Trained to be an Egyptian prince and military leader, then a wilderness shepherd for 40 years, Moses had not landed a ‘cushy’ task, when God called him.
The people troubles never stopped for Moses when he was doing his God appointed task, of leading the people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. The people for the most part were so complaining, ungrateful and unbelieving toward God, that He said, Exodus 33: 3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” The Presence of God did go with them, but not in the fullness that God wanted to manifest to His chosen people. Moses still had questions for God, and was close enough to Him, to express them and not be chastised. Verses 12 – 14 “Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said”, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 “And He said,” ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” Because Moses was true to God, he was never deprived from being able to interact with God, One to one, as before, despite the apostasy of many of the people that he led. He reiterated to God that the presence of God must go with them, and God responded as his Friend, Verse 17 “So the Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” How very special to be that close to God! No place in the Scriptures do I read that such a relationship is not possible for every Christian, when they draw very close to God, in every way. The scriptures do teach that there is nothing stopping us from coming very close to God. God and all of heaven are just as available to each of us, as they were for Moses.
The apostasy of the people that Moses led increased, and his warnings to them from God, continued for the most part, to go unheeded. Deuteronomy 4: 29 – 31 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 “(for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”
As we look around at the attitudes and activities of many of the people on this earth at this time, it could be said, that a good number are way more wicked than most of the people Moses was despairing over. We find an apt description of human behaviour and the response of God to it, in 1 Peter 5: 5 (last part) “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Whilst a person draws breath, God does not give up on any one. no matter their thoughts and deeds. The Holy Spirit continues to bring them to repentance, and a turning away from active, known sin; and to call upon the mercy and faithfulness of God. That is a wonderfully good and encouraging truth found all through the Scriptures. If only more people would believe and come to God, no matter what they have done wrong. We have the simple and only solution to sin and wrong doing, and so be reconciled with God. Verses 6, 7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.”
God I am so grateful, that we can cast all our care upon You and be forgiven, grow in grace and come to a close relationship with you, as all heaven wants. There is such joy in knowing and following in the footsteps of Jesus our Shepherd.