Bible Characters – Part 6

Series – September 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Bible Characters
Gleanings From The Old Testament,Part 6

Moses, The Mediator
So they saw God, and they ate and drank. —Exodus 24:11 NKJV

A Meal In The Presence Of God
On Mount Sinai, God manifested Himself in majesty to His people. He had delivered them from the land of Egypt by His mighty arm and had borne them on “eagles’ wings” to Himself (19:4). The appearance of the glory of the Lord was accompanied by thunderings and lightnings, a thick cloud, the sound of a trumpet, and by smoke and fire (vv.16-20, 20:18, 24:17). Except for a few chosen by God, the Israelites could not come near to Him. They did not dare, for they were forbidden from climbing the mountain. Trembling with fear, they stood far away at the foot of the mountain (19:12, 20:18, 24:2).

The people had been delivered and brought to God in an outward and national sense, but they could only take a position of nearness to God in a very limited way. Although 2 Corinthians 3 teaches us that the ministry of the law had a certain glory, it was nevertheless a ministry of death and condemnation. The people of Israel, who at Mount Sinai placed themselves under the law by committing themselves to doing everything the Lord had commanded, also put themselves under the curse of the law. So we see that under the old covenant, man was unable to approach God freely, as the way to God had not yet been made manifest (Heb. 9:8).

God dwelt in darkness, hidden in the sanctuary. The Father’s heart remained unknown until the coming of His Son, who declared the Father in the fullness of His grace, love and truth (Jn. 1:14,18). Only Christ’s coming and His finished work on the cross of Calvary could make it possible for man to draw near to God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22). Therefore the hour has now come to “worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). It is also the time to have “boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Heb. 10:19-20).

Although it was in God’s heart to bless the Israelites and to have them in His presence as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, they were largely unable to take up this position since the people as a whole stood afar off (Ex. 20:18,21).

Some of them could come closer to God than the others, for there was a separate class of priests who drew near to God. But in Exodus 19 even they were not allowed to come up to the Lord on Mount Sinai. An exception was made, however, for Aaron and Moses (v.24).

In Exodus 24 we find others who could approach God: 70 of the elders of Israel and also Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron, who were killed later when they offered strange, or profane, fire before the LORD (Lev. 10:1-7). Together Moses, Aaron and the 70 of the elders of Israel were allowed to come up to the LORD in order to ratify the covenant and have a meal in His presence (Ex. 24:1,9). But according to the instructions given to this company, they had to worship Him from afar (v.1).

The Unique Position Of The Mediator
Moses was really the only one who could draw near to God. He went up into the mountain, accompanied by his assistant Joshua (v.13, see 32:17). But Moses alone went up higher to meet God and to speak with Him (24:2,12). We even read that after six days of waiting, Moses went into the midst of the cloud in which God dwelt (v.18). It is striking that in the New Testament he is seen occupying the same position, for when Jesus was transfigured on the mount, Moses and Elijah also entered the cloud (Lk. 9:28-34).

Moses alone was allowed to come very close to God and to be in His presence. This remained true even after Israel’s sin with the golden calf. Whenever Moses entered the tent of meeting he had pitched outside the camp, meaning the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door (Num. 12:5). “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11).

This was also the case later. The cloud of the divine presence rested upon the tabernacle, and as soon as Moses entered it to speak with God “he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat” (Num. 7:89). Therefore we also have in Moses a beautiful type of our own position as Christians. Through the finished work of the Lord Jesus we have really been brought to God (1 Pet. 3:18). He has called us into His marvelous light and speaks to us through His Word by the Holy Spirit. We can come before Him as a holy and royal priesthood (2:5,9) and reflect the glory of God, which has now been fully revealed “in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6) in a greater measure than it could ever be seen in the shining face of Moses (Ex. 34:29).

Three Characteristic Positions
Exodus 24 shows us three different levels, or positions, on which man can be in relationship with God:

1. The people stood at a distance from God, at the foot of the mountain where the covenant was sealed with blood (vv.4,8). This position is typical of Israel as being under law. As such they were under the curse, the judgment of death, and came to know God as “a consuming fire” (v.17; Heb. 12:29).
2. A select company of the children of Israel went up to God (Ex. 24:9). Having arrived on a somewhat higher level, they saw the God of Israel on His throne (see Ezek. 1:26) and had a meal in His presence. Only a divinely chosen company of representatives of the nation, who knew God mainly as the righteous King, could be brought into this position.
3. Moses went up to God even higher, together with his servant Joshua. But Moses was the only one to enter the cloud of God’s presence on the top of the mountain (Ex. 24:12-13). Therefore, only the mediator of the people obtained more intimate knowledge of God. This third position comes close to our position under grace, although the general contrast of Exodus 24 with our position as Christians is quite obvious. The believer no longer stands at a distance from God, for he has “been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). He does not just know Him as God Most High, seated on His throne, but the believer has access to Him as Father and rests in the Father’s heart (Eph. 1:3; see Lk. 15:20).

