intimacy that he could not have. Jesus, on the other hand, does experience this type of intimacy as part of the communion of the triune God. Jesus as the mediator of a new and better covenant sits at the very right hand of God. As the eternal Son of God and as the Son of Man, Jesus fully experiences the glory of God. Something Moses could never do during his days in Israel.
\nBut the distinction between Jesus and Moses is even greater on this point. For Jesus not only experiences the full glory of God, he also inherently possesses this glory as a member of the Godhead. Moses\u2019 face may have been made radiant by the glory of God, but this was wholly a derivative experience. Moses was reflecting God\u2019s glory. The glory of Jesus is inherent. It is his glory. Jesus is the glory of God. As the writer to the Hebrews proclaims, \u201cThe Son is the radiance of God\u2019s glory and the exact representation of his being\u201d (Heb. 1:3).
\nIn the New Testament, at the Mount of Transfiguration, we witness a parallel experience to what occurred in Exodus 34. In this incident, Jesus, like Moses, ascended a mountain where the light of God\u2019s glory was visible and God\u2019s voice was heard. Jesus\u2019 face \u201cshone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light\u201d (Matt. 17:2). God\u2019s voice boomed in affirmation and love for his Son, \u201cThis is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!\u201d (Matt. 17:5). But Jesus was not alone on that mountain. Two men were seen with him\u2014Elijah and Moses.
\nWhile Moses must have been awed by his experience on Mount Sinai when he saw God\u2019s glory and his face was radiant, this was really nothing compared to the privilege that God gave Moses at the Mount of Transfiguration. For there on that latter mountain Moses saw the full glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The amazing thing for us is that we, as believers, all have the privilege of seeing God\u2019s glory as revealed through the person, work, and word of Jesus Christ. \u201cThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth\u201d (John 1:14).<\/p>\n
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION<\/p>\n
1. Why did Israel demand the golden calf?<\/p>\n
2. What three things do we learn about Moses\u2019 character from how he responded to the incident of the golden calf?<\/p>\n
3. What was the desire of Moses\u2019 heart? What did this reveal about his relationship with God?<\/p>\n
4. How did God accommodate Moses\u2019 desire? What does this reveal about God and his relationship with Moses?<\/p>\n
5. How does the Mount of Transfiguration relate to Moses\u2019 desire to see the glory of God?<\/p>\n
EPILOGUE<\/p>\n
The Story of Continues<\/p>\n
As we have seen, the life of Moses, as revealed in the pages of the book of Exodus, was certainly extraordinary. Moses began his life under a death sentence. He was raised a prince in Pharaoh\u2019s house. He became a fugitive after his murder of the Egyptian. He spent forty years in the desert working as a shepherd. He became God\u2019s mediator. As God\u2019s servant, he pronounced the plagues upon Egypt, faced the army of Pharaoh head on, and oversaw God\u2019s parting of the Red Sea. Moses led his people through the wilderness, heard their grumbling, and watched God provide for them with water, manna, and quail. He ascended Mount Sinai and spoke with God. He ate with God. He received and declared the law of God. He saw the idolatry of Israel and the veiled glory of God. What a remarkable life!
\nBut the story of Moses does not end with the closing of the book of Exodus. His story continues throughout the remainder of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. While an exhaustive examination of Moses\u2019 life revealed in these books is beyond the scope of this work, some brief highlighting of what occurred in the remainder of his life is warranted if we are to grasp the full nature of his story.<\/p>\n
MUTINY IN THE DESERT (NUMBERS 12)<\/p>\n
Moses was always dealing with some complaint against his leadership. We have already seen how the Israelites grumbled and complained against him, particularly during the wilderness wanderings. These personal attacks against him must have been painful for Moses. Anyone who has ever had a leadership position knows the pain of such criticisms and rejections.
\nBut while criticism and rejection is difficult to take in general, it is particularly acute if the attack comes from someone close to you. Moses experienced this type of personal attack in his life. He was the target of a conspiracy against his leadership that was hatched by his sister Miriam and embraced by his brother Aaron.
