Yesterday we began to look at Jesus’ statement in John 15:14 and saw what that meant by looking at the life of Abraham.  Today, let’s look at Moses.  Read Exodus 33:7-11.  Did you catch that?  “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.”  This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  Moses is given the plans for the Tabernacle—it is to be in the middle of the camp and the people were going to be able to experience the presence of God, but the people were rebellious.  In verses 4-6 God tells Moses that He isn’t going with them.  He is going to send an angel ahead of them because they are stiff-necked, that is stubborn, and he said, “I might destroy you on the way.”

God offers them the religion that most Americans are searching for.  They would get the blessings of the Promised Land without having to have God in the middle of their lives.  They were going to get power, success, and Moses would go to God on their behalf.  If they wanted something from God—they could go to Moses.

Let me show you something—verse 14, “My presence will go with you.”  I have always looked at that as a plural you, but it can’t be.  The next verses indicate that God is saying, Moses I will go with you, but not the people.  Moses follows up with a plea and says, “If your presence does not go with us…”  Moses and the people didn’t want anything to do with the blessings of God if they couldn’t have the presence of God.  That is what comes from friendship.  When you catch a glimpse of the face of God—you are not satisfied with the hand of God anymore.  You love the things He provided for you, but more than that you just love Him.  Does that picture your relationship with God?

Look at the relationship Moses had with God.  We are told, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend” and then we see an example of that in verses 14-34:8.  Do you remember what Jesus said?  He said, “I no longer call you servants (slaves), because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”  We see an example of that as God and Moses talk.  It isn’t just Moses doing all the talking.  Is that a picture of your prayer life—God I want…or do you listen?  What is interesting is it isn’t just God doing all of the talking either.  There is a real relationship going on here.

Moses wants to see the face of God.  He wasn’t willing to settle for the things God could give Him—He wanted all of God.  Do you?  Do you meet with God only when you need Him or do you have a relationship—a friendship with Him?  Moses wanted to see all of God, but that isn’t possible.  We are called friends of God if we obey Him, but we are still created beings and in this earthly suit we cannot handle all of His glory. 

Moses wanted to see the glory—the face of God.  That is always associated with being in the presence of God.  Someone suggested that there are three things we need to know about friendship with one another and friendship with God.  First, friends come around.  We see this in Moses relationship with God.  God’s presence was there and Moses knew it.  He wanted God’s presence in the wilderness more than He wanted God’s blessings in the Promised Land.  Have you come to know God that way?  You can.  God will always come around if you will come to Him on His terms—you must abide.