Project 9212 Testimonies :: By Asher Mandel

Last month, I invited the RR community to send me their testimonies of some of the things the Lord had done for them so that we could celebrate God’s goodness as we move towards Thanksgiving. As you read, I hope you will be able to “rejoice with those who rejoice” while, at the same time, begin to get jealous for God to give you more supernatural answers to prayer so you can “boast upon the Lord” for yourself! Enjoy!

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

The first thanksgiving was passed by the US Congress in Oct of 1781, setting aside a day in November (it took time to get the word to the colonies as the radio and tv service was down at the time) for a day of “thanksgiving and prayer” for the colonials’ victory over the British at the battle of Yorktown, thus securing our independence.

It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln was in office that it OFFICIALLY became a national holiday. So, it fully stems from our religious belief and freedoms won so many years ago, and that is what makes it TRULY American.

…And all these things shall be added…

While I was suffering from a very painful back, I called on God for his healing Hand on my body. God responded with, “Seek my Face.”

Psalm 27:7 says, Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!”

This reminded me of his constant Presence with me, which gave me peace of mind – and consequently, healing of my body. Thank God in Jesus’ Name.

Filled With Joy

A number of months ago, my life was in a state of overwhelming despair, darkness, emptiness, sadness, loneliness and hopelessness. So much so that I asked the Lord to kill me. He did not. Instead, he turned my entire existence upside down and gave me Joy and Peace – two things I have never experienced in my 57 years on this planet!

Psalm 16:11 says: “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” All glory and thanks be to God!

He is Faithful and He is Good!

In 1992, I witnessed to my 96-year-old Aunt Amelia on her deathbed, but she angrily dismissed me from the room, unrepentant. I left in real distress and wondered hard if her attitude might not have been very different if she had heard the gospel at a much younger age. In a burst of faith, I asked the Lord to show me if anyone had ever witnessed to her years ago. I have no idea how He might be able to do that since she had long ago outlived all of her friends who might have informed me!

Several weeks later, after Amelia had passed, I stood down in her basement facing a sea of hundreds of large bags filled with her memories. (Aunt Amelia was a serious pack-rat!) I was sent down there to clean up this old trash, having forgotten the prayer I had prayed 2 weeks before. For some unexplainable reason, my eyes were suddenly drawn to one single bag in that sea and to one single envelope sticking out of the top of that bag. I experienced a strong impression in my spirit that I was to take that letter and read it. Inside, I found an impassioned plea from a Gentile Christian woman imploring Amelia in very gentle and loving terms to come to Christ. Judging by her language, the two were close friends. The envelope was postmarked 1938 when my Aunt Amelia would have been 41 years old!

I kept that letter in my Bible for a while, but eventually, it was misplaced, but the memory of God’s faithfulness both to Amelia and to me will never be lost!

A Father’s Gift on Father’s Day!

I had been witnessing to my Ukrainian friends for several years without any noticeable progress. We were planning a picnic with them for Father’s Day, but there had been many such times together, and I was becoming discouraged. I prayed for the Lord’s encouragement…for a sign of some kind to let me know that He was still involved and that I should not be “weary in well-doing.”  

The park was crowded that day, and empty picnic tables were very hard to find. Becky and Natalia waited with the children while Taras and I scouted ahead. We walked a long ways with our picnic basket until suddenly we saw an empty table in the shade-tree that seemed to have our name on it! Only one other table stood next to it with a young couple and child sitting there. Happily, we came to claim our spot and politely greeted our picnic “neighbors.” They responded in a heavily accented English. I saw that the young man was reading a Bible!

The Lord had led us to a Ukrainian Christian couple! The rest of that afternoon, our blended families enjoyed a wonderful time of friendship. As far as I know, the young couple were the first born-again Ukrainian believers that Taras & Natalia had ever met!

God Remembers Our Prayers!

I’d like to share with you a miracle the Lord once did for me. I was working at a Nursing facility when the car broke down. Our mechanic had to contact a flatbed towing company (not his regular) only because of the 4-wheel drive, and he said he would be happy to drive me to the station. On the way home, the driver mentioned he is not a religious man when I mentioned I was a Hospice Chaplain. So I asked him about his work, and he mentioned the worst part being accidents with trauma. Then I shared about my own family car accident, which took my parents and siblings and left me an orphan. His face went nearly white, and he asked, without any hesitation, if my name was Caprett. When I told him it was, he nearly broke down in tears.