\nThe conspiracy was birthed in Miriam\u2019s resentment of Moses\u2019 wife, Zipporah. Zipporah was the daughter of the priest Jethro. She was not a Hebrew. She was also a very strong-willed and powerful woman. One only need read the account of how she took charge and circumcised Moses\u2019 sons when he had not done so (Ex. 4:24\u201326) to understand her character.
\nZipporah had not been with Moses during the Exodus, but met up with him as he was approaching Sinai, and her arrival threatened Miriam. Before Zipporah came on the scene, Miriam had been the undisputed leader among the women of Israel. Zipporah threatened that claim.
\nWe must remember that Miriam had some reasons to expect to be in a privileged status. In addition to being Moses\u2019 sister, she had been integral to the preservation of Moses\u2019 life as a child, served alongside Moses and Aaron during the wilderness wanderings, and led the women in song after the victory at the Red Sea. But she could not control her jealousy and this led her to hatch a conspiracy against Moses.
\nMiriam conspired with her brother Aaron to challenge Moses\u2019 faithfulness for having married a non-Hebrew woman, something which Hebrews were forbidden to do. Zipporah was a Cushite. Miriam clearly instigated this conspiracy, which is evidenced by the fact that her name appears first in the biblical description of the conspiracy: \u201cMiriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite\u201d (Num. 12:1). In Numbers 12:2, we see clearly the jealousy of Miriam and Aaron against Moses: \u201c\u00a0\u2018Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?\u2019 they asked. \u2018Hasn\u2019t he also spoken through us?\u2019\u00a0\u201d
\nGod quickly nipped this conspiracy in the bud by summoning Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to appear before him (Num. 12:4). There God defended the authority of Moses. God declared the special role that only Moses possessed: \u201cWith him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?\u201d (Num. 12:8).
\nGod punished Miriam by striking her with leprosy (Num. 12:10), but amazingly Moses interceded on her behalf. He cried out, \u201cPlease, God, heal her!\u201d (Num. 12:13). God responded to Moses\u2019 intercession by changing Miriam\u2019s punishment from leprosy to being exiled from the camp for seven days (Num. 12:14).
\nThis challenge against Moses from his own family members must have struck a blow to his heart. It must have been extraordinarily painful. But both the experience of this betrayal and his reaction to it reveal how Christlike he had become. First, like Jesus, Moses experienced betrayal within his inner circle. Jesus would later experience this type of betrayal, on a much larger scale, from Judas. Like Miriam, Judas was in the inner circle and shared the table with Jesus. Moses\u2019 experience with Miriam foreshadows the betrayal Christ would endure at the hand of Judas.
\nBut Moses\u2019 response to this betrayal also reveals his Christlikeness. He loved his enemies. He graciously interceded on Miriam\u2019s behalf and saved her from the scourge of leprosy. This displays the maturity of Moses\u2019 heart. Like Jesus, he forgave those who were enemies. Even in the midst of a mutiny against him, Moses showed himself a worthy servant and a faithful mediator.<\/p>\n
A LESSON FORGOTTEN (NUMBERS 20)<\/p>\n
One of Moses\u2019 early failings was his pride. That was most clearly evident in his murdering of the Egyptian man who was attacking one of his Hebrew brothers. We saw how this act displayed that Moses was forcing God\u2019s timing regarding Moses\u2019 role as leader of Israel and appropriating the prerogatives of God to himself. It took Moses forty years in the desert to have that prideful attitude removed. After his time in the desert, Moses emerged as a much more humble servant.
\nBut Moses\u2019 bouts with pride were not over. Later in life, as Israel neared entering the land of promise, he repeated some of his early mistakes and it cost him dearly. The most profound example of this resurgence of pride in Moses is the incident regarding water coming from a rock.
