Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
When I was introduced at an early age to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, I could see my own character in his tale of the little girl. Like her, when I was “good,” I could be “very good indeed.” But when I was “bad,” I was as bad as the worst of them. Sure, I earned my attendance and good behavior “stars” in Sunday School. But, unbeknown to my teachers and sometimes my parents, I was a little liar, a sneaky thief, and generally, a mean brother to my little sister. [Click on Photo to Enlarge.]
Now, having celebrated seventy-five New Year’s, I recall some years in which I
had made “New Year resolutions.” But after only a few seconds had marked time in the New Year, I would begin to question whether
I or anyone else could maintain a perfect heart and life in the New Year. I suppose we can all appear “good” for a short time, especially in the presence
of others. But sooner or later, we will express
“badness”—we will “think bad” and often “act bad.” It’s not that we cannot be “good,” it’s just
that we cannot be “consistently good.”
Obviously, our “goodness” and “badness” can color our personal and professional relationships. The character of our leaders will influence the quality of the programs and policies they write. [For example, see our recent Oikonomia series on “Consistent Conservation” – click HERE.] Leaders influence our churches, communities, nation, and world. The revealed Word of God in Scripture provides the only objective and realistic explanation for the innate badness of every human being. The Apostle Paul contributed toward this explanation in his epistle to the Romans.
“Good” and “Bad” at Heart
And I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
I want to do what is good, but I don’t.
I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
But if I do what I don’t want to do,
I am not really the one doing wrong;
it is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—
that when I want to do what is right,
I inevitably do what is wrong (Romans 7: 18-21).
This was the honest testimony of Paul the Apostle. He once described himself as a blameless Hebrew (Philippians 3: 4-6), but eventually recognized that he was “the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1: 15). What was it that changed Paul’s understanding of himself and led to his 180-degree turn from “proud Paul” trusting in his own self-righteousness to “humble Paul” who wrote, “nothing good lives in me” (Romans 7: 18)? Let’s look more closely at the two Paul’s.
Many of us can relate to one or the other, or both of these “Paul’s.” Like “proud Paul,” we want to do what is
right, but [we] can’t, and we don’t want to do what is wrong, but
[we] do it anyway. Like Shakespeare's
Lady Macbeth, we recognize this gnawing tension of good and bad within us, and we
cry, “Out, damn spot!” The Apostle Paul
cried, Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death (Romans 7: 24)?
“Who Will Set Us Free?”
According to C.S. Lewis, there is a universal moral law that is objective (i.e. from beyond us) not subjective, or from within our own reasoning. It follows that for this law to exist, God must exist as the necessary “Author” of this law. God’s Word explains that He created humans with the need to pursue moral justification—i.e. to answer Paul’s question, “Who will set us free? But according to God’s objective revelation, there is only one way to obtain moral justification—the just shall live by faith (Romans1: 16-17). But not everyone acknowledges this claim. Instead, we tend to adopt one or more of the following:
• PRIDEFUL: “I’m already free; and, I’m basically good. Sure, I occasionally make a mistake. Who doesn’t?”
• DESPAIRING: “I’m so sinful, so thoroughly evil. I must be beyond God’s help.”
• RELIGIOUS: “I am justified because I believe in God, attend church, read the Bible, and obey its commands.”
• ECOCENTRIST: “All of life including humans is good and has equal intrinsic value. My moral obligation is to ensure that humans do not hinder the flourishing of other species.”
• JUSTICE ADVOCATE: “We are justified by promoting justice and equity for the oppressed and retribution for those whose ancestors we abused.”
• DISMISSIVE: “If there is a God, He’s not a necessary part of my becoming a ‘good person’.”
• NIHILIST: “What’s the use? I see no basis for believing, valuing, or communicating anything. I even question my own existence.” [Read more HERE.]