He told me he had worked with my oldest brother, and a few days before the accident, they had a disagreement, and he told my brother he hoped he never saw him again.

At the funeral, he said he knelt by my brother’s coffin and cried like a baby. He knew I had survived and told my brother (at his coffin) that one day he hoped he could apologize to me face to face.

That had been nearly 45 years ago, and he saw or heard nothing again about me until today when he was the second choice called to tow a broken-down jeep 25 miles from home. Now, he apologized to me for what he had said to my brother so many years before. We were both pretty shaken for a bit, but when I told this non-religious man that God is in control of our lives…he agreed!

Being an Answer!

If there is anything that rivals receiving an answer to prayer, it is being one! These next two testimonies will show you what I mean…

Thursday morning, I got to witness to “Jessica” at the unemployment office.

Her mom was there and told me she had prayed the night before for God to send her daughter someone to witness to her. Mom then finds out that I go to church where her mom used to go! They promised to visit soon!

A Voice Calling Out in the Wilderness!

My wife and I went walking in our local park one day. As we often did, we sang hymns and spiritual songs along the way. This particular day, for some reason, my wife urged me to sing louder than usual. The trail took us down through a wooded section, and on we went, walking and loudly singing unto the Lord. Suddenly, we heard a small, pitiful voice crying out to us from somewhere in the woods, “Could you please sing that song again?”

We followed that voice into the forest until we found a young woman sitting alone on a log. Her story was that she worked for a Christian women’s shelter and spent all day long giving and ministering. She came to the park exhausted and seeking the Lord’s presence. Just before we arrived, she had felt so discouraged that she had prayed for a Christian to come and minister to her for a change! Soon after, she heard our voices in song, and then, there we were, one on either side, counseling and comforting her…praying for her and cheering her. She was now rejoicing in the Lord’s faithfulness, and we were rejoicing to be used by the Lord!

2000 – Free as a Bird!

My mom loved Jesus more than anything, and she always told us about HIM. We lived in a small valley with mountains surrounding us. Lots of times we took long walks, especially Mom and I. In those times, Mother always told me how she loved the little birds and how she wished she could be like them. Birds are free, happy and joyful, and she wanted to fly to the highest tree top and sing praises to Jesus.

The years passed, and Mother aged, but she never stopped singing her songs to the Lord. In the year 2000, my mother passed away. I was so broken-hearted. Right before the funeral, my husband’s sister Karen came over to our house with a gift. Karen meant well, but often in the past, her gifts had been less than thoughtful. She held out her hand, saying, “I bought this to give to you months ago, but somehow, I forgot about it until today.” Karen had never known about my mother’s secret wish, but God did.

She opened her closed hand to reveal the feathered figure of a beautiful bird, and I knew that it was sent by GOD just for me! It assured me that my mom was with Jesus and as free as the little bird that she had always wanted to become. The Bible says, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).

God’s Sense of Humor!                                        

My wife, Becky, and I were out of options. Even our cautious physician was talking about sending us up to the Mayo Clinic for surgery. My wife could not hold any food down, and each morning, when she tried to eat breakfast, her stomach problems started all over again! Finally, in desperation, we decided to visit a church service where a traveling faith healer was going to be ministering that night.

Although our faith in Christ was strong, we had both had negative experiences with Christians claiming to be conduits for the supernatural power of God. We only went that night because we were hoping that the Lord might honor our faith despite any unbiblical theatrics this man might practice. Becky had never seen a faith healer in action before, and her worst fear was that she might be embarrassed on the stage in front of others.

“Let’s be the first ones up there,” whispered Becky as the man began his invitation to the prayer time; “that way we can get out early.” So we managed to go up on the stage before anyone else had been prayed for. After hearing a bit about my wife’s troubles, the healer put his hands onto his stomach and instructed her, “Place your hands right here.” Doing as she was told, Becky placed her hands on the man’s stomach!