\nNumbers 20 recounts another occurrence of Israel grumbling against Moses because of the lack of water. A parallel, but distinct, event occurred earlier in Moses\u2019 life (Ex. 17:1\u20137). Now the Israelites were at it again.<\/p>\n
If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD\u2019s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink! (Num. 20:3\u20135)<\/p>\n
Moses had grown accustomed to this type of complaining and he knew where to take the needs of the people. He and Aaron approached God at the tabernacle to seek his assistance. God responded to their request and instructed Moses as follows: \u201cTake the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink\u201d (Num. 20:8).
\nMoses and Aaron assembled Israel together to once again display for them the power and provision of the Lord. But Moses made a crucial mistake. He likely made it in frustration and haste, but he made it nonetheless. You can feel his displeasure and frustration with the people of Israel in the way he addressed them, \u201cListen, you rebels\u201d (Num. 20:10). But then, as he continued, he made his great mistake, \u201cMust we bring you water out of this rock?\u201d (Num. 20:10). And then he struck the rock twice with his rod (Num. 20:11).
\nAlthough scholars have debated the exact nature of Moses\u2019 sin here, it seems that the core of his error was in appropriating to himself that which was exclusively attributable to God. Perhaps we have a hint of this in his use of the plural pronoun \u201cwe\u201d in Numbers 20:10, whereby Moses includes himself in the same class as God. But we clearly see him overstepping his bounds by failing to follow God\u2019s explicit instructions. God told Moses to \u201cspeak to the rock,\u201d but Moses instead decided to strike the rock twice.
\nMoses once again allowed his pride to lead him to presume too much. He ignored God\u2019s precise instructions and substituted in its place his own interpretation. Old Testament scholar Martin Emmrich summarizes well the core of Moses\u2019 sin in this account; \u201cMoses\u2019 sin consisted in failing to glorify God by performing the miracle precisely according to Yahweh\u2019s instructions.\u201d1 This really is at the heart of every sin from the sin of our first parents right down to every sin we commit today. It is the sin of autonomy whereby we substitute our own judgment in the place of God\u2019s judgment and replace God\u2019s ultimate authority with our own.
\nBecause this sin was so grave, God declared an equally grave punishment upon Moses. \u201cBecause you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them\u201d (Num. 20:12). God prohibited Moses from entering the land of promise. Some may think this an overly harsh judgment against Moses, perhaps viewing it as out of proportion to the crime, particularly given Moses\u2019 many years of faithful service. But we must remember the unique role Moses had and his access to God. The words of Leviticus 10:3, which God declared through Moses and Aaron, come to mind: \u201cAmong those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.\u201d Moses failed to do this and he paid dearly for it.
\nThis sin of Moses serves an important role in regard to Moses\u2019 relationship to Jesus Christ. It is much like that of David\u2019s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. These sins in the lives of such great Old Testament figures serve to distinguish them from Jesus Christ. Moses was a great mediator and prophet and David was a great king, but they both were sinners like you and me. Only Jesus, as our prophet, priest, and king, can also serve as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Unlike Moses and David, Jesus was without sin and never failed to honor his Father or keep his Word. Jesus never substituted his will for that of his Father; his cry was always, \u201cNot my will, but yours be done\u201d (Luke 22:42).<\/p>\n
A SUCCESSION PLAN (NUMBERS 27)<\/p>\n
The final part of Moses\u2019 story flows directly from his grave sin against God recorded in Numbers 20. Because Moses could not enter the land of promise, a new leader was needed to complete this task. Moses understood this need.
\nIn Numbers 27, God told Moses to climb a mountain so that he could see the land of promise that he could not enter (Num. 27:12). God again explained to Moses why he was prohibited from entering with the people. At this point, Moses did not complain or plead his case. Instead, like a great leader would, he voiced concern over who would succeed him in leadership:<\/p>\n
May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD\u2019s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd. (Num. 27:16\u201317)<\/p>\n
Moses\u2019 concern was not for himself, but for the people.
