Tag Archives: Moses

Get God In Your Face!

1- From the time Moses met the LORD at the burning bush, they were in constant contact.

2- Moses was a prophet, relating the LORD’s message, and a priest, mediating between the people of Israel and the LORD.

3- Moses’ communion with the LORD is the defining characteristic of his life.

4- The LORD spoke to Moses “face to face,” indicating a personal relationship.

“So the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11, NASB 2020)

“Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,” (Deuteronomy 34:10, NASB 2020)

5- Moses did not want to go anywhere apart from the LORD.

“Then he said to Him, ‘If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.’” (Exodus 33:15, NASB 2020)

6- Moses wanted to see the LORD’s glory. 

“Then Moses said, ‘Please, show me Your glory!’ And He said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.’ He further said, ‘You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!’ Then the LORD said, ‘Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:18–23, NASB 2020)

A) As you can see, Moses didn’t literally see the LORD’s face. He saw a symbolic form of the LORD.

“Now hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream. It is not this way for My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, That is, openly, and not using mysterious language, And he beholds the form of the LORD.” (Numbers 12:6–8, NASB 2020)

B) The Bible teaches us that no one has ever seen God in a physical form, except through Jesus.

“No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1:18, NASB 2020)

C) It is likely that the the form of the LORD Moses saw was a theophany, which is a pre-appearance of Christ.

D) The only way anyone may know the LORD personally is through His Son, Jesus.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6).

7- Whenever Moses spent time in the presence of the LORD, you could see it on his face.

“And it came about, when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” (Exodus 34:29)

8- Moses put a veil over his face when he finished speaking to the people, and would leave it there until he met with the LORD again.

So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.” (Exodus 34:29–35, NASB 2020)

9- The Apostle Paul made the point that this practice of Moses demonstrates the fading glory of the Old Covenant.

“and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not stare at the end of what was fading away.” (2 Corinthians 3:13, NASB 2020)

10- Lessons for us:

A) Seek to be in the presence of God. Nothing else compares.

B) Never go anywhere or do anything apart from the Lord’s direction. 

C) Put your faith in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit. He will never leave you.

D) Don’t look for a physical form, or try to hear a voice in your ears. The Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit directly.

E) “Stop listening for a voice; look for a verse.” -Rick Warren The Bible is God’s primary means of communication to us. Read it and ask the Lord to apply it to your life.

F) Get God in your face! 

Make communion with the Lord the defining characteristic of your life.

  1. Spend time in the Bible, 
  2.  and in worship. 
  3. “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17)
  4. “Be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph. 5:18)
  5. “Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” (Gal 5:16).
  6. People will sense a difference in you, and maybe even see the glow on your face!

“Let your light so shine before people that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Lessons from the LIfe of Moses

Don’t Miss Out on Your Reward for Serving the Lord!

1- Moses had to lead a multitude of doubting, disbelieving rebels, who often complained, yearned to return to slavery in Egypt, and even threatened to stone him and Aaron.

10 Times Israel Grumbled Against God & Moses

(Acc. to NASB text note)

Exodus 5:21, 14:11, 15:24, 16:2, 17:2, 3, 32:1, 

Numbers 11:1, 4, 12:1, 14:2

2- When they got to the edge of the Promised Land, they disbelieved and refused to enter and fight.

“So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”” (Numbers 14:3–4, NASB 2020)

3- Moses would rightly feel great frustration at this point. Did he feel like a failure as a leader?

4- The Lord threatened to destroy all of the people and start again with Moses. 

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? I will strike them with plague and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.’” (Numbers 14:11–12, NASB 2020)

5- Moses interceded for the people (once again), appealing to the reputation of YHWH.

“Please forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’” (Numbers 14:19, NASB 2020)

6- The Lord relented, but pronounced judgment: the children of Israel would remain in the desert for 40 more years, until all the fighting men who rejected the Lord died.

“So the Lord said, “I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; however, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. Certainly all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it.” (Numbers 14:20–23, NASB 2020)

“In accordance with the number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.” (Numbers 14:34–35, NASB 2020)

7- Moses would now have to continue leading this people in the desert for 40 years!

8- Eventually, Moses got to a breaking point. In frustration and with a sense of entitlement, he took credit for miraculously providing water for the people.

“‘Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.’ So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank.” (Numbers 20:8–11, NASB 2020)

9- The Lord performed the miracle through Moses, but was not pleased with His servant and pronounced judgment: Moses and Aaron would not enter the Promised Land.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” (Numbers 20:12)

10- When the 40 years ended, Moses pleaded with the Lord to let him enter and experience the land. The Lord refused, but allowed Moses go to the top of a mountain and see it.

“I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and Lebanon.’ But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; instead, the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Do not speak to Me any more about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and raise your eyes to the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see it with your eyes; for you shall not cross over this Jordan.’” (Deuteronomy 3:23–27, NASB 2020)

11- Lessons for us:

A) God has promises and a plan for your life. 

If you pursue your own plans and desires you will miss out on the much greater life God offers. 

B) If you give up and turn your back on God, you will miss out on the eternal Promised Land, which is heaven.

C) Sometimes leading people can be frustrating. 

What do you do when you are disrespected, unappreciated or under-appreciated?

Seek the Lord and His reward!

1- Don’t demand respect; be respectful and respectable.

2- Don’t give them what they’re giving you, but what you want them to give you.

3- Be merciful and gracious, not judgmental.

4- Don’t walk away, but pray for them.

D) Entitlement is dangerous. That is when we say, “I deserve _________.”

E) Don’t take credit for what God has given, or done in and through you.

1- Even all of your hard work results from the gifts and talents God has created in you.

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, NASB 2020)

2- Your reward comes from the Lord, not people!

a) Don’t seek human recognition.

b) Don’t seek sympathy for your hardship.

c) Don’t seek financial renumeration.

d) Don’t seek promotion.

e) Don’t seek ease.

f) Don’t give up!

3- If you seek earthly rewards, you may put yourself under discipline from the Lord, and miss out on experiencing what He offers!

4- “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be aded to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33).

5- Turn your back on the world and follow Jesus for His promised rewards!

“Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Mark 10:28–30, NASB 2020)

6- Let humble service to the Lord be its own reward.

“So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” (Luke 17:10, NASB 2020)