Hebrews 8:5
Shadows and Examples of Heavenly Things
Part 1
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
In verse five of the book of Hebrews, Chapter 8, we meet with those who served in the tabernacle. The Holy Spirit brings us back, in the pages of time, to the second book of Moses, the book of Exodus. Through Exodus we are introduced to those who served in the tabernacle as witnesses of God of His eternal Being, and of His divine Omnipotence. It is not those who served, but the very precepts and ordinances that God gave them as a display of His will and purpose for mankind. Whether it was Moses, or Aaron, or the sons of Aaron, or the tabernacle itself, ALL were examples and shadows of heavenly things. In order to understand the connection between Exodus with the book of Hebrews we MUST study the tabernacle for the divine light that is given to us in the book of Hebrews. You may consider reading my book on the tabernacle. Although it is a light study, one needs to be familiar with the tabernacle to appreciate heavenly things in the book of Hebrews.
The Priesthood – A Shadow
The priesthood itself was a shadow of a heavenly priesthood which was of divine origin. The psalms of David were sung in Solomon’s temple by the children of Kohath to show forth the glory of the Almighty God. In Hebrews, we are introduced to a higher elevation in spiritual thought connecting the shadows with the reality of the things which are real in heaven above.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
The Witness and Ministers of the Eternal Sanctuary
In heaven above there is joy in the presence of the angels, the ministers of the eternal sanctuary. Their voices ring throughout heaven with the heavenly anthem of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord Jesus was speaking about His angels in the gospel of Luke, He made sure that we would understand the joy that THEY experience over the grand occasion of God’s salvation.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10)
God has given man a voice in this world, there have been some wonderful voices that have perfect pitch as a fine-tuned instrument. If mankind can sing such melodies and song in his fallen state, think how the true voices in heaven above sound as they sing the praise and glory of the divine throne sitter: the Lamb of God. If the holy angels proclaim, through song, the majesty of Christ, should not we have the same joy in our hearts as we sing praises unto our God. The angels have witnessed all of the history of mankind from the beginning to the fall, after sin came into the world, through the trespass of Adam. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12) The tranquility of heaven and earth was broken by sin. The entire foundation, physically and spiritually, was shaken in the presence of angels.
The angels had to become the gate keepers of the garden of God to bar man from the tree of life. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24) Sin and the sinner could not stay in the garden, nor return to the garden. The fact that God drove Adam out of the garden shows that Adam had a rebellious spirit because of the fall, and consequently he rebelled against leaving the garden; therefore, God DROVE him out, thus, the way of the garden was sealed by the Cherubims and the flaming sword. Man took with him his sin and the penalty of sin which is death, and a rebellious spirit which brought forth the enmity against God out of his heart; consequently, man loves the darkness of sin and not the brightness of God’s glory. Sin could not have divine light. A darkened heart (like Satan) could not enter into the light of God. Mankind now was an alien to God. Mankind had become a self-proclaimed enemy of God Almighty. As Adam traveled in the wilderness of sin, the very words of Satan rang out in Adam’s fallen heart, “ye shalt be as gods.” For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5) This lie has led mankind to deny the very existence of God as the psalmist proclaimed, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. In the rejection of the reality of sin, mankind then must reject the reality of God.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (Psalm 10:4)
<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 14:1) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. (Psalm 14:2)
<<To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 53:1)
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
There is no Sin — There is no God
As mankind cries out in his foolishness that there is no God, God exposes man’s foolishness by His divine might, by His divine power, by His divine Spirit, and by His divine words. In Psalm 10, verse 4 God is examining the very heart of man so that we might understand from whence we have come. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. In Psalm 14, He exposes the wickedness of that heart of man, that the enmity against God is SO great that man has become a fool when He declares that ‘there is no God.’ The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 14:1) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. (Psalm 14:2) These two psalms show us the total depravity of the heart of mankind that it is EMPTY of ALL divine light. (John 1:5) And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Why Shadows and Types?
Mankind cannot comprehend the light of God because of SIN man has divided himself to the darkness of death. And only a divine act of God can change the heart of man. God Himself must insert His light as in Genesis 1:3. God has to say to the simple heart, Let there be light. God must divide the darkness by His Light which is Jesus Christ. Are we getting away from the subject of shadows? No, we are establishing why God had to instruct mankind through shadows for the heart of man is so dark that God had to INSTRUCT by shadows and types until the fullness of time. We should establish the position of mankind away from God before we can bring the wonder of God’s love, and grace before man. The priesthood was given as a shadow or example of the heavenly Priest who resided in heaven above.