Which of the above describes how you give account for the reality that
something is wrong with the world and wrong with our hearts? Certainly, our present definitions of reality
may differ. Maybe your self-justification
has changed over the years. Regardless,
it is hard to deny Paul’s claim that our lives and culture are “dominated by
sin and death.” Even before birth, the
unborn baby can distinguish mommy’s soothing, happy voice from mommy’s troubled
voice. Already, the unborn child begins
to experience “good and bad.” From a
very young age, we must begin to deal meaningfully and logically with the
reality of goodness and badness.
Those who believe in the objective revelation of God’s Truth through the Scriptures will agree that the Bible gives us many accounts of men and women whose lives were blessed or cursed in accordance with whether or not they followed God’s commands. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10: 11 (emphasis added), Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Paul elaborates in Romans 15: 4 (emphasis added), For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. The life of Moses is one example of how we can learn from the experience of a life “written for our instruction.”
Modelling from Moses’s Life
Moses was one of the greatest prophets of God. He wrote the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) under the inspiration of God’s Spirit. Likely, Moses’s writings were enhanced by the many hours he spent in intimate fellowship and “face to face” conversation with Almighty God (Exodus 33: 7-11; Numbers 12: 8). It is far beyond the scope of this article and the ability of this writer to encompass the life of Moses. Instead, we offer a series of snapshots of his life. We hope each snapshot will challenge you to meditate on God’s truth, delve deeper into the Scriptures, and apply it as part of your effort to walk more consistently with God in the coming year. Maybe you will elect to use each one as part of your daily devotions for seven days:
Moses: Son of Godly Parents – Exodus
1: 16, 22; 2: 1-10; Acts 7: 17-20; Hebrews 11: 23
Although the Egyptian Pharaoh had decreed that all Hebrew babies should be killed, Moses’s parents courageously defied the decree. They placed baby Moses in a tiny ark which was discovered floating in the bullrushes by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses’s sister Miriam aided in a plan for Moses’s mother to nurture the child. As a result, the devout parents whom God providentially used to preserve Moses’s life may also have been instrumental in teaching him in later years about the One true God and His covenant with His chosen people through whom Messiah would come.
Application: Reflect on the important role of parents and grandparents in providing consistent moral and biblical teaching. Thank God for those He used to nurture your faith. Who have you been discipling in the truth of God’s Word?
Read More: Proverbs 22: 6; “A Nation of Biblical Illiterates” WORLD Magazine, Jan. 6, 2023
Moses: From Prince to Sufferer– Exodus 2: 10-11; Acts 7: 22-23; Hebrews 11: 24-26
Hebrews 11 records that Moses refused his position of royalty and his enjoyment of the “fleeting pleasures of sin,” choosing instead to “share the oppression of God’s people.” His sharing in Hebrew oppression meant that Moses was sharing in the same suffering which future generations of God’s people would endure, leading to the suffering of Christ Himself and His disciples down to our present day.
Application: What decisions and commitments have you made that are clearly “by faith” rather than for temporal, personal, or material gain? Can you justify these according to Hebrews 11: 1, 6; and Matthew 6: 19-34?
Moses: Murderer and Fugitive– Exodus
2: 11-15; Acts 7: 23-29; Hebrews 11: 27
Moses learned about his Hebrew heritage and then committed himself to some measure of faith in the Hebrew God, Jehovah. One day, his knowledge and faith combined to lead Moses to act in defense of his enslaved Hebrew brethren. This altercation led Moses to kill an Egyptian slave master. Instead of becoming the agent of God’s liberation of his Hebrew brethren from bondage, Moses became a murderer and fled for his life into the wilderness.
Application: Have you made decisions in which caused you to act on your own strength and ability for selfish reasons instead of waiting on God’s timing and for His glory? What did you learn from this experience? Notice that God’s Word (Hebrews 11: 27) doesn’t recount Moses’s crime. Why might this be? [See Psalm 103: 8-14; Hebrews 8: 12; 1 John 1: 9.]
Moses: Shepherd and Deliverer – Exodus 3-5; Acts 7: 30-35
After forty years of shepherding sheep, Moses was visited by God who revealed Himself through a burning bush, saying I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. “BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND (Acts 7: 32-33). Moses, the former prince of Egypt, now kneels down in humble reverence toward God Jehovah, the “I AM,” He receives God’s commission and powerful signs to challenge Pharaoh to release of the Hebrew nation from slavery. Instead of success, once again, Moses appears to fail and his brethren turn against him.