He jumped back in surprise and quickly put her hands on her own stomach where he had originally intended them to go. A short prayer for her healing followed, since, by now, the entire congregation was laughing hysterically!

My poor wife nearly died that night, not of medical issues, but of embarrassment!

Funny thing is, we got the last laugh, because the next morning, her breakfast stayed down…and her lunch…and her dinner…and all of her meals from that time until this…

29 years later…healed by the power of God!

A True Friend!

“When in the throes of a terrifying mental breakdown, a dear mentor and friend organized a group of men from our church to make sure that I got a phone call every evening to offer me encouragement and prayer. Praise God that with all the mental health professionals I talked to back then, this same friend was the only one who told me I could and would get better…and I did! First Cor. 1:4 says,

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others,” and that is happening in my life now also! God sends us true friends through HIS body!

I praise Him and thank Him!”

***

Thanks to those of you who participated in “Project 9212.” In closing, I would like to share 3 verses concerning prayer which I have found to be true. Consider putting these on a note card and using it for a bookmark in your Bible. Soon, you will have your own personal stories of victory with which to encourage your heart and others!

You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2b).

Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:24b).

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

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God Communing with Moses ‘Face to Face’ :: By Mark A. Becker

“And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” – Exodus 33:11a

Moses, the servant and prophet of God, had an extraordinary relationship with the Lord. This study article will examine many of the unique encounters that Moses had with the Lord and attempt to help the Bible student better understand the significance of these encounters and when and where these divine conversations took place.

When Moses spoke “face to face” with the Lord, the triune God may have presented Himself to Moses in a theophany (aka a Christophany) of the pre-incarnate Son of God, often in a cloudy pillar or the glory cloud above the Mercy Seat of the Ark. God, in presenting Himself in theophanies as found in the Tanakh, was often presented as “the angel of the LORD” (e.g.Judges 13:3-22) or simply as a man (e.g.Genesis 18:1-33), but in Moses’ encounters with God in the cloudy pillar and/or the glory cloud, we just are not told exactly how God presented Himself to His faithful servant.

This term – “face to face” (Hebrew “pānîm ‘el pānîm”) – could also be understood as a metaphor for speaking one to another intimately, regardless of the form that God would take or what method may have been used. Nevertheless, there are rational reasons to believe that Moses would have, at least at times, witnessed a theophany of the pre-incarnate Son of God as others had encountered before him, though, honestly, we do not know for certain, as the Scriptures are somewhat silent on what these manifestations actually entailed apart from what is revealed.

For greater clarity in this study, the phrase Mosaic Tabernacle refers to the Tabernacle Israel constructed and erected in the wilderness by the commandments and instructions of God that were passed on to Moses. The reason for this clarification will be better understood as we move along in this study.

All underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.

Moses Communes with the Lord in the Burning Bush

The first account of Moses encountering the Lord can only be defined as a truly unique and compelling experience, to say the least!

“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…

“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.

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 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…

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

“And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” – Exodus 3:24-613-14

As we know from the rest of the text, Moses’ first conversation with God was full of excuses on his part, testing the patience of the Lord. Nonetheless, in the end, God sovereignly knew He had His man for the job to lead Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land as a faithful servant and prophet of the Lord God knew he would be.

God Communes with Moses on Mount Sinai (Horeb)

When Moses communed with God on Mount Sinai, the Lord had delivered to him the 10 Commandments written upon two tablets of stone by the finger of God Himself:

“And he [God] gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” – Exodus 31:18

Moses, in rehearsing Israel’s experiences before their entrance into the Promised Land decades later, spoke again of this very special event and how God spoke even to the children of Israel “face to face” as they witnessed the fire on the mount:

The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;)…” – Deuteronomy 5:4-5

“These words [10 Commandments] the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.” – Deuteronomy 5:22

Moses went up alone into Mount Sinai and stood before the Lord to receive His Words of the Law.

“But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.” – Deuteronomy 5:31

Moses truly had a wonderfully intimate relationship with the Lord on Mount Sinai!

God in His Glory at Moses’ Request

Moses fervently desired for the Lord Himself to lead Israel into the Promised Land and eagerly wanted to know even more about the God of creation.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

“And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

“And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

“And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” – Exodus 33:17-23

God’s promises are always fulfilled!