God proclaimed to Moses, And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8) This would be a dwelling place for the God of mercy, and He would speak to Moses after the completion of the tabernacle from above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant witnessed by the two golden cherubims.
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:35)
And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. (Exodus 25:20)
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. (Exodus 25:21)
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:22)
And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him. (Numbers 7:89)
The Shadow and Type of The True Mediator
Here we see the position that Moses was given. He would be the mediator between God and the children of Israel. He would be the one, the ONLY one whom God would speak to on the holy mount. And why did God speak on a holy mountain? God was about to reveal Himself in a new way to mankind. He was going to give man a written record of Himself, and a history of mankind. God was going to establish a divine Law for man to obey, and also, give man a place of mercy for those who failed His divine rule. He was about to display His glory through types and shadows in the tabernacle. God was about to display His glory through types and shadows in the tabernacle. The written word would be the divine proclamation so that mankind would attain the knowledge of God. He would give the structure of the tabernacle to show forth His glory, and a refuge whereby man would be able to find mercy and grace. He would dwell AMONG the people of Israel. He would give a mercy seat to show forth His mercy to man as a shadow of things above, and a foreshadow of His divine grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son.
The first five books of Moses, the holy Scriptures, would be dictated to Moses in part, and overseen by the Holy Spirit of God for their divine authenticity. Every part and every thread of the tabernacle was by divine plan and built by the divine purpose of God to show forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore, let’s not leave the holy mount just yet: for God approached the children of Israel with thundering and lighting and a cloud of thick darkness. And the very mountain that He had declared ‘holy ground’ shook in the presence of the Almighty, so much so, that it brought fear and dread into the hearts of the Israelites; even Moses quaked within himself.
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, (Hebrews 12:18)
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (Hebrews 12:19)
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: (Hebrews 12:20)
And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (Hebrews 12:21)
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22) God established Moses as the mediator between God and man as a shadow and type of the divine Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This was the power and the majesty of God Almighty. He would shake the holy mount, and only Moses would meet with God. God established Moses as the mediator between God and man as a shadow and type of the divine Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God would be breathed by God to Moses. Moses would be enlightened so much that he had to cover his face after he left the divine presence of God Almighty in the tent of the congregation. He had to cover his face (when he descended from the mountain, or whenever he came out from the tabernacle) for his face glowed from being in the presence of God.
Face to Face With God and The Vail
In the book of Corinthians, we have a connection with the very presence of God, and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (1 Corinthians 3:13)
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:14)
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.(1 Corinthians 3:15)
Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.(1 Corinthians 3:16)
And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (Exodus 34:29) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. (Exodus 34:30)
And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. (Exodus 34:22) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (Exodus 34:35)
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. (Exodus 33:11)
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Numbers 12:8)
Even the light that came forth from the face of Moses was an example of the glory of God in the face of our Savior, Jesus Christ. These occasions were so important to God that in the New Testament in the book of 2nd Corinthians we have a follow through with Moses leading us to the very glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians 4:6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The life of Moses is not just the life of a man, but it was a symbolic life of the one who possesses ALL life. It is Christ who is the Possessor of heaven and earth. It is Christ who is the Creator of all things, and Moses was a shadow of the One to come. Moses was declared a prophet by God in Deuteronomy 34:10, And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. And according to the Scriptures God knew Moses face to face. God in His infinite wisdom, and omniscience declared that He KNEW Moses in a very special way. God declared that He would speak to Moses not only face to face, but mouth to mouth. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Numbers 12:8)
Moses and The Shadows and Types
Prophet – Mediator – King – Shepherd – Priest – Intercessor
We live in a world that as they tell us about the supernatural, they deny the supernatural personality and work of the Almighty God. They cannot grasp that God can speak to man face to face, mouth to mouth, heart to heart. Moses was given the Word of God NOT by inspiration, but mouth to mouth. God put His words in the mind, the heart, the spirit, and in the soul of Moses. And may I remind you that to this date, many of the children of Israel hold the writings of Moses higher than any other writing. The Word of God will endure forever. Moses, as a prophet, gave us prophecy. Moses as a mediator gave the children of Israel an intercessor between God and man. Moses as a type was king in Jeshurun.
