Chapter 30: Moses’s Friendship with God
Q1 - How was the establishment of the tent of meeting an important step in the Israelites’ developing their own relationship with God? See Exodus 29:38–46 for God’s instructions concerning the continual offerings and the sanctification of the tent of meeting. See also Exodus 33:7–11.
A1 - After God presented the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in Exodus 20, Moses ascended the mountain and stayed forty days and nights (Exodus 24:15–18). During that time, God gave Moses many instructions, including how to construct the tabernacle and the items which were to go inside as well as information concerning the priests and their garments.
In the interim before the tabernacle could be built, the tent that Moses had pitched outside the camp became a place where God would come down in the pillar of cloud and talk with Moses. The people could come also, and the glory of God consecrated the tent (Exodus 29:42–46). Sacrificial offerings were made at the entrance to the tent, and it gave a physical place for God to dwell among His people.
Prior to God coming down to the tent of meeting, Moses had to ascend the mountain to talk with Him. Not only did it take time for Moses to hike up the mountain and back, but it took him away from the view of the people, which had proven disastrous in the incident of the golden calf.
By having the tent of meeting just outside the camp, the people could watch Moses enter the tent. They could witness the pillar of cloud coming down to the tent, and during these times they would stand outside their own tents and worship. The tent of meeting brought the presence of God much closer to the people, and it gave them a place where they themselves could go make inquiries of God. While the mountain was a fearful place that the people dared not go, the tent was approachable and allowed the people to begin to develop a more personal relationship with God.
Q2 - When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he asked this favor for himself. What other personal requests, not associated with being an intermediary for the Israelites, did Moses make of God during his lifetime that are recorded in scripture? Why did God not immediately grant Moses’s request to see His glory?
A2 - Moses was called the meekest or humblest man to ever live. Perhaps his refraining from asking God for personal requests and always seeking the good of the Israelites helped him earn that designation. Almost every communication that’s recorded in scripture that Moses made with God concerned the welfare of the Israelite people in some way.
After being so closely associated with God, Moses knew that he had only been partially witnessing Him. He had never seen God totally and fully revealed. When he secured God’s promise that He Himself would accompany the Israelites on to the Promised Land, Moses became emboldened to make his personal request to see God’s glory, His full presence.
God waited until Moses went up on the mountain for the second set of stone tablets where he was well away from the camp of the Israelites to fulfill his request (see Exodus 34:4–9). This was likely for the people’s safety, but it also made for a private time between God and Moses. When Moses came back down, his face was radiant from his speaking with the Lord. The sight of Moses's glowing face frightened the people, and he had to coax Aaron and the others to come near him (see Exodus 34:29–32). Think how much more terrifying it would have been for them to witness even a small measure of God’s glory.
Moses made another personal request of God shortly before the Israelites reached the Promised Land. Because he and Aaron had sinned while bringing water from the rock at Meribah, God had told them that neither he nor Aaron would be allowed to enter Canaan (see Numbers 20:1–13). He would later beg God to allow him to cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan. However, God did not change His mind and told Moses not to speak to Him anymore about the matter. God did allow him to look over right before his death (see Deuteronomy 3:23–27, 34:1–6).
Q3 - What are the characteristics of the Holy Spirit? How does it function in the lives of Christians today?
A3 - The Holy Spirit does many things in the lives of believers, several of which will be discussed here. He is the third person of the Trinity, along with God the Father and God the Son. He was with God from the beginning of creation. Genesis 1:2 (NKJV) tells us: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Moses had received the Spirit, although scriptures do not state how or at what point in time. When Moses asked God for help in dealing with the people, He took some of the Spirit that was within Moses and put it on seventy of the elders of the community to help him carry the burden of the people (Numbers 11:11–17).
Also during Moses’s time, the Spirit of God gave various skills to the craftsmen who made the tabernacle, ark of the covenant, and all the other items God had commanded, as well as the priestly garments (Exodus 31:1–11).
When Moses asked God to appoint a successor to him so that upon his death the people would not be left like sheep without a shepherd, God told him: “‘Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him’” (Numbers 27:18, NKJV).
There are other instances in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit came upon people for a period of time and then departed. For example, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Saul and he prophesied in 1 Samuel 10:6–10. Later, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David and departed from Saul in 1 Samuel 16:13–14. After David’s sin with Bathsheba, he pleaded with God not to take His Holy Spirit from him in Psalm 51:11.
In the New Testament, Jesus promised His disciples that after He departed, He would send them a Comforter (or Helper, Counselor, or Advocate) to be with them forever, the Spirit of truth (John 14:16–21). Then, after His resurrection, He gave them these instructions in Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV): “‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Indeed, the Holy Spirit would be bestowed upon Christians, the followers of Christ. In Acts 2:38 (NIV), when the words which the Apostle Peter had been speaking pierced the hearts of his listeners, they asked him what they should do. Peter replied: “‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Then, in verse 39, he continued by saying: ‘“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.’” The forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit would not be only for the people to whom Peter spoke; it would also be for us today!
Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He acts as a deposit or down payment, guaranteeing our inheritance. The Apostle Paul tells us in (Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV): “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Paul goes on to admonish us in Ephesians 4:30 (ESV) not to grieve the Holy Spirit: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
The Holy Spirit intercedes for believers and helps us in our weaknesses. We are told in Romans 8:26–27 (ESV): “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The Holy Spirit does so much more than what we have addressed here. Search the Bible on “Holy Spirit” at https://www.biblegateway.com/ to see the many scriptures that speak of the Holy Spirit.
This article also provides more information: "Understanding Who the Holy Spirit is and His Roles In A Believer's Life."