moses and Jesus and me

Since December, I've kind of been tracking+contemplating the journey+leadership of Moses in Exodus for some inspiration+guidance, but I think one of the more striking passages about Moses and his relationship with God comes from Numbers 12.

Verses 1-9 say this:

1 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 also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.

(And then Miriam gets struck with mad leprosy, which prompts Aaron to plead with Moses, who then pleads with God...)

What sticks out from the passage personally is:

a) Moses is given a huge compliment in verse 3 when it says Moses was the most meek man on the FACE OF THE EARTH. NIV (sorry to all those with ESV superiority complexes out there :P) uses the word "humble", which to me is more impressive than "meek" because "meek" always reminds me of a mouse (...but don't ask why, I have no idea), but "humble"...that's big stuff mang. Jesus is THE Humble King, but pre-Jesus-on-Earth, there was a point when Moses was the most humble man in the world. And yet he was in a position of such authority and power during this time. How was it possible to take on all this crazy responsibility and still keep a humble heart? There have been many times when I have been humbled through serving, realizing how far I fall short and how little I have to offer on my own, but to be humble? All the time? In every circumstance? No matter who or how many look up to me or depend on me or think well of me? That's difficult, and it is a character trait that necessitates a great amount of pruning and surrendering and living in awe/fear of God.

b) Verses 6-8 are even crazier. God explains to Aaron and Miriam exactly how special and beloved Moses is (Cushite wife or not) by making the comparison between a regular prophet (to whom the LORD makes Himself known through visions and dreams and riddles) and Moses (with whom the LORD speaks "mouth to mouth", or as in NIV, "face to face"). I'll be real - at first glance, I'm kind of jealous that Moses has such an intimate relationship with God, a relationship God Himself claims to be unlike any other, where Moses regularly "beholds the form of the LORD." God and Moses be so tight that Moses glows with all that love! (Literally.)

But what's craziest is that I shouldn't be jealous. After all, through Christ, a way to the Father - to know and to see God the Father - was made for regular people like me. Jesus says in John 14, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Of course, since I wasn't alive when Jesus physically walked the Earth as a man, it's kind of like, wait a minute. I never got to see Jesus face to face, so I actually haven't been able to see God either. But that's really missing the point, plus 1 John states: "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" — all thanks to Jesus.

The question now becomes, do I live like this is the truth? When I become discouraged about leadership, about my character and purpose, do I sit here wishing I could hear from God more directly and envying those who seem to be able to do so...or do I go to Jesus?

My final thoughts rest with John 6:28-29 — the disciples ask Jesus, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" And Jesus replies quite simply, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

To know God, to partake in His works, to be confident of an intimate relationship with my Father...it begins with Jesus.