Our Worship As Christians
The events in Exodus 24 show some types of our privileges as Christians. In the first place we see that God entered into a relationship with His people. He made His thoughts known to them and made a covenant with them affirmed by blood. Similarly, we have been brought to God by the death of Christ, by the blood of the new covenant (Lk. 22:20). This does not bring us under law, for the blood of Christ is the basis of entirely new relations with God. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, the center of Christian worship, we are always reminded of this fact (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Here in Exodus 24 we also see a service taking place at the foot of the mountain around an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Burnt offerings and peace offerings were sacrificed to the Lord (vv.4-5).

The parallel with our worship is clear. We too have an altar which is the center for all God’s people, specifically the person of Christ. Also, by Him we offer spiritual sacrifices, namely sacrifices of praise to God (Heb. 13:10,15).

The similarity becomes even more obvious in Exodus 24:10-11, where we read that the nobles of the children of Israel saw God and ate and drank in His presence. This can surely be linked with the Lord’s Supper, as it is our privilege then to draw near to God and to eat and drink in His presence.

It is a great privilege indeed to approach God and to have a meal of mutual fellowship with Him and His people. Just like the elders of Israel, we should draw near with reverence and holy fear. They saw God and yet they lived. They had fellowship with Him in peace and quiet. They ate and drank, presumably of the meat of the peace, or fellowship, offerings (v.5) and of the wine of the accompanying drink offerings.

What a beautiful picture this is of the Lord’s Supper, when we eat and drink in the presence of our God and Father and our Lord and Savior! Gathered around the Lord’s table we have the symbols of His dying love before us. The bread and the wine remind us of His body and His blood. We think of the preciousness of His person and His sacrifice. It is a meal of fellowship with an exalted character. We are the guests at a meal prepared by our heavenly Host and He makes Himself known to us “in the breaking of bread” (Lk. 24:35). We rest in His presence and worship at His feet.

Is it not a special privilege “to eat bread ... before God” in this way (Ex. 18:12)? I refer to this verse because it points to a similar situation where the flesh of peace offerings was eaten in God’s presence. During the meal mentioned in Exodus 24 the elders of the people saw the God of Israel. Similarly, in our worship we meet God and see His glory in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Fully Revealed In Christ
The elders saw God on His throne. In fact, they did not see much more than the foundation of the throne. For we read that “there was under His feet as it were a paved work of (blue) sapphire stone and it was like the very heavens in its clarity” (v.10). Ezekiel goes much further and describes something of the appearance of the One who was seated on the throne (1:26). In short, the elders of Israel saw God as the God of heaven in clarity and purity.

This reminds us of the words of the apostle John: “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). The elders of the children of Israel had to do with God in His holiness and righteousness; they knew Him as the righteous Ruler over Israel. Of course, they also proved God’s mercy and infinite goodness in His ways with His people, but they did not know His love. The words “God is love” remained hidden from them (4:8,16). God’s love could only be revealed in the Son of His love and His atoning death, but it is our privilege as Christians to know this deep and divine love as it has been fully revealed now in Christ. We have come face to face with the glory of God as it shines in the face, in the person, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But Moses could come closer to God than the elders of the people. He went into the midst of the cloud and was allowed to speak with God face to face. As Numbers 12:8 puts it: “I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD.” But in spite of this very privileged position, God remained hidden in the sanctuary and to some extent He was not fully known even to Moses. Although he saw the form, or similitude, of God, this did not imply full knowledge of Him. This is obvious from the well-known passage in Exodus 33, where Moses asked to see God’s glory. The divine answer was: “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (v.20).

When God’s glory passed by, Moses was put in the cleft of the rock and covered with God’s own hand. Then he was allowed to see Him from behind, after He had passed by. God can be known and seen only insofar as He is pleased to reveal Himself.

But we know that He has revealed Himself fully in His Son. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, while He passed by the guilty sinner. In Christ He revealed the fullness of His glory (Col. 1:19), and it is our present privilege to behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face. We see it exclusively in Christ Jesus, “for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (2:9). “But we see Jesus ... crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9). This marks our position and indicates our privilege as Christians. The Lord Jesus came full of grace and truth and in Him we have seen the Father. Ponder this for a moment:

• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).
• “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (v.18).
• “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (14:6).

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we see the Lord in a special way. We are in His presence, and He is in our midst. It is the risen Christ whom we meet on the first day of the week, but He reminds us of His sufferings, just as He showed His pierced hands and His wounded side to His disciples – and we too are glad and rejoice when we see the Lord (20:20). “Through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18). We have “boldness to enter the Holiest” and to “draw near with a true heart [to God] in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:19,22).

By Hugo Bouter (adapted)

Look for Part 7 of this Series next month.