“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…” – Exodus 34:6

What an amazing event that Moses was allowed to witness! Obviously, God in His triune divine nature passed by Moses, but the face of the Godhead He could not reveal, for He had told Moses, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

When Moses descended from Mount Sinai, the glory of the Lord was reflected in the face of Moses:

“And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

“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…

“But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 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 34:28-2934-35

Believers today should also reflect the spiritual light of our Lord’s countenance in our daily walk, though Moses’ physical experience was entirely unique from his face-to-face encounter with the Lord on Mount Sinai!

Moses Intercedes for Israel

“And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.” – Numbers 14:13-14

The above passage is from one of the occasions that Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf, when God declared that He would have destroyed Israel for unbelief and provoking the Lord.

Moses, in his parting words to the Israelites, reaffirms the above statement, that God talked to the Israelites themselves, “face to face” on Mount Sinai/Horeb. This could have been a theophany of the Lord Jesus Christ, as mentioned above, or some other manifestation that is not revealed to us, as no man could ever see God in His divine triune essence and live (Exodus 33:20 and John 1:18).

[For more on how it appears that God repented of His intentions in this and other accounts – though Scripture clearly declares that God does not repent as man repents – please see Does God Repent?]

God’s Communing with Moses in Two ‘Tabernacles of the Congregation’

“And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses… And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” – Exodus 33:911a

Did God speak to Moses from out of the “cloudy pillar” or did He physically manifest Himself in a theophany within or outside of the “cloudy pillar”? We are not directly told. Since it is revealed that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend,” a theophany in relation to the “cloudy pillar” would certainly be the best estimation in accomplishing this divine intimacy, but we should not be dogmatic.

The Hebrew word for “tabernacle” is 168 הָ / אֹהֶל “‘ōhel” and essentially means tent. This is the same word that is used for the “tent” of the Mosaic Tabernacle Moses and Israel made in the wilderness at God’s command; that is, the “tent” that covered the actual tabernacle. This Hebrew word is often translated “tabernacle” (along with “tent”) in the KJV, though the meaning of this word in most cases should be understood as that of a “tent.”

The Hebrew word for the actual “tabernacle” itself is 4908 מִשְׁכַּן “miškān.”

This “tabernacle,” in Exodus 33:911a was obviously the tent of Moses, and “the door of the Tabernacle” was the entrance to this special administerial tent of Moses, as the Mosaic Tabernacle had yet to have been constructed at this time (Exodus 35-40).

This tent or tabernacle of Moses is called “the tabernacle of the congregation [other translations render the phrase “the tent of meeting”], which is without the camp.” Interestingly, the Mosaic Tabernacle is also called “the tabernacle of the congregation,” which can result in difficulty in assessing which Tabernacle or tent is in view in any given passage. Though the other tribes, excluding the Levites, were to be “far off about the [Mosaic] Tabernacle” once it was in service, the Mosaic Tabernacle itself was to be “in the midst of the camp” – Numbers 2:217

Moses along with Aaron and his sons during the wilderness wanderings were assigned to the eastern side of the Mosaic Tabernacle (Numbers 3:38). Therefore, Moses’ personal tent of “the tabernacle of the congregation” or “the tent of meeting” – where Moses began communing with God before the Mosaic Tabernacle was constructed and erected, and where he would undoubtedly continue to commune with God after the establishment of the Mosaic Tabernacle –  may have been located right next to the Mosaic Tabernacle during the 40 years of wanderings, moving from “without the camp” to “within the camp,” where he would have continually communed with God on the eastern side of the Mosaic Tabernacle.

Moses’ personal “tabernacle of the congregation” or “the tent of meeting” would, of course, be in supplementation to when Moses would commune with God in the Most Holy Place in the Mosaic Tabernacle in front of the Ark at God’s request, as God had said, “[T]here 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).

[Note: Moses most probably had another personal tent that housed his immediate family, and these two tents may have been side-by-side or at least near to each other on the eastern side of the Mosaic Tabernacle.]

Following the dedication of the Mosaic Tabernacle and the offerings of the 12 tribes of Israel, Moses entered the Mosaic Tabernacle and heard the Lord’s voice coming from the Mercy Seat of the Ark.