Moses, as a prophet, gave us prophecy. Moses as a mediator gave the children of Israel an intercessor between God and man. Moses as a type was king in Jeshurun. (The word Jeshurun is symbolic of Israel.) Moses, as a prophet, gave us prophecy. Moses as a mediator gave the children of Israel an intercessor between God and man. Moses as a type was king in Jeshurun.
Moses commandeds a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. (Deuteronomy 33:4) And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. (Deuteronomy 33:5)
He was a general in God’s divine army, for he was led of the Spirit of God in the conflicts against the world, against tremendous odds, yet God fought for Israel and fought for Moses. God gave so much power to His servant Moses that even his arms could dictate the battle. When his arms were weak by his side Israel suffered defeat, and when his arms were held high Israel would put the enemy to the sword. No other being, no other man in the history of Israel had such an impact on the chosen nation.
Moses was the man who introduced us to our God in Genesis. Moses, by divine instruction, penned the book as God introduced Himself to the world in a written form from His divine mind. Moses was the instrument in all the wonders that we behold in the first five books of the Bible. There is no other collection that has been held so dear by Israel or the Church. Moses was the first sower of the seed of the Word of God. He was the first shepherd of the nation of Israel, and God spoke to Moses from above the mercy seat. This shows Moses as a priest before the Almighty God. Moses would be the intercessor for the whole nation. He would be the mediator between God and man as a type of the divine Mediator: Jesus Christ. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)
It is recorded of Moses that he was the meekest man (not the weakest man) but the meekest man before the Almighty God. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) (Numbers 12:3) The faith that was in Moses displayed the mercy of God. And to my knowledge the only man in Scripture who has this said about him was Moses that he was faithful and ALL his house, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. (Hebrews 3:2) Those around him not only knew his faith, but felt his faith every day, and knew the center of his faith was the Almighty God. As Joshua was a witness to Moses in his faithfulness to God, we read in Joshua 14:15 this testimony by Joshua to the faith of Moses. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)
In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, the Holy Spirit of God gives Moses an encore as a tribute to the faith of Moses. Moses stands out in the history recorded in Hebrews 11 as a predominant servant of the Almighty God.
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. (Hebrews 11:23)
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; (Hebrews 11:24)
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; (Hebrews 11:25)
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:26)
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27)
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. (Hebrews 11:28)
By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. (Hebrews 11:29)
The Lord had chosen Moses to be His mediator as a type of the great Mediator who is the Lord Jesus Christ. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
Let us look deeper into the life of Moses. Let our hearts hear the voice of the Lord when He called, Moses, Moses. His parents saw that he was a proper child, and it is recorded that he was a goodly child. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. (Exodus 2:2) It is recorded that he was a fair child in Acts 7:20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: Jochebed, his mother, knew that God had given her this child, that from his birth he would be in the hands of the Lord. He was a child of God’s purpose. Jochebed and Amram, the father of Moses, at a time of great distress among the people of Israel in the casting off of their children, hid this child for in the heart of Jochebed she knew that God’s hand was upon him.
This would be the child that would be the first leader of the nation of Israel, even though it was eighty years yet future, Jochebed saw that Moses was a goodly, and a proper child, and a child of promise to fulfill a promise that the Almighty had given to Abraham. He was born in the darkness of slavery, but Moses became a light in the midst of the darkness. It would be this Moses who would lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. It would be this Moses who (in a small ark) would travel through the flags (reeds and weeds) and the bulrushes with God’s divine hand upon him. It would be this Moses who would hear the words from the mouth of God when God declared Israel, ‘My people,’ in this first declaration of a nation chosen by God, and under the authority of God. This proper child was sent by God, was kept by God, even in the house of the enemies of God.
