With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Numbers 12:8 NIV11)
Face to face carries with it a picture of intimacy, closeness and understanding. Moses’ relationship with God possessed a unique quality that arose over time. Moses had lived in conversation with God for more than forty years at this point. Here God steps in to support Moses before Miriam and Aaron (Moses’ older siblings) because He sees their envy and desire for position adversely impacting the relationship among the three of them (and possibly Israel too). Yet more than that appears at stake — God’s glory. Moses, and God knows this because of what He says, understands God. He gets God. Moses’ understanding of God goes so deep and permeates his character and life such that God says, “he sees the form of the Lord.” As a result of their relationship, Moses accurately represents God and His character before Israel.
Those years of communion, whether in the desert or elsewhere, built a relationship where Moses really carried an almost flawless picture of God in his heart. Moses’ conversations with God concerned real stuff, self-doubt, self-worth, confusion about God, real forgiveness, frustration, anger, and so much more. This is the stuff of life. Yet forty plus years of being raw, authentic and vulnerable before God allowed Moses’ soul to experience and be formed by love. God’s kind of love. The kind of love that produces humility (Nu. 12:3). Here Moses rests in God, Who steps in to clear up the matter with Miriam and Aaron. Humility results from a life surrendered to God. Authentic prayer over time led Moses to a transformative understanding of the real character of God and humble rest in Him. I pray that one day I could rest in prayer as deeply as Moses did. Face-to-face, seeing His form.
For Reflection:
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” (Psalms 25:9 NIV11)
- What forms the content of your prayers to God: authentic and transparent self-revealing conversation, a list of requests, or a desire for blessing and to avoid pain?
- What do you think about the relationship between humility and surrender to God’s love?
