While pulling onto the ramp of State Road 57 in Agawam, something from the message today resonated in me. A little revelation.
The pastor spoke on the transfiguration of Jesus, and said that Moses’ ministry was one of the greatest apostolic ministries of the Scriptural record. My first response to this was one of scoffing, I confess. Since apostles did not make a formal entry into the biblical record, as such, until Jesus commissioned the first 12 and designated them apostles (Luke 6:13).
But while pulling onto the highway, I began to think about it again, and my teacher’s mind went into assessment mode, as I am sure many of my scholar friends do, like the Bereans. I consider myself a Berean in that I love to search the Scriptures daily, and frequently I search the Scriptures in my mind because much of it is there.
Tbe exhortation for today that came out in the midst of the message was that passage from Romans 10:6-8 that says
Rom 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Rom 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That is, the first two verses discuss the distance we percieve Christ to be in relation to us (that we err on the side of considering God too transcendant) and we percieve the distance to be so great that God is nothing more than a cosmic clockmaker who is so busy “being God” that in order for us to bring Him into our circumstances, someone, a messenger perhaps, has to go on an epic journey, ascend the mountain of God, as in the case of Olympus, for all the Percy Jackson fans, or descend, as in the case of Hades, for all the Clash of the Titans fans, and bring Christ back into our situation, when the word that is designed to encourage us to live a life of faith is really nearby, and even in the heart of the believer. The word is also twofold. That is, there is another meaning than just the word of encouragement. The other meaning for “word” is the Word of God, Jesus the Word of God made flesh.
But I digress…
As I was making my way onto the ramp, I assessed Moses’ office from the perspective of the apostolic, and I recalled the verse from 2 Corinthians 12:22. Now with that in hand, I feel it appropriate to pose several questions.
1) Did Moses operate in miracles, signs, and wonders as the marks of an apostle?
2) Did Moses establish or advance the kingdom of God in a noticeable form?
3) Did Moses live as one separated unto the work of the Lord?
4) Did Moses undergo persecution?
I know these questions are not comprehensive nor definitive in concluding beyond all doubts, but still it does help us consider a bit more and perhaps arrive at a decent answer.
Answers
1) the 10 plagues against the Egyptian Pantheon, Manna from wilderness, God’s promise to show Pharoah His wonders, The signs of leprosy and Moses’ staff. The parting of the Reed/Red Sea. The drowning of the Egyptian Army in either 300 feet of water or 3 feet of water, the budding of Aaron’s staff, the destruction of Korah’s rebellion, and water from rocks twice. Do these all deserve classification as miracles, signs, and/or wonders? I would say yes.
2) Moses did what the Lord wanted him to do. He told Pharaoh to let God’s people go. He was given instructions to take over the Promised Land (which he did not do because he disobeyed the Lord. He tried doing the best he could most of the time to help establish Israel as a nation, while they traveled in the desert. Perhaps he could have done better, but given his resources, he did work pretty well with what he was given.
3) 40 days on Mt. Sinai, recieving the law. Another 40 days without food or water repenting and learning to have mercy on God’s people. Continual time in the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle, as frequently illustrated. 40 years spent alone in the wilderness of Midian, getting ready for a showdown with Pharaoh. Also, when he did have a contest with Pharaoh, He did not tell Pharaoh to let the people go, or to let Pharaoh’s people from the region of Goshen go. He said, “Let MY people go.” As far as God was concerned, they were already set apart for His purposes. It was just that they refused to let the “special, peculiar people go.” No one else could step into the tabernacle, to see God, speak face to face with Him and live to tell about it. Frequent separation outside the camp of Israel with the tabernacle of meeting.
4) Moses underwent persecution from Pharaoh, his adopted grandfather, from his own people who groaned and whined constantly, from Aaron and Miriam, and from Korah, among others, and God constantly defended him to the last letter, jot, and tittle, except in the matter of the water from the rock, when he was told to speak to the rock, and instead bashed it with his staff in anger.
Given this, I can see the evidence to support a sort of apostolic role for Moses, where Israel is concerned.
I would, however, like your thoughts.
Next post;
The call of Samuel and the prophecy concerning the nation of Israel and the cleansing of the priestly house of Levi.
I would however