Moses would be hidden in the house of Pharaoh’s daughter. He would excel in the wisdom of Egypt, and he would be embraced by the Egyptians, and yet, God hid His servant in plain sight. Even then God was controlling the hearts of the Egyptians around His servant Moses. In the midst of his enemies was a greater danger than the water and the bulrushes of the Nile. God gave Moses wisdom even in the things of Egypt: preparing a leader, a commander, an organizer, a general when at forty years old he was accomplished in all the things of Egypt. And then at forty years of age, Moses would forsake Egypt in God’s purpose and plan. http://mysteryofnumbers.com/introduction-of-numbers-in-scripture/ At forty years of age, he would begin his journey to God in the wilderness. He was away from Egypt and his people; he would be a stranger and in a land that he knew not. Moses would take a Gentile bride as did Joseph. Once again, we have a divine picture of the Lord Jesus with His bride, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Church that belongs to the divine Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, we are neither Jew nor Greek, we are neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female for we are all one in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
The bride of Moses came from a family of nomads, they had no country, they were adrift in the history of mankind until Moses came as the champion to save them from the evil shepherds that would destroy and steal their flocks. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. (Exodus 2:16) And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. (Exodus 2:17)
Moses was forty years in the wilderness being taught by God, and in the school of meekness. God was training him for a far greater task than any man had previously encountered since the days of Noah. Forty years away from his family: Jochebed and Amram, his father, his brother Aaron, and his sister Miriam. Forty years away from Egypt, and its wealth, forty years away from a life of luxury, but now he served God as a nomad, as a no man. Totally removed from a life of power in a great civilization to a wanderer on the desert floor surrounded by steep mountainous cliffs. Forty years lived in the greatest knowledge to forty years experiencing the simplest existence, forty more years to test and to teach the man Moses. God has only given us a small glimpse of these forty years, yet God was working hard in adversity to bring His chosen through the storm of trial for this one (Moses) this one man must be prepared for one of the most important epics in the history of mankind. As Noah saw the dark clouds approaching, he was being prepared for the midnight of death, and the blood of the lamb.
Eighty Years and it is Now God’s Time — A New Direction
After forty years in the wilderness once again it was time for God to turn the hourglass and begin a new direction for His servant Moses. When the divine time had come, God drew Moses apart, He separated Moses from all that was around him, He drew him from his family, from his flocks to a burning bush that was not consumed. Moses now stood before a holy and righteous God as the angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to him out of the fire in the bush. After eighty years had passed, after eighty years that God had spent preparing this man Moses for this exact moment, he now stood on holy ground and approached God. Removing his shoes, he stood barefooted before the holiness of God Almighty; God would reveal Himself to Moses as the great I AM, as the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that encompassed all of the promises that God had given to the sons of the Father, and all the promises that God had made to the twelve tribes of Jacob; thus, fulfilling the promise that He gave to the nation of Israel through Joseph that God would lead them out of Egypt.
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Genesis 50:24)
And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. (Genesis 50:25)
So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:26)
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1)
And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. (Matthew 2:15)
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)
And Moses said unto God, Who [am] I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exodus 3:11)
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this [shall be] a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. (Exodus 3:12)
We have many prophets in the Old Testament; however, we also have direct prophecy given by the Lord to His servants. One of these prophecies is being fulfilled in our section of Scriptures as we consider Moses bringing the children of Israel OUT of the furnaces of Egypt. We should consider the prophecy that God gave to Abraham, and the very depth of that prophecy.
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. (Genesis 15:12)
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; (Genesis 15:13)
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. (Genesis 15:14)
God is revealing His determinate counsels through His servant Abraham. God is revealing His sovereignty over the nations of the earth, the peoples of the earth, and even revealing the EXACT time that He would fulfill this prophecy that He gave to Abraham.
Moses would be the instrument of this fulfillment. God, working through signs and wonders, would HUMBLE the mighty, and lift the meek up by His own right hand. Moses would be Israel’s emancipation from their dreaded slavery. Moses would be God’s sign to them of His enduring mercy to the children of Abraham.
Moses at this turning point in his life was eighty years old, the end of labor for most men; yet Moses was beginning his eighth day. It would be a new day walking in the footsteps of God Almighty. Moses returned into Egypt, not as a king neither as a potentate nor a governor, nor even as a military leader of a great earthly society, but he returned as a humble shepherd in the power of the Almighty God. Moses would have a unique work and he would be a servant of servants to the most high God. In his humility he would be a servant to the people of Israel. He would endure great conflict from the very people that he was instructed to lead. Moses was tried in the fire of personal rejection by the nation of Israel. And yet, he remained faithful to the Almighty, and he became the great leader of Israel. His role as mediator caused him great conflict. At times he would be the humble servant, and at other times he would be the servant of judgment to the people because of their sinful ways. We see in Moses a divine shadow of Christ as He came out of the Jordan after being baptized when the heavens were opened, And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17) The Lord Jesus had the authority of heaven and the wisdom of His divine Being. He also came as a humble shepherd, and to the very nation that He had given birth to approximately fifteen hundred years before the Lord Jesus began His divine ministry on the earth. He also was rejected by those who He came to save, and the tragedy is that they knew not the time of their visitation.