Application: Can you relate to Moses’s apparent defeat from your experience? Which has helped you more in your spiritual growth, your triumphs or your trials? See James 1: 2-4; Romans 5: 3-5.
Moses: GOD Overpowers Egyptian Gods– Exodus
6-14; Acts 7: 36; Hebrews 11: 28-29
Moses was God’s prophet in a standoff that was not ultimately between Moses and Pharaoh, but between Almighty God and the spiritual forces of Satan. The Egyptians were the real slaves—slaves of satanic polytheism, the worship of many gods. Jehovah God demonstrated His power over creation and the Egyptian gods of creation by unleashing ten plagues, each a direct attack on one particular Egyptian god beginning with the god of the Nile River and ending with the death of every first-born child in a home without its side- and upper-doorposts painted with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. This Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the coming “true Passover Lamb,” Jesus Christ (Matthew 26: 2).
Application: List some of the many “gods” of our culture. How is God enabling you be a testimony that it is a more powerful and blessed testimony for God than for false gods? How do you apply the blood of the Passover Lamb and of His Cross as you face the powers of death and darkness (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5)?
Read More about “Ten Egyptian Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses,” CLICK HERE.
Moses: Man of Great Faith and a Worshiper – Exodus 14-15
After the final, devastating plague of the firstborn in Egypt, Pharaoh allowed the children of Israel to migrate toward the Promised Land, and estimated 2.5 million men, women, and children. However, soon the vengeful Egyptians decided to pursue the Israelites, eventually cornering them at the edge of the sea. It appeared that Moses was once again on the edge of failure. Instead, with great faith in God, Moses cried out, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD… (Exodus 14: 13-14).” After God opened the sea, Moses led the multitude of Israelites along a path through the sea on dry ground. Then, as an expression of reverence to God, Moses led the multitude in singing praises unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea (Exodus 15: 1).
Application: Recall a time in which you were “cornered” with seemingly no escape. How did you respond? How was God involved in the outcome? How did your response afterwards compare to that of Moses?
Moses: Friend of God and Intercessor – Exodus
32, 33
Within three days of their victorious deliverance from the Egyptians through the parting of the sea, the children of Israel were “acting like children” complaining of the bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15: 22-25). Moses cried out to the LORD and God “showed him a tree” which when cut and thrown into the water, made the water sweet. After repeated grumblings for water and food which God graciously supplied, the Israelites came to Mt. Sinai where God carved the Ten Commandments in stone and gave them to Moses. However, while Moses was with God on the mountain, the Israelites formed a golden calf and were worshiping it (Exodus 32). Moses again met in “face to face” communion with God, interceding on behalf of the sinful people of God. He was performing what would soon be the role of God’s priests, and eventually the role of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, through the blood of His Cross (Hebrews 4: 14-16).
Application: Read Exodus 33: 7-11. In a spirit of repentance and reverence to God, offered through God’s High Priest, Jesus Christ, enter into prayer communion with God, thanking Him for saving you, interceding for you. Ask God to help you walk with Him in 2023 in reliance upon Him performing His roles as Advocate and Comforter (John 14: 15-20; 1 John 2: 1-2).
Wanting to Be Good in 2023?
While I was small enough for my father to hold me close in his arms, my mother recalls that he would whisper into my ear, “Johnny is a good boy, Johnny is a good boy.” My father wanted me to be “Good.” With one exception, I do not recall him ever laying a hand on me. Mom took responsibility for the “hands-on” discipline. It was my respect for my father and for his godly character that instilled in me a reverent fear of disappointing him. I wanted to be “good” in his eyes, and eventually, in God’s eyes, too.
Something within the moral constitution of each of us makes us want to be good
when we encounter someone we highly respect.
