THE MAN WHO “TALKED” WITH GOD FACE TO FACE
Greetings! Today I will share God’s Word with the Westminster Church family during the worship service and then participate in the Church Officers’ Training (pm), together with several BC Conference leaders, envisioning to equip members in the Lower Mainland for service (poster attached). Please pray for the Westminster Church and the training event this afternoon.
This morning, I would like to consider the life of Moses. Deuteronomy 34:10 states: “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face… .” (ESV). Only Jesus has risen higher than Moses in the human history. He was considered by God the meekest man on earth. Also, his footsteps still guide those who are lost in life and are trying to free themselves from the “slavery” of sin in order to enjoy a new life in Christ.
According to an ancient Jewish tradition, God loved Moses so much that He kissed him when Moses died. The Bible tells us that Michael, the Archangel, was sent to protect God’s faithful servant’s body from Satan (Jude 9). God Himself buried Moses in a place not known to this day. Yes, Moses was the only person that God Himself ever buried. Did Moses go up the mountain alone to die? No! God, whom Moses walked with for 120 years went up with him to Mount Nebo. God dialogued with Moses and allowed him to see the promised land before Moses died, then God buried him (Deut. 34:1-6). However, we know that Moses was resurrected shortly after that. He who spoke with God face to face is continually in God’s presence!
Moses’ life is divided in three equal parts: 40 years in Egypt as a Prince, 40 years in Midian as a shepherd, and 40 years in the desert as a liberator of an exiled nation. He received three types of education: the intellectual, in the Egyptian University; the spiritual in the “University” of Median, and the experiential or eternal in the “University” of the Desert. The last one gave him the victory. In Egypt he lived a secular life, in Midian, a converted life, and in the Sinai desert a life of service.
According to EGW, there are 70 positive traits of character in Moses’ life. The one that impressed God the most was Moses’ meekness. After learning from his humbling experience in Midian, Moses “cultivated” in his heart: meekness, long suffering, patience, loyalty, and a deep love for God and His people. His mother had “moulded” those qualities in him.
Moses knew God very intimately. He invested time in prayer and meditation: “Moses did not merely think of God, he saw Him. … he trusted Him… he placed his whole dependence upon divine power…. a sense of the personal presence of the Divine One.” (EGW, ED, 63,64) What an example for us to follow!
Please, let’s pray for:
CASA, Sports tournament for our BC Conference Adventist schools being held in Burnaby. Our children certainly enjoy this occasion as they play together and make new friends!
Happy Sabbath!
In His Service,
Wesley Torres
President