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, (Luke 19:41)
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. (Luke 19:42)
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, (Luke 19:43)
And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. (Luke 19:44)
The nation of Israel (as a whole) knew not the glory that He had come to bestow. They refused Him, and they crucified him. In doing so, they gave up their deliverance and were scattered throughout the world. Even today, the only voice that is worthy to call Israel ‘His people’ is the Lord Himself. This He will do when He returns to the earth in His second advent. Even now, as Christ is the divine Mediator in heaven, He is rejected of man. Only those who He has called out of sin and darkness to His marvelous light love Him and worship Him. Moses was only a flicker of light compared to the Son of God.
However, as a man at the age of eighty, Moses began his journey back to Egypt not to embrace the past, but to write a new future for the people of God. Yet, Israel was still sleeping, for four hundred years they were fast asleep in the darkness of Egypt; at best, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was just a fading memory; even Joseph was a distant recollection.
Israel had been in captivity for over four hundred years. They had endured the furnaces of Egypt, and God had been silent. Where was the God of Abraham? Where was the God of Isaac? Where was the God of Jacob? God behind the scenes through all those years was preparing a people for Himself. They would be a nation born at midnight in the blood of the pascal lamb. For God was going to be merciful to whom He would be merciful. Should we consider the heart of a slave? Their bondage had lasted a long, long time. They had been indoctrinated into the worship of the gods of Egypt. They were more familiar with the golden calves than with the God of Abraham. The promises of Abraham had been put aside and washed from their memories by the crippling labor of slavery. Even these slaves were required to bow to the gods of Egypt. Years of slavery had mingled them with the populace of Egypt. Many times, slaves or captives begin to look at their task masters as benefactors. For man in his worst condition does not want to give up what he has for the unknown. A slave is a slave not only to Egypt, but to his own existence. He is afraid of the dark and the unknown.
That is exactly why the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul describes all men as slaves to sin. Mankind has learned to enjoy his slavery to sin for a season. When the Lord Jesus began His ministry, it was up to Him and Him alone to fulfill God’s righteousness and to offer to mankind an emancipation from his slavery from sin to set mankind free from sin and the penalty of sin: death. It was up to the Lord Jesus to break the shackles of sin, and to destroy the bonds of death and darkness. But mankind, even in our age, has learned to enjoy sin for a season. It is amazing how much of the life of man is controlled by sin. His reasoning has been tainted by sin. All his decisions are made in the presence of sin. He is under the thumb of sin, yes, mankind is a slave to sin. Only the mercy of God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, can break the shackles, remove the bands, and set one free. Humanity has learned his environment well. Humanity manipulates sin to achieve their personal goals, their political goals, and their religious goals. Nations will not admit that they are being ruled and controlled by sin. Oh, yes, the divine thought is this – all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In our present age, the majority of leaders throughout this world are laden with sin, and governed by the influence of the sin within them. As the children of Israel in the furnaces of Egypt, today, man does not want to give up his sin, for he has learned to enjoy it; he has forgotten the penalty of sin which is death. They treat sin as a benefactor, as their leader, to fulfill their depraved condition as they enjoy sin only for a season even as the hammer of death is over them every day. And only in that day can there be a day of deliverance. It is not tomorrow, it is not a month away, as the second hand clicks — THIS is the time — THIS is the moment to be set free from the slavery of sin through the Lord Jesus Christ. Call ye upon Him, while He is near, bend your knee to the divine King, and beg His mercy as He and only He is the God of Salvation. The Lord Himself, as He walked among men, declared that He was here to bring men out of darkness and to set captives free. These were not the words of Paul, nor of Peter, but from the lips of Christ Himself that if the Son should set you free ‘ye shall be free indeed.’ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
Consider — Who was Jesus?
In the book of the gospel of John, Chapter 9, we have a series of questions, the Lord asked the man who was born blind and who had received his sight. Dost thou believe on the Son of God? The man replied to the Lord, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? These are the exact words out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and here is proof to the skeptic who asks ‘Did Jesus ever claim to be the Son of God? Yes, He did, for He replied to the once blind man, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? (John 9:35)
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? (John 9:36)
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. (John 9:37)
And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. (John 9:38)
The finality of the claim of Christ was that the once blind man worshiped Him. This act of worship would have been an act of blasphemy if the person receiving the worship, was not deity. We have proof of this in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ when the apostle John twice mistook a glorified saint for being deity, and the glorified saint refused the worship.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. (Revelation 22:8)
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. (Revelation 22:9)
This is a wonderful example of our transition into our new bodies. The saint that stood before John was such a glorious being that John mistook him for deity. Showing that when we are changed (as John wrote in his first epistle) will be changed to be conformed to His image.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)
The object of the former blind man’s worship was the Deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man. There was no rebuke from the Lord, He accepted the worship that this once blind man offered as each sinner looks to Him when they have been set free; they worship Him with all their heart, and He accepts that worship as their Savior and as their Lord. Christ also made this proclamation as recorded in John Chapter 13, verse 13, Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am.
