Tag Archives: Moses

It Had To Come Out

Bible Study, , ,

IT HAD TO COME OUT!

“About eight days after saying this, He climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John and James along. While He was in prayer, the appearance of His face changed and His clothes became blazing white. At once two men were there talking with Him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah — and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over His exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.” Luke 9:28-31 (The Message).

Exodus — a strange and unusual word to describe what Jesus was soon to accomplish in Jerusalem. This was obviously a reference to His death and resurrection, but why “exodus”? Luke is the only one of the gospel writers who used this word. Did he understand something the others hadn’t grasped?

This was a highly significant event. Why did it happen? Of what value would it have been had Jesus been alone on the mountain?

Let’s answer the second question first. Did Jesus need the affirmation of His Father? He had received the Father’s blessing at His baptism and, on the strength of that, He had launched into His public ministry, having passed the test of true son ship during His forty days in the wilderness. He had lived in close union with the Father and learned the lessons of obedience by obeying Him in every detail of His life. He knew He was loved and He lived out of that assurance. No, He did not need another affirmation of his identity as the Son.

It would seem that this was about the disciples; they needed this revelation of Jesus to cement two things in their minds, His identity and His mission. The appearance of Moses and Elijah and Peter’s reaction would help to put Him in perspective. Two of Israel’s most important and revered historical figures in company with Jesus?

It is clear that the disciples overheard the conversation — His exodus in Jerusalem. The exodus from Egypt, of course, was inseparably linked to Moses. Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt and into a covenant relationship with God. Elijah’s ministry was a powerful attempt to lead the people of the northern kingdom of Israel back to God out of slavery to idol-worship.

What was the meaning of Jesus’ exodus? Did it refer only to His departure from the world of humans back to the Father? The exodus from Egypt was a type of a greater deliverance — from slavery to sin and into a new covenant, sealed in His own blood, that was be a better covenant, based on better promises and sealed with a better sacrifice, guaranteeing a better hope.

This was an experience Peter and John never forgot and which helped to shape their conviction that Jesus was God’s Son and the promised Messiah. Peter wrote of this revelation: “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. He received honour and glory from the Father when the voice came from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16-18 (NIV).

John’s testimony is similar: “The 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.” John 1:14 (NIV).

It was imperative that these men, who were to testify to the world that Jesus was God’s Son, be so convinced in their hearts that they would be willing to give their lives for the truth they would proclaim. And they became eyewitnesses of something that no one else had ever seen.

We may not see the glory of Jesus in His visible form but with the eye of faith we have seen and believed. Have you?

Glimpses Of The Great God: Day Three

Devotion, , , ,

DAY THREE

 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,

and the seventy elders of Israel went up

and saw the God of Israel. 

Under His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. 

But God did not raise a hand against these leaders of the Israelites;

they saw God and they ate and drank.

The Lord said to Moses,

 “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here,

and I will give you the tablets of stone,

with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction…”

When Moses went up the mountain, the cloud covered it,

and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. 

For six days the cloud covered the mountain,

and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses

from within the cloud.

  To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like

a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 

Then Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain.  And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. 

Exodus 24:9-12; 15-18

 As we move through these descriptive Scriptures, keep two things in mind, that these descriptions come from human understanding and that we are being exposed to the awesome majesty of God which is beyond human description.  Allow yourself to be caught up in the atmosphere of the presence of God and of those around the throne who were overwhelmed and overawed by the glory of God.  We are learning to pray to the God who is revealed in Scripture so that we can develop a realistic appreciation of who He is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glimpses Of The Great God – Day One

Devotion, , ,

BEYOND OURSELVES

….into a new way of living

 GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT GOD

DAY ONE

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,

the priest of Midian,

and he led his flock to the far side of the desert

and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There the angel of God appeared to him

in flames of fire from within a bush.

Moses saw that, though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up.  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look,

God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said.

“Take off your sandals,

for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…”

At this, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:1-6

What do you think Moses felt when he was confronted with this strange sight and when he heard the voice of God speaking to him?  Read this Scripture passage through aloud two or three times and allow yourself to feel what Moses felt.  Put yourself in Moses’ place and listen to the voice of God speaking to you.  What is He saying to you?  Allow yourself to soak in the awesomeness of this moment.  You are actually, now, in the presence of the living God.  He loves you and wants to speak to you.  Give yourself time to listen and keep a record of what you think He is saying to you.   As you work through all the Scriptures you will be reading this month, God will be revealing Himself to you again and again.