From our brief sketches of the life of Moses, we see a man who was “good”
but not “consistently good.” He was a
prince, but he loved the privileges and pleasures of Egypt. Moses had compassion for his people in slavery
but he committed murder in trying to deliver them. When he became God’s leader of the multitude
of his fellow Israelites, Moses alternated between being godly and being impatient.
For all of his imperfections, one thing is clear from the biblical account of Moses’s life—a Holy God chose to be merciful toward him, sparing his life as a baby, disciplining him to become a great leader through repeated failures, and inviting him into His very presence for extended periods of time. Exodus 33: 7-11 records how Moses would commune with God in the “tent of meeting” where the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. In Numbers 12: 8, God defends the character of Moses, saying, …with him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.
In spite of his failures and inconsistencies, God did not give up on Moses. Apparently, those repeated and extended times of intimate communion with God had transformed Moses into the man of whom it was written, Moses was very humble, more humble than any man of the face of the Earth (Numbers 12: 3). Moses was not consistently good, but he was humble.
Not “Good” But Humble in 2023
Few of us would say we want to be “bad” in 2023. Although we are fallen and sinful human beings (Romans 3: 10, 23), most of us still want to be “good.” But, like the Apostle Paul, we cannot be “consistently good.” Thankfully, we can learn from Moses that we will all fail God often, but it is not our “goodness” that God wants. It is our humility—a disposition of heart that enables us to realize that our “badness” is really sinful rebellion against God which separates us from Him and grieves Him. We grieve over our sin when we humbly realize how it grieves God’s Spirit. Humility is also the prerequisite for the unsaved sinner to become a child of God by profession of faith in the death and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ (John 1: 12; Ephesians 2: 8-9).
How do we maintain a disposition of humility? By spending time with God as Moses did. We do that by personally devoting time with God each day, speaking to Him in prayer in the Spirit and allowing His Spirit to speak to us through His Word. Although it is unlikely that we will “see God” we can sense God’s presence through His Spirit. The Prophet Isaiah actually …saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple [and Seraphim calling out to one another, saying] “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah responded in humble repentance, declaring
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
In her book, Holier than Thou (B & H Publishing, 2021), Jackie Hill Perry writes, “Isn’t it interesting how simply being in proximity to God creates a moral self-awareness in Isaiah and others.” She refers to the Apostle Peter’s humble contrition in the presence of Jesus Christ after the Christ’s miracle that filled their fish nets (Luke 5: 8). [The text box below gives more inspiration from Jackie Hill Perry. Click on box to enlarge.]
How Will You Live in 2023?
Thank you for reading. We hope your reading and study of the Scriptures we have cited will motivate you to pursue God in humility and reverence as Moses and Isaiah did. Ultimately, it is Jesus Christ who sets the perfect example of humility and obedience to His Father, going all the way to the Cross to die for us. When we truly “survey His wondrous Cross on which the Prince of Glory died…” may we surrender our efforts to be “good” and “pour contempt on all [our] pride.” With a humble, teachable spirit of a disciple of Christ, may you have a blessed 2023.
Acknowledgement: We want to thank our granddaughter, Kiara Maetta Salyers,
for the Christmas gift of Jackie Hill Perry’s book, Holier Than Now,
which we have referenced in this blog. And
we thank God, Kiara’s family, and all who have been teaching and inspiring her
along the way in her walk with God.
Added Value: We invite you to share a favorite Bible character or Scripture passage that has been helpful in your walk with God. Just use “Comments” below or write privately by e-mail: silviusj@gmail.com
Obviously, our “goodness” and “badness” can color our personal and professional relationships. The character of our leaders will influence the quality of the programs and policies they write. [For example, see our recent Oikonomia series on “Consistent Conservation” – click HERE.] Leaders influence our churches, communities, nation, and world. The revealed Word of God in Scripture provides the only objective and realistic explanation for the innate badness of every human being. The Apostle Paul contributed toward this explanation in his epistle to the Romans.
“Good” and “Bad” at Heart
And I know that nothing good lives in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
I want to do what is good, but I don’t.
