Rodney L Petersen
The following four talks were delivered in substance on two different occasions in England and Romania, October 1989. They are designed together. They illustrate the rich integration that is necessary for the display of Christian holiness.
The call that God issues to us as individuals to be his
people, to become fulfilled and whole, is not thereby privatistic.
It is related to our essential human identity. However, as such it
is also related to community or social identity. The first two talks
are designed to have you ask the question about what God is doing in your
life. The last two talks will help you to wrestle with the question
of what God is doing in the world. Related to the last question is
one that asks you to ask yourself what you are doing to promote or hinder
that work by the way in which you are living your private life.
1. PERSONAL HOLINESS: A LESSON FROM MOSES AT THE MOUNT
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
2. SOCIAL SANCTIFICATION: A LESSON FROM OLD ISRAEL FOR NEW ISRAEL
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
3. HOLINESS AND SOCIETY: THE PRECONDITIONS FOR NATIONAL REVIVAL
“Who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.
And in him is no sin. No-one who lives in him keeps on
sinning. No-one who continues to sin has
either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:4-5)
4. SOCIETY, RELIGION, AND NATIONAL RESTORATION
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Rodney L Petersen
Talk One (of Four)
October 1989
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
I.
Degrees of Intimacy with God (Exodus 19)
II.
What Moses learned: The Nature of Friendship (Exodus 24:33)
III.
The Covenant: The Structure of God’s Friendship (Genesis 15)
This talk focuses upon what we can learn from the life of Moses abut the holiness of God. The general theme has been suggested to me by others. The Point I would like us to see is that there is something to the relationship between humanity and God that is analogous to the idea of human friendship. However, to say this assumes many things. For example, it assumes an understanding of God, human nature, and friendship as sketches in the Bible. Each of these three points will be assumed in this talk.
One additional point that must be stressed before we proceed too far in looking at the life of Moses is that he was a man like ourselves. He was no different. This is a point that can be made about many of the patriarchs in the Bible (cf. James 5:17). Moses was a flawed “image” of God, no better nor worse than ourselves. All of the human potentiality that is in us was in him. All of the devastation of sin that is in us was also in him. Moses was a murderer (Exodus 2:12), and sin continued to characterise his life (Numbers 20:11-12) - and so too the other patriarchs of faith: Abraham was a liar, Rebekah and Jacob dishonest, and David an adulterer. This is a pattern that we continue to find repeated in the pages of the New Testament as well.
The point, of course, is not to leave any of the above in their sin. What characterised these paragons of faith (Hebrews 11:1-40) was that they did not hide their sin. They confessed it and permitted god to work in their lives. They did not rebel against God’s discipline and so found their way to a deeper trust in God and measure of restoration into the “images” of God they were meant to be.
With these initial remarks in mind we may proceed to a consideration of the following three points.
I. Degrees of Intimacy with God (Exodus 19)
When we talk about degrees of intimacy with God we are thinking about a subject that pertains to those who are already within the circle of faith, who already know something of the nature of the reality of God and have been called by Him to be in relation to Him. Having said this, the story of Israel encamped beneath Mount Sinai appears to suggest that there are different degrees that might characterise our relationship with god. The different ways in which the Israelites were allowed to approach God suggest four different degrees of intimacy with Him (Exodus 19:11-12):
A) First, consider all Israel (Exodus 20:18-21)
B) Second, consider Moses and the elders (Exodus 24:9-11)
C) Third, consider Moses and Joshua (Exodus 24:12-14)
D) Fourth, consider Moses alone (Exodus 24:15-18)
Question One:
Study each of the texts above until you understand some of the spiritual principles involved. Other texts may suggest themselves to you as well. Do similar degrees of intimacy appear around Jesus in the New Testament? Ask yourself, “In what circle of intimacy do I find myself?” Are you satisfied with this?
II. What Moses learned: The Nature of Friendship (Exodus 24:33)
A) First, Moses learned what it meant to have God as a friend (Exodus 33:11). This is an incredible idea when we consider the nature of the one with whom we (in this case Moses) are called to enter into relationship. Speaking “face to face” with God would appear to imply that Moses hid nothing from God. Indeed, it is difficult to maintain friendship with someone from whom we hide things. Such hiding produces limits to friendship.
B) Second, the person of God was greater than the friendship shared with Moses. This is implied in Exodus 33:23 where we read that from another perspective it might be said that Moses saw the back of God, not His face. Putting together what we read in Exodus 33:11 and 23, we are led to the suggestion that God is always greater than His revelation to us. This does not imply deceptiveness, but he is always greater than ourselves and our conceptions of Him. To some extent this might be said of any friend who always remains an “other” to us. In this mystery we guard the integrity of the “other” and do not presume upon friendship. In Exodus 33 we guard the integrity of God.
C) The integrity of friendship is guarded when we
do not use it as a means to advance ourselves. This is even more
important when we think of the idea of friendship with God. Many
of us are aware of ways in which we, or others, have “used” our belief
in God to advance our own interests. This is always destructive of
true friendship. So too, Moses was tested in his friendship with
God. In His displeasure with Israel, God says to Moses that He will
make of Moses a great nation (Exodus 32:9-10). But Moses prayed for
Israel. He even prays for their salvation to the exclusion of his
(Exodus 32:32), reminding us of Paul’s prayer for Israel (Romans 10:1).
In this, Moses proved the integrity of his friendship with God.
D) An additional point that merits mention is that
friendship makes us shine. We know what this is like when we are
with those people whom we count as our friends. How much more is
this the case with God? Consider the way in which Moses was unselfconsciously
affected by his friendship with God. We read that “his face was radiant
because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29).
Question Two:
Do I consider God a friend, distant acquaintance, or enemy? What am I hiding in my life in order, mistakenly, to protect myself? Do I understand how destructive this is to developing intimacy with God?
III. The Covenant: The Structure of God’s Friendship (Genesis 15)
A) God’s covenant with Abraham is laid down in Genesis 15. It is established by God, grounded in His promise and in the integrity of His person (I Chron. 16:7-36; Psalm 105).
B) The friendship calls for our obedience, but is
not dependent upon it (Isaiah 24:5; 54:10;
Hosea 1-14).
C) This covenant is deepened in Jesus Christ (Hebrews12:24; 13:20). He is both the proper heir of God’s promises and means by which they are conveyed fully to us.
Question Three:
What marks of identity does god give us by virtue of our entering into His covenantal friendship? What are the consequences when we abuse or adulterate this friendship? In what way does Jesus draw us into the covenant through His identification with us?
We might ask by way of conclusion: “What does it take for us to enter into friendship with God?” Is this something we desire? Do we understand it to be a goo, indeed the highest good for our life?