At the end of our previous study (August, 1997 which was preceded by articles in April and July) we reflected on the fact that God submitted Moses to a spiritual apprenticeship extending over 40 years. His case illustrates the great truth that fine motives, however admirable they may be, are not sufficient in themselves. There is a very interesting comment made by Stephen in Acts 7:25: “For he [Moses] supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.”
Moses must wait for God
One may well ask what was wrong with such a motive. We have already reminded ourselves that the method adopted by Moses miscarried. The initiative was undoubtedly his, but the time was not ripe, and the way Moses set about the task was foolish in the extreme. What could he have done against the might of Pharaoh?
When Moses was later commissioned at the bush to be the agent of deliverance, God had chosen the time and He prescribed every action Moses was to carry out. In all this, the emphasis is not on the hand of Moses, but on that of Yahweh. At the bush, Moses is told by his God: “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go” (Ex. 3:20). Unquestionably, Moses was to play an important part in the great process of deliverance, but the initiative, at every stage, was the Lord God’s. We do well to learn the hard lesson Moses was taught.
When one takes account of all the plagues, ending in the slaughter of the firstborn, one begins to realize how inadequate would have been the resources which Moses could have commanded. But, being a humble man, with a noble motive in his heart, he was prepared to learn from his God, and here, as indicated above, is the great lesson for us.
A humble servant
Moses won for himself the great distinction of being called God’s “servant” (Num. 12:7; Psa. 105:26). That very fact indicates his humility. When he responded to the call at the burning bush, he was unreservedly thereafter at the disposal of his God. We can all too easily want to serve our Maker with reservations, and on our own terms.
That Moses was a man of the greatest humility is shown in a number of incidents. During his absence on the mount, the people disgraced themselves (Ex. 21:1-6). This must have been a great grief to Moses, especially when we think of the pathetically weak part played by Aaron (Ex. 32:2-6). Not only did the Israelites engage in idolatry, but they were guilty of shameful behavior (v. 25).
The situation called for strong action, particularly against those who had taken a lead in unacceptable conduct. Moses, with the cooperation of the Levites, saw to it the guilty parties were punished with death (vs. 26-28).
We learn later it was God’s purpose to put Aaron also to death. What a high priest was this, who in a crisis lacked the strength to stand for God! How easily could Moses have disassociated himself completely from his brother. But mercy goes with humility. So it was that years later, when he was recounting the incidents recorded in Exodus 32, Moses revealed he had intervened on Aaron’s behalf, and the Lord God had spared him (Deut. 9:20).
Moses sensed his own weakness
What had happened during his absence on the mount must have been profoundly disturbing and Moses, being a sensitive person, may well have wondered whether his own leadership was lacking. In any case, it does seem the request of Exodus 33 may be connected with the incidents of Exodus 32 to give Moses personal reassurance: “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people” (Ex. 33:13). We should not miss the fact that the request Moses makes, to understand his God and His ways, is coupled with the mention of the fact Israel is God’s people.
The response to this on Yahweh’s part is the great theophany of Exodus 34. So many, who rightly stress the importance of the declaration of God’s name at the bush (Ex. 3:14), and in Exodus 6:3, overlook the fact Moses was involved in these momentous events in a way none of us has been. Yet, in his humility, he recognized he was far from understanding the fullness of God’s nature, and what it should mean to him.
This is the reflection over which we should linger. How conscious are we of our need to know God better? We are truly in a pathetic state if we imagine we know all there is to know. We need rather to echo the request of Moses: “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight” (Ex. 33:13).
Equally important for us is to take notice of the way Moses later made use of the revelation God granted him. First, however, we must remind ourselves of the content of the theophany, familiar though it may be. In declaring the name of Yahweh, the emphasis is on God’s goodness and mercy (Ex. 34:7). The gracious response of the Almighty to his prayer, and the awesome physical circumstances in which the revelation was communicated (Ex. 33:19-23) must have made the deepest of impressions upon the consciousness of Moses. Here was something he could never forget.
These people deserve to die
Let us now see how he made use of the theophany in one of the great crises which arose during his leadership of the Israelites. At Paran, not far from the promised land, God acted on the request of the Israelites and instructed Moses to choose 12 representatives of the tribes who would explore the land and bring back a report (Deut. 1:22,23; Num. 13:2). In one sense it was a glowing report: the land was fertile, and its produce abundant (Num. 13:27). But there were snags, big ones. The people already in possession of the land were giants and their cities were defended. Ten of the so-called “spies” could only see the difficulties in the way, a wholly human reaction when God is left out of the equation (Num. 13:28-33).
A familiar situation then developed; the people were deeply discouraged and murmured against Moses and Aaron. Nostalgically, they recalled the security enjoyed in Egypt, totally forgetting the miserable conditions of their bondage. They were going to appoint a captain to take them back (Num. 14:4). It is difficult to exaggerate the seriousness of this crisis. With signal courage, and great faith, Joshua and Caleb endeavored to rally the spirits of the people, ending their dramatic intervention with words which have echoed down the centuries: “And the LORD is with us: fear them not” (Num. 14:9).
But their brave words fell on deaf ears; so incensed were the Israelites they were going to stone Caleb and Joshua. At this dramatic moment there was what we may surely regard as a special manifestation of the divine glory (see v. 10). It was at once a reminder to the people of the existence of the Almighty, and a gracious association on God’s part with Caleb and Joshua.
Moses’ great appeal
The divine patience was now exhausted and God offered to disinherit the nation and make of Moses and his posterity “a greater nation and mightier than they” (v. 12). What a glittering prospect, and who could blame Moses if he had embraced it? At this juncture, the moral stature of Moses becomes evident. Rejecting totally any prospect of personal aggrandizement, he reminds his God first of all of what He had done hitherto for His people (vs. 13,14) and described the consequences if God destroyed them (vs. 15,16). Then we come to the passage of special significance: Moses invoked the theophany granted to him, which is recorded in Exodus 34:
“And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great; according as thou hast spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (v. 17).
Having thus invoked the terms of the great revelation, Moses made this moving plea: “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now” (v. 19).
There is nothing sloppy about this prayer. There is no attempt to minimize the sins of the nation and there is a full acknowledgement of the repeated forgiveness exercised by God. But there is equally no abandonment of the nation to the fate which it deserves. Nobly, humbly, Moses pleads for mercy toward this erring people. His prayer is answered, but only conditionally. There is no summary destruction of the nation but it is condemned to linger in the wilderness until a new generation arises. However, one wonders how many of those who were spared as the result of the gracious intervention of Moses, realized what had been done for them and gratefully amended their ways. We have no means of knowing but the possibility was given to them.
Moses’ humility benefited others
And how did this come about? It resulted, in the first place, from the humble request made by Moses to grow in his understanding of his God. Then there was the lasting memory cherished by Moses of Yahweh’s response to his plea. Moses never forgot the emphasis upon divine mercy in the great theophany of which he was a witness.
What a wonderful example this is, for us all, but more especially for those who aspire to be leaders in our community. Alas, it is all too easy, if we have an understanding of certain doctrines, to make it a matter of pride. While, unquestionably, there is a need to be acquainted with the Bible hope of life in the kingdom (and there is no other hope), we shall not be there unless, with Moses, we realize also our need to understand God’s ways better, and use this knowledge in the service of others.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One