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Often times, men like Moses, Elijah, and Daniel end up falling into the shadow cast by Jesus the Messiah. In one sense this is appropriate because Jesus is the preeminent, forerunner of the new creation of God, the savior of the world, the lord of our lives, the sacrifice for sin, and the coming victor. Even so, this should not in any way diminish our understanding of the great figures of the Hebrew Bible. In particular, I would like to focus on the greatest man in Judaism–Moses–and the special relationship he enjoyed with God. To start, remember with me what it was like when God first came down on Mt. Sinai.

Deuteronomy 5.22-27
22 “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 “And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 “You said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. 25 ‘Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we will die. 26 ‘For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 ‘Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.’

Exodus 20.21
So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

This speaks volumes to the distinction between Moses and the people. They all heard the voice of God speaking the ten commandments. The people’s response was to tremble and then leave to stand at a distance from the violent, quaking, burning, thundering, mountain of God. Moses, however, is the leader, he is quite willing to represent the people and walk towards the God of Israel. Moses is portrayed as a fearless (yet humble) mediator who hikes up the mountain that is on fire to meet with God. Moses seems to “know something” about God that the people do not. They are convinced that if they hear the voice of God for one more moment that they will die. Moses on the other hand, does not share this opinion. Furthermore, Moses would go up to the mountain for extended periods of time to receive instruction from God.

Exodus 34:29-35
29 It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Wow! After spending some time in the company of the glorious one, Moses now reflects that glory physically via a shining face. Apparently due to the proximity of Moses to God’s splendor, some of God “rubbed off” on Moses to such a degree that the residue was so bright that Moses’ big brother and the rulers “were afraid to come near him.” Consider also, this further description of the way that God and Moses would interact.

Exodus 33:7-11
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses is communing with God. He sets up this tent “a good distance from the camp” probably because of the response of the people we just read about earlier when God’s presence invaded Mt. Sinai. Look at the reverence shown to Moses by the people–they all “arise and stand” when they see Moses going to the tent of meeting. Consider the description given of the nature of God’s communication with Moses. “Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.” Incredible! This is the language of intimacy. Moses is certainly seen here to enjoy a privileged relationship with the Almighty. Now comes the last text I like to look at concerning this subject.

Numbers 12:1-8
1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2 and they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. 7 “Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

The narrative starts with big sister, Miriam, and big brother, Aaron, getting upset at Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. God calls the three of them out to him in classic parent style (i.e. “you three, get over here”). Then God vindicates Moses directly to Miriam and Aaron. This is absolutely remarkable because we are not talking of the people’s opinion of Moses, we are talking about Gods’ opinion of Moses. When God speaks to prophets he does so in “dark sayings,” in visions, dreams, etc. but not so with Moses. With him God speaks “mouth to mouth, even openly.” This elevates Moses above the prophets as the one who reached a level of relationship with God beyond even prophetic visions (cp Isaiah 6; Ezek 1; Dan 7; Rev 4; etc.). Moses is interacting with the living God in a direct fashion. “He beholds the form of Yahweh.” This is the highest possible language available to express an incredibly privileged relationship enjoyed by a unique man wholly committed to God.