I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
But if I do what I don’t want to do,
I am not really the one doing wrong;
it is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—
that when I want to do what is right,
I inevitably do what is wrong (Romans 7: 18-21).
This was the honest testimony of Paul the Apostle. He once described himself as a blameless Hebrew (Philippians 3: 4-6), but eventually recognized that he was “the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1: 15). What was it that changed Paul’s understanding of himself and led to his 180-degree turn from “proud Paul” trusting in his own self-righteousness to “humble Paul” who wrote, “nothing good lives in me” (Romans 7: 18)? Let’s look more closely at the two Paul’s.
“Who Will Set Us Free?”
According to C.S. Lewis, there is a universal moral law that is objective (i.e. from beyond us) not subjective, or from within our own reasoning. It follows that for this law to exist, God must exist as the necessary “Author” of this law. God’s Word explains that He created humans with the need to pursue moral justification—i.e. to answer Paul’s question, “Who will set us free? But according to God’s objective revelation, there is only one way to obtain moral justification—the just shall live by faith (Romans1: 16-17). But not everyone acknowledges this claim. Instead, we tend to adopt one or more of the following:
• PRIDEFUL: “I’m already free; and, I’m basically good. Sure, I occasionally make a mistake. Who doesn’t?”
• DESPAIRING: “I’m so sinful, so thoroughly evil. I must be beyond God’s help.”
• RELIGIOUS: “I am justified because I believe in God, attend church, read the Bible, and obey its commands.”
• ECOCENTRIST: “All of life including humans is good and has equal intrinsic value. My moral obligation is to ensure that humans do not hinder the flourishing of other species.”
• JUSTICE ADVOCATE: “We are justified by promoting justice and equity for the oppressed and retribution for those whose ancestors we abused.”
• DISMISSIVE: “If there is a God, He’s not a necessary part of my becoming a ‘good person’.”
• NIHILIST: “What’s the use? I see no basis for believing, valuing, or communicating anything. I even question my own existence.” [Read more HERE.]
Those who believe in the objective revelation of God’s Truth through the Scriptures will agree that the Bible gives us many accounts of men and women whose lives were blessed or cursed in accordance with whether or not they followed God’s commands. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10: 11 (emphasis added), Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Paul elaborates in Romans 15: 4 (emphasis added), For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. The life of Moses is one example of how we can learn from the experience of a life “written for our instruction.”
Modelling from Moses’s Life
Moses was one of the greatest prophets of God. He wrote the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) under the inspiration of God’s Spirit. Likely, Moses’s writings were enhanced by the many hours he spent in intimate fellowship and “face to face” conversation with Almighty God (Exodus 33: 7-11; Numbers 12: 8). It is far beyond the scope of this article and the ability of this writer to encompass the life of Moses. Instead, we offer a series of snapshots of his life. We hope each snapshot will challenge you to meditate on God’s truth, delve deeper into the Scriptures, and apply it as part of your effort to walk more consistently with God in the coming year. Maybe you will elect to use each one as part of your daily devotions for seven days:
Although the Egyptian Pharaoh had decreed that all Hebrew babies should be killed, Moses’s parents courageously defied the decree. They placed baby Moses in a tiny ark which was discovered floating in the bullrushes by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses’s sister Miriam aided in a plan for Moses’s mother to nurture the child. As a result, the devout parents whom God providentially used to preserve Moses’s life may also have been instrumental in teaching him in later years about the One true God and His covenant with His chosen people through whom Messiah would come.
Application: Reflect on the important role of parents and grandparents in providing consistent moral and biblical teaching. Thank God for those He used to nurture your faith. Who have you been discipling in the truth of God’s Word?
Read More: Proverbs 22: 6; “A Nation of Biblical Illiterates” WORLD Magazine, Jan. 6, 2023
Moses: From Prince to Sufferer– Exodus 2: 10-11; Acts 7: 22-23; Hebrews 11: 24-26
Hebrews 11 records that Moses refused his position of royalty and his enjoyment of the “fleeting pleasures of sin,” choosing instead to “share the oppression of God’s people.” His sharing in Hebrew oppression meant that Moses was sharing in the same suffering which future generations of God’s people would endure, leading to the suffering of Christ Himself and His disciples down to our present day.