He also asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they replied, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Christ answered, But whom say ye that I am, and Peter declared, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (Matthew 16:13)
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (Matthew 16:14)
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (Matthew 16:15)
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)
Even the demons cried out that Christ was the Holy One of God. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (Mark 1:24)
Even His enemies, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, during His trial, told the Lord Jesus to tell them whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. (Matthew 26:63)
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. (Matthew 26:65
Even the high priest knew the exact claim that the Lord Jesus had made. The Lord Jesus had proclaimed that out of their own lips that they had testified that He was the Son of God; therefore, the high priest rent his garments and shouted that Christ had committed blasphemy. Why did he use the word blasphemy? It was quite clear to this high priest that the Lord had claimed to be Deity as the Son of God.
Even in His death the Roman centurion and they that were with him gave a witness to the divinity of the Son of God when they stated at His death, Truly this was the Son of God — Truly this man was the Son of God — Certainly this was a righteous man.
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54)
And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. (Mark 15:39)
Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. (Luke 23:47)
In the book of Matthew, we have the gospel of the King, and the King is glorified in His death as the Son of God. In the gospel of Mark, we have the servant of servant, and He fulfilled His service to God in His death, and as a servant He is declared the Son of God. In the gospel of Luke, He is the Son of man, thus, identifying Himself with the bonds of mankind, He is the suffering Man, and He swallows up the suffering of man on the cross of Calvary, and here the centurion states, Certainly this was a righteous man. And we know and do declare that the Lord Jesus fulfilled ALL of God’s righteousness in both life and in His death as the Son of God.
However, there is much more involved in the ‘sin question.’ The majority of humanity today denies the fact of sin, or sins. Scripture however (which will never pass away) states that sin is in ALL mankind. Therefore, from birth to death, sin is the slave master.
The man who was born blind was an example (or type) of all men who are blinded by sin from birth. The element of sin covers the heart with darkness; therefore, it blinds the heart to the things of God. The only way to infuse light into the heart is through the new birth in Jesus Christ who is the Light of the world, the brightness of God’s glory, and the express glorified image of God Himself. It is the Spirit of Christ who gives life, and one becomes a newborn babe — a new birth, a new life, a new heart, soul, and spirit all possessed by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Adam (through sin) inoculated his whole race: past, present, and future. Christ came to be the PURE and the resolve of that inoculation by infusing His righteousness INTO a new creation created by Himself to honor and glorify the Son of God.
The blind man was well known by the Lord, although He never met him, but He knew exactly where he was, Christ knew how long he had been blind, and Christ knew the very moment of their meeting. For this man (who was born blind) was also a living picture (a type) of the whole nation of Israel at the time of Christ. How does this all relate to Moses? God also knew Moses from birth as well. God had tracked Moses every moment of his life. There was nothing of Moses that the eyes of the Lord had not seen. Moses was God’s instrument from birth. Although Moses was well known, God was not well known to Moses. God at the burning bush was the first revelation to mankind in four hundred years. And now, Moses would begin to learn about God, and God would reveal Himself to Moses in signs and wonders, and movements by His Spirit, and of course, by the Word of God.
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. (Exodus 3:1)
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. (Exodus 3:3)
And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:4)
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Exodus 3:5)
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exodus 3:6)
And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; (Exodus 3:7)
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8)
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. (Exodus 3:9)
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)
First, we hear the voice of God, the divine presence in the angel of the Lord. This is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God. Not only is the Lord Jesus the Creator of all things, but He upholds all things by the Word of His power. This means that the natural appearances and actions on earth, such as: fire, rain, hail, snow, storms, and angry seas, etc., are ALL under the word of His power and under His complete control. He is overall, and He is the fullness of all things. In His manifestation as the incarnate image of the Son of God as the Son of man, Christ claimed not only to be Deity, but also claimed Equality in the Godhead bodily.
