Moses, the Storyteller
Moses was a master storyteller. When faced with a nation that rejected God and said they did not want to hear Him speak, Moses faced a dilemma. How do you communicate the closeness of a God, Who is speaking life into His creation at all times, to a people that don’t want to hear Him? Moses communicated this truth to his people repeatedly through the art of illustrated stories.
Moses established the Levitical Priesthood, but there was no atoning value within that priesthood – it was just a picture. If the office of the High Priest was all that important, then why wasn’t Moses given the position? He already knew how to come into the presence of God, and even once the priesthood was established, Moses never bothered to go through the "proper channels". He simply went out and talked to God. No, the Levitical priesthood was just a shadow of the truth that didn’t come to light until the New Testament declares the priesthood of all believers. What a beautiful picture though – the Levites in their beautiful garments, living daily in the presence of the Holy Place, eating the bread of His Presence in the light of the candlestick with incense burning at the Veil. It is a beautiful picture of the state of God’s people – whether they choose to hear it or not.
Moses had a rather ordinary wooden box built and called it the Ark of the Covenant. This unassuming structure was covered in gold and on top were two seraphim. The top itself was called the Mercy Seat. A copy of the Ten Commandments, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod were placed within. The Ark was not to be seen or handled except by one tribe of the Levites. Once again, Moses illustrates a beautiful story of the life of every person. God says, “You are covered with the gold of heaven – the richness of My Presence. My scepter has been extended towards you, and My unbounded mercy rests upon your life. It is not something that you can earn, but is graciously seen by My Life within that will never leave or forsake you. Obedience to My word, my provisions, and the ability to find Me are placed within you.” These things were not seen by most of the Israelites, that’s why the Ark was hidden. (Most Christians still don’t see them either.) You see, the Jews thought the box was the Presence of God. So they carried it off to battle…and were defeated. Jeremiah said the day was coming when no one would even think about the Ark of the Covenant. Why? Because the day will come when God’s merciful covenant with that “box” will be revealed.
Passover was another story instituted by Moses. Once a year, the nation was to come together for this meal. At evening time, every family would gather in their tents and eat a lamb. The beautiful part of this story is that once it is eaten, the lamb becomes an integral part of the one who consumed it. Where does the life of the lamb end, and the life of the person begin? It’s impossible to tell! Jesus told the same story about the Passover bread, “This is My body which is broken for you…” This is our relationship with God. Where does His life end and mine begin? No one can tell. It’s a beautiful marriage of two lives.
When Moses was preparing to die, he blessed the children of Israel:
"This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said: 3 The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them. Surely he loves the people; all your holy ones are in your power. And they sit at your feet, each receiving your words. 4 Moses delivered to us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5 The Lord was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together. (Dt. 33:1-5)
The retelling of this story is quite different from the one told in Exodus 19-20, where the people ran from God. Here, Moses says, “they sit at your feet, each receiving your words.” Yet Moses was declaring a truth greater than the event at Sinai. God is King over His people, and they are in His power. He places His fiery law within us, and causes us to walk in His statutes. This is exactly the New Covenant that Jeremiah foresaw,
“But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. “ (Jer 31:33).
I believe the Ten Commandments were ten great promises that God would bring forth in His people. The day will come when we will have no other Gods before Him, when we will honor the true Sabbath, when we will honor our parents, when we will not lust after anything that our neighbor has, etc. The Ten Commandments tell a wonderful story of what God will accomplish in our lives.
Yes, Moses was an expert storyteller, always looking to illustrate the covenant between God and His people. It is a covenant built entirely upon the mercy of God – and we are the blessed recipients!