Application: What decisions and commitments have you made that are clearly “by faith” rather than for temporal, personal, or material gain? Can you justify these according to Hebrews 11: 1, 6; and Matthew 6: 19-34?
Moses learned about his Hebrew heritage and then committed himself to some measure of faith in the Hebrew God, Jehovah. One day, his knowledge and faith combined to lead Moses to act in defense of his enslaved Hebrew brethren. This altercation led Moses to kill an Egyptian slave master. Instead of becoming the agent of God’s liberation of his Hebrew brethren from bondage, Moses became a murderer and fled for his life into the wilderness.
Application: Have you made decisions in which caused you to act on your own strength and ability for selfish reasons instead of waiting on God’s timing and for His glory? What did you learn from this experience? Notice that God’s Word (Hebrews 11: 27) doesn’t recount Moses’s crime. Why might this be? [See Psalm 103: 8-14; Hebrews 8: 12; 1 John 1: 9.]
Moses: Shepherd and Deliverer – Exodus 3-5; Acts 7: 30-35
After forty years of shepherding sheep, Moses was visited by God who revealed Himself through a burning bush, saying I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. “BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND (Acts 7: 32-33). Moses, the former prince of Egypt, now kneels down in humble reverence toward God Jehovah, the “I AM,” He receives God’s commission and powerful signs to challenge Pharaoh to release of the Hebrew nation from slavery. Instead of success, once again, Moses appears to fail and his brethren turn against him.
Application: Can you relate to Moses’s apparent defeat from your experience? Which has helped you more in your spiritual growth, your triumphs or your trials? See James 1: 2-4; Romans 5: 3-5.
Moses was God’s prophet in a standoff that was not ultimately between Moses and Pharaoh, but between Almighty God and the spiritual forces of Satan. The Egyptians were the real slaves—slaves of satanic polytheism, the worship of many gods. Jehovah God demonstrated His power over creation and the Egyptian gods of creation by unleashing ten plagues, each a direct attack on one particular Egyptian god beginning with the god of the Nile River and ending with the death of every first-born child in a home without its side- and upper-doorposts painted with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. This Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the coming “true Passover Lamb,” Jesus Christ (Matthew 26: 2).
Application: List some of the many “gods” of our culture. How is God enabling you be a testimony that it is a more powerful and blessed testimony for God than for false gods? How do you apply the blood of the Passover Lamb and of His Cross as you face the powers of death and darkness (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5)?
Read More about “Ten Egyptian Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses,” CLICK HERE.
Moses: Man of Great Faith and a Worshiper – Exodus 14-15
After the final, devastating plague of the firstborn in Egypt, Pharaoh allowed the children of Israel to migrate toward the Promised Land, and estimated 2.5 million men, women, and children. However, soon the vengeful Egyptians decided to pursue the Israelites, eventually cornering them at the edge of the sea. It appeared that Moses was once again on the edge of failure. Instead, with great faith in God, Moses cried out, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD… (Exodus 14: 13-14).” After God opened the sea, Moses led the multitude of Israelites along a path through the sea on dry ground. Then, as an expression of reverence to God, Moses led the multitude in singing praises unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea (Exodus 15: 1).
Application: Recall a time in which you were “cornered” with seemingly no escape. How did you respond? How was God involved in the outcome? How did your response afterwards compare to that of Moses?
Within three days of their victorious deliverance from the Egyptians through the parting of the sea, the children of Israel were “acting like children” complaining of the bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15: 22-25). Moses cried out to the LORD and God “showed him a tree” which when cut and thrown into the water, made the water sweet. After repeated grumblings for water and food which God graciously supplied, the Israelites came to Mt. Sinai where God carved the Ten Commandments in stone and gave them to Moses. However, while Moses was with God on the mountain, the Israelites formed a golden calf and were worshiping it (Exodus 32). Moses again met in “face to face” communion with God, interceding on behalf of the sinful people of God. He was performing what would soon be the role of God’s priests, and eventually the role of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, through the blood of His Cross (Hebrews 4: 14-16).