“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 phrase “tabernacle of the congregation” is the same Hebrew words – “‘ōhel” and “môʿēḏ” – used of Moses’ tent in Exodus 33:7. Interestingly enough, these same two Hebrew words also apply to the Mosaic Tabernacle, as seen in the above verse, representing the actual tent of the Mosaic Tabernacle in which Moses entered. In this instance, due to the context of the dedication of the Mosaic Tabernacle, it seems obvious that Moses then entered the Most Holy Place in the Mosaic Tabernacle to speak to God, as “he [Moses] 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.”

Yet, most assuredly, in my view, Moses would have spent much of Israel’s wilderness wanderings speaking directly to God in his own personal tent – the original “tabernacle of the congregation” or “the tent of meeting” – that was established before the Mosaic Tabernacle was constructed and erected, next to the Mosaic Tabernacle rather than the Mosaic Tabernacle itself. Why do I suggest this?

Simply because, before the Mosaic Tabernacle was ever constructed, Moses already had his intimate relationship with God established as “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11a), which was clearly Moses’ own personal tent of administration, which he moved “without the camp” (Exodus 33:7).

However, as noted above, Moses’ personal tent of the congregation, after the Mosaic Tabernacle had been constructed and erected, was seemingly moved next to the Mosaic Tabernacle on its eastern flank, for this is the location that God assigned Moses (along with Aaron and his sons) during Israel’s journeys and encampments before entering the Promised Land (Numbers 3:38).

Though Moses and the rest of the people of Israel obviously had access to the Mosaic Tabernacle – in the ceremonial consecration and dedication of the Mosaic Tabernacle itself, the ceremonial consecrations of Aaron and his sons, and the Israeli people’s sacrificial offerings to God – Moses from that time forward would certainly leave the ministry service of the Mosaic Tabernacle in the hands of Aaron and his sons and the Levites who would assist them.

As we have noted, however, Moses did enter into the Most Holy Place, at the directive of God, in certain situations, where Moses would meet with God to receive commandments from the Lord unto the children of Israel:

“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. 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 25:21-22

Therefore, these two Tabernacles of the Congregation were the two primary meeting places where God communed with Moses during Israel’s journeys and encampments.

Nevertheless, there would be another very prominent meeting place that the Lord would designate where God would speak with Moses and the children of Israel!

God’s Meeting Place with Moses and the Children of Israel

The divinely ordained location that God would meet with Moses and the Children of Israel, the Lord reveals when discussing the morning and evening sacrifices:

“This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

“And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.

“And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.” – Exodus 29:42-46

Later, God reiterated that this special meeting place at the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle of the Congregation would be near to where the altar of sacrifice was:

“And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.” – Exodus 40:6

The door of the [Mosaic] Tabernacle of the congregation” would be the entrance of the Tabernacle itself, near to where the sacrificial offerings were offered upon the altar. Here, at the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle near to the altar, the people of Israel would bring their offerings, place their hands on the heads of the animals they were to offer to the Lord, and kill the sacrifices in the presence of the Lord (Leviticus 1:3-53:24:4, etc.).

Many important events at the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle of the Congregation took place, including the consecration of Aaron as High Priest and his sons as Priests, along with the anointing of the Tabernacle (Leviticus 8:1-36).

This location at the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle of the Congregation was very prominent for many other key incidents during Israel’s wilderness wanderings that were recorded for us in the Torah – two of which we will recount.

The Rebellion of Miriam and Aaron – Numbers 12

One key event that took place at this location was the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron.

“And they [Aaron and Miriam] said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it…

“And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 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?

“And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.” – Numbers 12:24-9

This event occurred as described in the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle of the Congregation, near to the altar of sacrifice.

And we all should know and consider what happened to Miriam because of her part in her and her brother’s rebellion!

Korah’s Rebellion – Numbers 16

Another famous event where God spoke at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation is when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

“And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation…”

“And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared…”

“And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.” – Numbers 16:194250

The judgment the Lord sent upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram was altogether miraculous, to say the least – that is, as Moses said, “… a new thing…” (Numbers 16:30)!

