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HIS
SERVANTS' MINISTRY
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Face
to Face with God
Genesis
32:24-32 And Jacob was left alone; and there
wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. [25]
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched
the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was
out of joint, as he wrestled with him. [26] And he said, Let
me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee
go, except thou bless me. [27] And he said unto him, What
is thy name? And he said, Jacob. [28] And he said, Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince
hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
[29] And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee,
thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask
after my name? And he blessed him there. [30] And Jacob called
the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved. [31] And as he passed over
Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
[32] Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew
which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto
this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in
the sinew that shrank. (KJV)
One
with the likeness of a man wrestled with Jacob. The One wrestling
puts a lasting mark of honor upon Jacob, by changing his name.
He would be called Israel, a prince with God, a name greater
than those of the great men of the Earth. He was a prince
indeed, for he had power with God. Jacob gives a new name
to the place, because there he had seen God, and obtained
the favor of God. I believe that the Angel who wrestled with
Jacob was none other than the preincarnate Christ (God).
Exodus 33:11 And the Lord spake unto
Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And
he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the
son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. (KJV) God and Moses talked face to face in the Tent of Meeting,
just as friends do. Again, I believe this was the preincarnate
Christ. WHY did Moses find such favor with God? Was it because
he was perfect, gifted, or powerful; or was it because God
chose Moses, and Moses in turn depended completely on God’s
wisdom and direction?
Friendship with God was a true privilege for Moses, and was
out of reach for the other Hebrews of that day. But it is
not out of reach for us today. Jesus called His disciples
and, all of His followers . . . His friends (John 15:15).
He has called you to be His friend. Will you trust Him completely
as Moses did?
Numbers
12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even
apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of
the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses? (KJV) God spoke to
Moses in person, not by an interpreter, not by visionary symbols,
not in a dream. God spoke plainly, surely and directly to
Moses, not in dark speeches or parables. The representation
of the Lord is what Moses saw, not the Face or essence of
God the Father, who is invisible (Exodus 33:20; Col. 1:15;
John 1:18). But Moses saw some unmistakable evidence of His
glorious Presence (Exodus 33:2; 34:5). Moses had the spirit
of prophecy in such a way which set him far above all other
prophets; yet he that is least in the kingdom of Heaven, is
greater than he; and our Lord Jesus infinitely excels him,
Hebrews 3:1. Miriam and Aaron should have considered just
whom it was they insulted. We should be really afraid of saying
or doing any thing against the true servants of God
Numbers 14:14 And they will tell it to
the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou
Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to
face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou
goest before them, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and
in a pillar of fire by night. (KJV) Moses made humble
intercession for Israel with God, Face to face. He was a type
of Christ, who prayed for those that despitefully used him.
The pardon of a nation’s sin, is the turning away the
nation’s punishment; and for that Moses is here so earnest.
Moses argued that, consistently with God’s character,
in His abundant mercies, He could forgive them.
Deut.
4:11-12 And ye came near and stood under the
mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst
of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. [12]
And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire:
ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only
ye heard a voice. (KJV) The Israelites did not see God,
they only heard Him. No one knows what God
the Father looks like. God is a Spirit and we must worship
Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). People are never to have
any likeness of God whatsoever, for they have NO idea what
He looks like! Even though the Lord Jesus came as a Man, the
Bible gives us NO physical description of
Him. The only picture we need of Jesus is the one in our heart!
We need Jesus in our hearts, NOT on canvas! That picture on
canvas is an idol. See our article on Pictures of Christ.
Deut. 4:15 Take ye therefore good heed
unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the
day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst
of the fire: (KJV) Israel was inclined to idolatry. They
were in the middle of nations freely worshipping idols of
every kind. Their attention is repeatedly drawn to the fact
that God did NOT appear on Sinai in any visible form. Caution
is given to beware, not only of making representations of
false gods, but also any imagined representation of the true
God.
Deut. 5:4 The Lord talked with you face
to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (KJV)
The Lord talked to Israel, but the people did NOT see God.
He was in the midst of this massive fire.
Deut.
34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in
Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
(KJV) No Hebrew prophet or ruler equaled Moses in
character or official dignity, or in knowledge of God's will
and opportunities of announcing it.
Judges
6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an
angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because
I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. (KJV) Why was Gideon afraid of seeing
an angel? The Israelites believed that no
one could see God and live.
Exodus
33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face:
for there shall no man see me, and live. (KJV) Did Gideon
think this also applied to angels? Or --- did he know it was
the Lord, the preincarnate Christ?
1
Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then
shall I know even as also I am known. (KJV) Now, is our
present state. Through a glass (in a mirror); ancient mirrors
were made of polished brass or other metals. Seeing an object
reflected in a dull mirror (such as ancient mirrors were),
compared to seeing it directly, is a big difference. Darkly
. . . neither "eye nor ear" can fully represent
(even though our soul gets a small revelation now) "the
things which God hath prepared for them that love Him"
(1 Cor. 2:9).
Compared
with the visions and dreams bestowed on other prophets, God's
communications with Moses were "Face
to face." But compared with the direct
vision of God in the hereafter, even His revealed Word now
is "a dark speech" (Num.12:8 above). It’s
like a shadow compared to God's likeness. 2 Peter 1:19
states the "light" or candle in a dark place stands
in contrast with the "day" dawning. God's Word is
called a glass or mirror also in 2 Cor. 3:18. When the
day comes, we shall see our Lord Face to face, and know Him intimitely. For now, we are known by, rather than
know God (1 Cor. 8:3; Galatians 4:9).
MOSES SAW GOD’S BACK PARTS
Exodus 33:18-23 And he said, I beseech
thee, shew me thy glory. [19] And he said, I will make all
my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
[20] And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall
no man see me, and live. [21] And the Lord said, Behold, there
is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: [22] And
it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will
put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with
my hand while I pass by: [23] And I will take away mine hand,
and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be
seen. (KJV)
Moses’
prayer was to see the glory of God because He wanted assurance
of God’s Presence with him, Aaron, and Joshua. Because
we are finite and morally imperfect, we cannot exist and see
God as He really is. To see God’s back means we can
only see where God has passed by. We can only know Him by
what He does and how He acts. We cannot comprehend God as
He really is apart from
Jesus Christ (John 14:9). Jesus promised to show Himself to
those who believe (John 14:21).
A full disclosure of the glory
of God, would have overwhelmed even Moses. God’s goodness is His glory; and I think He will allow
us to know Him by the glory of His mercy, more so than by
the glory of His majesty. Upon that rock was a fit place for
Moses to see the goodness and glory of God, for that rock
in Horeb was symbolic of Christ the Rock; the Rock of our
refuge, salvation, and strength. Happy are all those who stand
and build on this Rock. The “cleft” may be a symbol
of Christ, for He was smitten, crucified, wounded, and slain.
God in Christ, is the fullest and brightest display of His
glory, grace, and goodness.
I
look forward with great anticipation to seeing my Saviour
and Lord, Face to face! Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Click on desired topic:
JESUS,
LORD AND KING
A Gift Unequaled
All
Fulness of Christ
The
Death of Jesus
Eyes
on Jesus
Face
to Face
Forgiveness
From God
Who is Christ?
Jesus'
Agony
Jesus,
the Only Way!
Living
Water
Messianic
Prophecies
Why
Did Jesus Have to Die?
Who
Crucified Christ?
With
or Without Christ
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