MOSES: INTIMACY WITH GOD

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season – Hebrews 11:24-25

God does not force His intimacies on people. He grants them only to those who hunger and thirst for them. Moses belonged to this inner circle that enjoyed holy intimacy with God. Twice, he spent forty days on a mountain holding fellowship and sharing face-to-face friendship with Him (Exo.33:11). But this life of intimacy was not automatic; it was a long process of “going on to perfection.” In the Potter’s shaping Hand, Moses’ faith was what made him the spiritual giant he became. Interestingly, his life divides into three equal phases of forty years.

The first forty years were as a Prince in the Egyptian court. Here, his parents – Amram and Jochebed – enhanced God’s subsequent dealings with him. Their faith significantly influenced his destiny and the course of human history as they hid the baby for three months, being unafraid of the king’s commandment (Heb.11:23). The very river which was to have engulfed him saved him from death. God honoured their faith by providing him with the benefit of a godly, Hebrew upbringing, where he learned two vital lessons: faith in God and a fearless courage (Heb.11:27). This early phase depicts God’s providence and sovereign control of life’s circumstances. His training under God, aptly illustrates how God overrules our heredity, our environment, and our education in developing our character.

Moses was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (v. 22). As a student, he was versed in the wisdom and science of Egypt. As a statesman, he was endowed with unique oratorical powers. As a soldier, he was mighty in battle. Yet, on attaining full maturity, he reached a destiny-defining point when he had to renounce his privileged, princely position and identify with Israel in their bondage! The elements of his momentous decision are expressed in four verbs: esteeming…choosing…refusing…forsaking (Heb.11:24-28). He rejected the pomp, power, treasures and pleasures of Egypt, and embraced the afflictions and hopes of Israel – being inspired by “seeing Him who is invisible”! (Heb.11:27).

The second forty years were spent in the desert of Midian as a shepherd. Out of uncontrolled passion rather than faith, Moses had killed an Egyptian maltreating an Israelite. He must learn that spiritual ends are never achieved by carnal means. The palace years afforded a matchless opportunity for the training of his intellect. This phase of Solitude was essential to the tempering of his spirit. Egypt’s University equipped him to work among the elite; the Wilderness University qualified him to condescend to the nation of slaves to whom he was to be a deliverer. He was purified by suffering and humbled by failure.

In the back-side of the desert, the activist Moses learned a deep lesson: that being is more important than doing. At the burning bush, hearsay knowledge of God became experiential. He learned that in spite of his privileged past, he was only a common bush. Any greatness in him was the result of God’s presence. It was not the character of the bush, but the fire in it which distinguished it from many others around. The once self-sufficient Egyptian prince pleaded his insufficiency. He heard the call which for forty years he had evaded and which for the next forty years he must pursue (Exo.3:10). The third forty years – his most superb years – were spent in the wilderness as Israel’s prophetic Emancipator, Leader, and Legislator.