In His manifestation, He is the fullness of that Godhead bodily as the brightness of the glory of God, and the express image of His Person. Because many tend to read over Scripture instead of through Scripture, one misses some very important facts that the Spirit of God puts forth. In the gospel John, Chapter 3, the Lord Jesus deals with the supernatural, not only MUST a man be born again, but the Spirit of Christ has the power to give life to man. The Spirit of Christ has the power to redeem man from his sins.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? (John 3:4)
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? (John 3:9)
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (John 3:10)
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11)
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3:12)
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)
Speaking of the Son of man, He referred to His Deity and His Omnipresence in verse 11 of Chapter 3 of John. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11) He identified Himself with the Godhead. He used the word ‘we’ in connection with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Three times He used the word ‘we.’ We speak, We do know, We have seen, thus, encompassing the Godhead. He declared His Omnipresence in verse 13, that as the Son of man He was both on earth, and at the same time, in heaven above. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13) And in verse 12, the Son of God addresses mans unbelief and blindness for the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit which we find in verse six.
Here is the marvel, the Spirit of Christ (which indwells man who is born of God) whispers to the enlightened heart all the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ. The unsearchable riches of Christ are for every believer His presence and ministry are just as real as the presence of the angel of the Lord at the burning bush with Moses. In the burning bush that is not consumed by the fire of God, we have a picture of the nation of Israel before its national birth in the furnaces of Egypt, yet, they still were not consumed. God was reveling through all those years that His hand was upon them to preserve them for this very moment that He would bring them up out of the land of Egypt by the hand of Moses.
As the Lord of glory was going to set the slaves free, He must first send a servant to gather them together to lead them out of Egypt. He must also cover their trespasses; this He did with the blood of the pascal lamb to show (not only to Israel) but God’s intent to send forth His Son into the world as the true pascal Lamb: The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
Since the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has been building a Bride for Himself, and this Bride one day will come forth in the very image of the Creator. He has been creating for more than two thousand years this wonderful organism that we call the Church. The Church is the pearl of great price. His Bride, His Church, His Body will show forth His glory throughout eternity. Those who were once in slavery to sin and death are now set free in Christ believe in their hearts the very truth of the Lord Jesus Christ that whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Now for those who cannot hang on to eternal life that it is here today and gone tomorrow, you need to read very closely the words of the Lord Jesus Christ that they shall never die. And I will ask with the Lord — Believest thou this?
When the Lord was describing the bond of marriage, He described that two became one flesh, and therefore, they could never be separated by man; yet, man, himself, in his doctrine of divorce and because of the hardness of his heart has caused a separation in marriage. The Lord also compared the angels when He said that they neither marry nor given in marriage. This is very important, because angels cannot die! Therefore, if those in heaven are compared to the angels is not the new creation on earth, the believer in Jesus Christ, just as eternal as the angels who cannot die. The words of the Lord Jesus shall never die, Believest thou this? apply to our eternal life. You will tell me that you didn’t earn your salvation by works, if this is true of salvation that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, and it is permanent, so is eternal life. The Lord Jesus came to lead us out of sin into His marvelous light. His light is eternal as well as His eternal life that He bestows on His children.
The Double Call
As we return to the call of Moses, God speaks out with the double call – Moses, Moses. This double call is very important. Few have received this double call. Abraham received a double call as a divine witness. Samuel received the double call within the tabernacle, and Paul (or Saul) received the double call on the Damascus Road. All these were a call of salvation, and a call for separation and service to the Almighty God.
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (Genesis 22:11)
And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:4)
And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. (1st Samuel 3:10)
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: (Acts 9:3) And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4)
These were all men of distinction in God’s plan of redemption. All these records are witnesses to us at the end of the age. Each one had a calling for a specific purpose in God’s plan. There were no duplicates to Abraham and his faith. There were no duplicates to Moses and his service. There were no duplicates to Samuel and his obedience. There were no duplicates to Paul and his adversities in the faith. God chooses those who will magnify Him and not man. The double call is singular in the call, but not in divine service. Each man was to perform a specific purpose in the will of God as Abraham on mount Moriah with the son of his love was a shadow of God on this mount Moriah (Calvary) with the Son of His love. (Genesis 22) And as Moses at the foot of the mountain beholding a burning bush that was not consumed by fire heard the voice of his call. Samuel in the tabernacle sleeping in the very presence of God when out of the darkness came a voice calling, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel’s reply, Speak; for thy servant heareth. Then on the road of life or death, on the Damascus Road, the Lord called out, Saul, Saul. Here was an enemy of the Church breathing fire as a dragon against the redeemed; yet, God who had separated him from his mother’s womb, had other plans for this persecutor of the Church. He would with the voice cry, Grace, grace, from the mountain of God in Arabia.