Following the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, God had a unique demonstration prepared for the children of Israel that would clearly declare God’s will regarding the divinely ordained leadership of Moses and Aaron and the Priesthood.

Aaron’s Rod: A Unique Encounter Before the Ark of the Testimony

So that no other individuals from the other tribes would be tempted again to try and usurp the leadership of Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the tribe of Levi, the Lord devised a divine test:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.

“And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you…” – Numbers 17:1-4

Where I will meet with you,” was again that unique meeting place for God and Moses “before the [Ark of the] testimony,” which the High Priest (at this time, Aaron) was to approach only once a year on the Day of Atonement. As observed above, however, Moses had a very special standing when it came to his own presence in front of the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 25:21-22).

“And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.

“And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

“And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

“And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he.” – Numbers 17:7-11

Therefore, Aaron and his sons would be the only Israelites God ordained who would “minister before the tabernacle of witness,” and the Levites would minister unto Aaron and his sons.

“And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

“And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

“And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die…

“Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.” – Numbers 18:1-37

The only exception to this commandment to Aaron and his descendants, until his death, of course, would be God’s faithful servant and prophet, Moses (himself a Levite and the brother of Aaron the High Priest), whom also was sanctified by God as the Lord’s chosen leader of Israel, a man who communed with God “face to face.”

God Speaks to Moses and Aaron About the Death of Aaron on Mount Hor

Another intimate conversation of note took place between God, Moses, and Aaron, preceding Aaron’s death.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah…”

“And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.” – Numbers 20:23-2427-28

As God would be with Moses at his death, so the Lord was with both Moses and Aaron at Aaron’s death. God truly does care about His people.

God Speaks to Moses One Last Time

As should be expected for the awesome servant of God that Moses was, the Lord desired to be with Moses at his decease before the Israelites would enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

“And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle.” –  Deuteronomy 31:14-15

This may have been in the Mosaic Tabernacle, or it may have been in Moses’ personal “tabernacle of the congregation” or “tent of meeting.”

First, in presenting two possible reasons for believing that it may have been the latter is that Joshua was involved in the transferring of leadership, and Joshua was also intimately involved with Moses’ personal administrative Tabernacle of the Congregation (Exodus 33:11); and in this situation, God appeared not in the glory cloud that rested upon the Ark and covered the Mosaic Tabernacle, but “in a pillar of cloud” just at it had appeared at the door of Moses’ personal administrative Tabernacle of the Congregation before the Mosaic Tabernacle was erected (Exodus 33:7-9), when “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11).

Additionally, the calling of Moses and Joshua by the Lord to “present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation” seemingly occurs immediately after Moses’ farewell speech to the children of Israel, which would have most likely occurred at the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle. This would explain why “Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation” – Moses’ personal administrative Tabernacle of the Congregation. This conversation between God, Moses, and Joshua most certainly was a private conversation which could not have been had in the door of the Mosaic Tabernacle where the Israelites and the Priests would have been congregated.

Finally, God asked Moses to write a song that the Lord would give as a witness against Israel (Deuteronomy 31:19), and “Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:22). Moses, we surmise, would have surely written this song in his personal Tabernacle of the Congregation, dictated personally by the Lord, where we suggest Moses wrote most, if not all, of the Pentateuch.

Whether this occurred in the Mosaic Tabernacle or Moses’ personal administrative Tabernacle is unknown for a certainty, but for me, the evidence favors Moses’ personal Tabernacle of the Congregation, for this is where Moses had most of his intimate encounters with the Lord, and Joshua was often present.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people…” – Deuteronomy 32:48-50

God would be with His servant and prophet on Mount Nebo, but first Moses would see the Promised Land from a distance.

“And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.

“And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.” – Deuteronomy 34:1-6

Of no other man or woman could it be said that God Himself “buried [Moses].” Moses truly held a special place in the heart of God.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” – Psalms 116:15

Moses: God’s Servant and Prophet Whom the Lord Knew ‘Face to Face’

The epilogue of the life of Moses, the faithful servant and prophet of the Lord, reads as follows:

“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.” – Deuteronomy 34:10-12

What an amazing testimony Moses had: For 40 years he was intimately communing with the Creator of the universe, “whom the Lord knew face to face.”

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May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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