\nSuccession planning is a major concern for most businesses. It often goes very poorly. In my own experience in the legal world, I have seen many succession disasters. Most of these disasters occurred because there really was no succession plan. The reason for the absence of the plan is that the person who was to be succeeded simply wasn\u2019t able to be selfless; he or she was too focused on his or her own self-importance and financial interests rather than on the needs of the firm. Moses wasn\u2019t like that. He could have been and we all would have understood his hurt feelings, but he simply wasn\u2019t like that. His sole concern was for the people of Israel, the very same people who had constantly criticized his leadership.
\nGod heard Moses\u2019 cry for succession and he provided Joshua to succeed him (Num. 27:18). God then provided instructions on how to anoint Joshua as Moses\u2019 successor (Num. 27:18\u201321). This time Moses followed God\u2019s word to the letter. \u201cMoses did as the LORD commanded him\u201d (Num. 27:22).
\nTo me the end of Moses\u2019 life and ministry is one of his best and most glorious moments. He ended well. He set aside his personal pride and glory and sought only the best for his people and to fulfill the will of the Lord. In doing so, Moses once again foreshadowed the Lord Jesus. Recall Moses\u2019 concern for his people; he was concerned that they have a leader \u201cso the LORD\u2019s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd\u201d (Num. 27:17). Jesus had a similar concern for the lost. He gives voice to this in Matthew 9:36: \u201cWhen he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.\u201d Likewise, Jesus had a concern for the whole church being without his direct earthly presence in the wake of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Accordingly, Jesus provided his people with the Holy Spirit so that we would not be like sheep without a shepherd. The heart of leadership according to the Scriptures is service. Jesus, of course, is the example of this par excellence. Jesus displayed servant leadership throughout his ministry, from his incarnation, to his washing of the disciples\u2019 feet, to his very death on the cross. But Moses also understood servant leadership and in his succession fulfilled the words of Philippians 2:1\u20134:<\/p>\n
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.<\/p>\n
As Moses passed the baton of leadership to Joshua, he did it with a servant\u2019s heart and the mind of Christ.<\/p>\n
MOSES\u2019 EPITAPH<\/p>\n
As this book closes, I hope that you have caught a glimpse of this extraordinary man of faith named Moses. I concur with the great Reformed biblical theologian Geerhardus Vos, who once remarked of Moses, \u201cNo greater name was known in the annals of Old Testament redemption. Prophet, priest, lawgiver in one, he towers high above all others.\u201d2 There is so much to be learned about the Christian life, leadership, and redemption from examining the life of this man. Of course, while Moses does tower above the other figures of the Old Testament, he is eclipsed by the presence of his own Lord and Savior. In fact, Moses\u2019 most important role, as I hope you have seen in this book, was to point to Jesus Christ and the redemption that was secured through his work.
\nMany more things could be said about Moses and his ministry, but thankfully Scripture provides him with an appropriate epitaph in Hebrews 11, and so this book will close with the inspired words of Holy Scripture regarding God\u2019s servant Moses:<\/p>\n
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh\u2019s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 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\u2019s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. (Heb. 11:24\u201328)<\/p>\n
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION<\/p>\n
1. How was Moses\u2019 leadership challenged in Numbers 12? How did Moses\u2019 response to this betrayal reveal his Christlikeness?<\/p>\n
2. What lesson did Moses have to relearn in Numbers 20? What does this reveal about him? What does it teach us about ourselves?<\/p>\n
3. What was the nature of Moses\u2019 sin in Numbers 20?<\/p>\n
4. What punishment did Moses receive for his sin in Numbers 20? How does Moses\u2019 sin and punishment serve to point us to the glory of Jesus Christ?<\/p>\n
5. How does the account of Moses\u2019 succession by Joshua reveal the leadership qualities and spiritual maturity of Moses?<\/p>\n
6. Why does Hebrews 11:24\u201328 serve as a fitting epitaph for Moses\u2019 life?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAPTER EIGHT TAKING THE HARD ROAD Exodus 13\u201319 I remember well the day that I learned that I passed the bar examination. I had taken the two-day exam in July and did not learn that I passed until the middle of December. I can remember praying over that envelope as I tore it open. When … <\/p>\n