By Authrine Dryden
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 33:11 (NLT)
“So, you are back again this week”. The little boy declared to the woman. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” she laughed. “But how can you tell?” she asked knowing he was born blind; He piped up “Oh that’s easy. I can feel your presence and smell your perfume!”
Yes, it would be an awesome moment to be able to speak to the Lord just the way Moses did – face to face. “Oh, I long to see him, to look upon his face” are amongst some of the lyrics to a favourite hymn of mine. Moses was able to share the highs, the lows, the frustrations of leadership and to receive vital instructions. Now as the Israelites continue their journey to the promise land, learning their lessons and understanding who their God is, they were mindful not to incur the Lord’s wrath with their rebellious nature again. Moses who was their leader and mediator would speak to the Lord. He would leave the camp to go commune with the Lord. What a privileged relationship between Moses and God. Moses was God’s friend. What an honour to be a friend of God! Moses, however, was not on his own. He had an assistant, Joshua. Joshua was zealous for the presence of God and would remain in the tent long after Moses left because he too was intent on building his intimate relationship with the Lord. He desired to be a friend of God just as Moses was. Now the Lord had identified a man through whom he can speak – Joshua, son of Nun.
Would you like to be in such a privileged position – in his presence? To be used by him we must first cultivate his presence. How do we cultivate his presence? We do this by recognising our need for him. Spending more time with him, as Jesus spent time with his disciples and they with him. We must recognise that we can do nothing without him. Having reverence in his presence as we invite Jesus into our lives. Also, by availing ourselves for him to use us. Joshua certainly did that! As we draw close to him, he draws even closer to us as the song writer says – draw me close to you and never let me go. God wants us to be very much a part of him, if only we will allow him to.
Ask – Why were the children of Israel afraid to go close to God?
Seek – Does this episode inspire you to have a more intimate relationship with God?
Knock – Pray that God will grant your desire for a closer walk with him.
(Upper Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash)
