Waiting on the Manger: Day 4

Moses

Moses, Moses, Moses.

Keeping in line with tradition so far, I am going to be truthful with you: I did not want to write about Moses. I don’t know why (I know exactly why), but his story is just not exciting to me at all. It’s not enjoyable for me because of how his life ended. But thinking about waiting on the promise of Jesus, it would be a disservice to exclude the life of Moses.

Serving as a main character from Exodus to Deuteronomy, we spend a lot of time with Moses as he leads the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt.

From his birth, Moses was set apart by God. When Pharaoh issued the decree to kill all male Israelite children, Moses’ life was spared through the wisdom of his mother and his sister, Miriam. Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, watching his people suffer under the burden of slavery. One day, Moses grew tired of watching the Egyptians mistreat his kinsfolk and killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite. Soon after, word of this murder reached Pharaoh’s ears, and Moses fled to the wilderness.

Forty years later, in the wilderness, God encountered Moses at the burning bush, telling Moses that he was being sent to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses went back and forth with God about his perceived inadequacy to serve as a deliverer for the people of Israel.

In this conversation, God revealed His name, “YHWH” (I am that I am), to Moses. He demonstrated His power by turning Moses’ staff into a snake and back into a staff, and by making Moses’ hand leprous and then healing it. Even after these signs, Moses still asked God to send someone else to deliver His people. Then God told Moses that He would send Aaron, Moses’ brother, along with him as His spokesman (Exodus 4:14-17).

In studying Moses’ life, we see a clear pattern of behavior: Moses believes God, goes to the Israelites, faces opposition, and then panics. In comparison to Abraham, it feels like Moses does not trust God at all.

For example, the first time Moses goes to Pharaoh asking him to let the Israelites go to worship God in the wilderness, Pharaoh responds by increasing the Israelites’ workload and reducing their resources. The Israelites, understandably upset about this development, confront Moses and Aaron, blaming them for their increased workload. Moses then goes back to the Lord and says, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.” I’m sorry, but that is insane! God literally appeared to this man in a burning bush, gave him multiple signs, and promised that He would be with him—and Moses still didn’t trust God.

This is why Moses’ story is so frustrating for me. God kept assuring and reassuring Moses that He would be with him during the journey, but Moses kept doubting and doubting. I struggle to understand how Moses, who had numerous personal encounters with God, still managed to harbor so much unbelief.

Exodus 24:9-11 says, “Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.”

“…the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. “

“For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.” - Exodus 40:38

There are so many more examples of Moses having intimate encounters with God. Yet, Moses never got to enter the Promised Land because he failed to obey God’s instructions at the waters of Meribah.

In Numbers 20, the Israelites “gathered against Moses and Aaron” because they did not have water. Moses and Aaron went to God to ask for water, and God said to Moses, “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” But Moses went to the congregation and “struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.”

Then “the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.’”

Later, in Deuteronomy 3, Moses “pleaded with the Lord: ‘O Lord God…please let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan.’ But the Lord was angry with [Moses]…and He would not listen to [him].” God told Moses that he would see the land but would not cross the Jordan.

I wrestled with why God issued this judgment to Moses. It was not that God hated Moses or rejected Moses like He rejected Saul. God loved Moses. He considered Moses a friend. God even buried Moses! So why wasn’t Moses able to enter the Promised Land? I think it was because God literally could not allow Moses to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land due to his lack of trust.

This reminded me of when God told David that he could not build the temple because he had spilled too much blood (1 Chronicles 22:8). God did not reject David as a son or as His friend, but He literally could not let David build the temple.

Moses was the person who delivered God’s law to the people of Israel. God Himself dictated all the laws the Israelites needed to follow—from grain offerings to guilt offerings to sin offerings. God was very particular in His instructions. God’s particularity was further demonstrated in the building of the Tabernacle. God told Moses that the Tabernacle had to be built exactly as instructed; otherwise, it would not be considered holy.

By disobeying God’s explicit instruction and striking the rock, Moses disqualified himself from entering the Promised Land.

So, how would Moses view the birth of Jesus? For Moses, Jesus is the Passover Lamb who was slain so that we can enter into the Most Holy Place.