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:7)
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, (Galatians 1:15)
To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (Galatians 1:16)
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.(Galatians 1:17)
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 12:1)
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:2)
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) (2 Corinthians 12:3)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (2 Corinthians 12:4)
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. (2 Corinthians 12:5)
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. (2 Corinthians 12:6)
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (2 Corinthians 12:7)
This is one of the mysteries that God reveals through His Word to the heart of His redeemed. As Moses received the plans for the tabernacle on Mount Sinai for an earthly people (Israel) from that SAME mountain in Arabia, Paul ascended to the third heaven to receive the divine revelation of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. This divine design was not for an earthly people, but for a heavenly people. Paul ascended into the third heaven into the very presence of the Lord Jesus and received ALL the doctrines and instructions concerning the Church, which is the Body of Christ. Paul also saw things that he could not speak about. And some of those things were revealed later by the apostle John in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
The purpose of God in Paul was to prepare a divine people for heaven that they would be in the Spirit of Christ and have the mind of Christ. John carries us further into the very presence of the glorified saints around the throne of the Almighty God. Moses was given an earthly ministry. Paul was given a heavenly ministry, and John revealed heaven itself. Moses standing at the foot of the mountain beholding the burning bush listens to the voice declaring, I AM the God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here the Almighty is revealing that He is the God of the living and not a God of the dead. Moses, as a mediator, received his call directly from God Himself. Moses brought nothing to God, neither silver nor gold, no earthly possessions and at this point God transformed Moses from a shepherd of sheep to a shepherd in Israel. All these men who heard the double call began a NEW work in the history of mankind. Yet, ALL were fulfilling the determinate counsels of God.
Abraham was grace and truth promised. Moses was law and truth given. Samuel was the kingdom everlasting. Paul (who was Saul) was the fulfillment of the promises of God in the heavenlies, for we have set our affections on things above and not on the earth. Abraham, Moses, Samuel and Paul were all types and shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ who was/is grace and truth, the law, and the everlasting kingdom, and in Him are all the promises of God fulfilled.
The mediator, Moses, stood before the ever-burning fire of God. In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the seven Spirits of God before His throne are described as lamps of fire. At the burning bush was the fire of God, at Mount Horeb (in the mountain) was the fire of God. Peter tells us that mount Horeb is the holy mount of God in 2nd Peter 1:18. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. In Exodus Chapter 3, God called Horeb the holy mount or holy ground. All those who were called with the double call had a relationship with the fires of God. With Abraham he was on Mount Moriah where God Himself would provide the sacrifice in the ram caught in the thicket which Abraham offered in place of his son, and where God, in His divine majesty, would offer His Son who would endure the fires of God’s judgment for the sin of the whole world.
Moses would see the fire of God at the foot of the holy mount in the burning bush, and at the top of the mountain in the presence of God. Samuel would be awakened to keep the lamp stand burning so that the lamp of God would not go out. The lamp stand is a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the very burning is a symbol of the seven Spirits of God. Paul was quickened by the fiery light of the Lord Jesus that it blinded him in his supernatural call by the Lord Jesus Christ. All these men show us that with God nothing is impossible. He shows us these divine things in His divine Word, and He relates them to us in our daily walk. We who have passed from death to life are a supernatural creation, new beings, neither of man, nor of angels, but new beings called Christians. And the One who has created us supernaturally is keeping us supernaturally because He IS The Supernatural God. We serve Him in risen form from the deadness of sin into His endless life. And He has called us to be conformed to His very image. And He knows our life from the beginning to the end. We are the work of His design. We have been created by the power of God Almighty to be His children, to be His servants, to be His friends, and to be His brothers as joint heirs in the fullness of God that filleth all in all. Now and throughout eternity we are and will be partakers of all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Jesus Christ. We are possessors of His unsearchable riches, and the riches of His grace.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; (Ephesians 3:8)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)
God’s Call to You
Now Moses, Moses, am I speaking through the Spirit to you, to your heart? Is God Almighty in Jesus Christ calling YOU, can you hear His voice in your heart? I close with the voice of the Spirit in the Song of Solomon, Chapter 2, verses 8 thru 10.
The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. (Song of Solomon 2:8)
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. (Song of Solomon 2:9)
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:10)
Each and every child of God must answer to that glorious voice, for the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)
And the redeemed of the Lord cry out to you, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Amen.
Copyright 2019, Michael Haigh
This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)
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