Application: Read Exodus 33: 7-11. In a spirit of repentance and reverence to God, offered through God’s High Priest, Jesus Christ, enter into prayer communion with God, thanking Him for saving you, interceding for you. Ask God to help you walk with Him in 2023 in reliance upon Him performing His roles as Advocate and Comforter (John 14: 15-20; 1 John 2: 1-2).
While I was small enough for my father to hold me close in his arms, my mother recalls that he would whisper into my ear, “Johnny is a good boy, Johnny is a good boy.” My father wanted me to be “Good.” With one exception, I do not recall him ever laying a hand on me. Mom took responsibility for the “hands-on” discipline. It was my respect for my father and for his godly character that instilled in me a reverent fear of disappointing him. I wanted to be “good” in his eyes, and eventually, in God’s eyes, too.
For all of his imperfections, one thing is clear from the biblical account of Moses’s life—a Holy God chose to be merciful toward him, sparing his life as a baby, disciplining him to become a great leader through repeated failures, and inviting him into His very presence for extended periods of time. Exodus 33: 7-11 records how Moses would commune with God in the “tent of meeting” where the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. In Numbers 12: 8, God defends the character of Moses, saying, …with him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.
In spite of his failures and inconsistencies, God did not give up on Moses. Apparently, those repeated and extended times of intimate communion with God had transformed Moses into the man of whom it was written, Moses was very humble, more humble than any man of the face of the Earth (Numbers 12: 3). Moses was not consistently good, but he was humble.
Few of us would say we want to be “bad” in 2023. Although we are fallen and sinful human beings (Romans 3: 10, 23), most of us still want to be “good.” But, like the Apostle Paul, we cannot be “consistently good.” Thankfully, we can learn from Moses that we will all fail God often, but it is not our “goodness” that God wants. It is our humility—a disposition of heart that enables us to realize that our “badness” is really sinful rebellion against God which separates us from Him and grieves Him. We grieve over our sin when we humbly realize how it grieves God’s Spirit. Humility is also the prerequisite for the unsaved sinner to become a child of God by profession of faith in the death and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ (John 1: 12; Ephesians 2: 8-9).
How do we maintain a disposition of humility? By spending time with God as Moses did. We do that by personally devoting time with God each day, speaking to Him in prayer in the Spirit and allowing His Spirit to speak to us through His Word. Although it is unlikely that we will “see God” we can sense God’s presence through His Spirit. The Prophet Isaiah actually …saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple [and Seraphim calling out to one another, saying] “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah responded in humble repentance, declaring
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
In her book, Holier than Thou (B & H Publishing, 2021), Jackie Hill Perry writes, “Isn’t it interesting how simply being in proximity to God creates a moral self-awareness in Isaiah and others.” She refers to the Apostle Peter’s humble contrition in the presence of Jesus Christ after the Christ’s miracle that filled their fish nets (Luke 5: 8). [The text box below gives more inspiration from Jackie Hill Perry. Click on box to enlarge.]
How Will You Live in 2023?
Thank you for reading. We hope your reading and study of the Scriptures we have cited will motivate you to pursue God in humility and reverence as Moses and Isaiah did. Ultimately, it is Jesus Christ who sets the perfect example of humility and obedience to His Father, going all the way to the Cross to die for us. When we truly “survey His wondrous Cross on which the Prince of Glory died…” may we surrender our efforts to be “good” and “pour contempt on all [our] pride.” With a humble, teachable spirit of a disciple of Christ, may you have a blessed 2023.
Added Value: We invite you to share a favorite Bible character or Scripture passage that has been helpful in your walk with God. Just use “Comments” below or write privately by e-mail: silviusj@gmail.com
Additional Reading: For more practical help in pursuing a personal relationship with God, click HERE for a short tract entitled “Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit-Filled Life?” Also, check out our January, 2022 Oikonomia, “Can a Person Live “Pure as the Driven Snow?” (Click HERE.)
