Awestruck Hero: Moses

Awestruck Hero: Moses. 

“Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail to stand in awe before You! It is in Your very nature to be worshipped. Among all the elite of the world, there is still no one as magnificent as You, no one who could compare with you.” (Jeremiah 10:7).

AWE: To encounter vastness, something beyond one’s frame of reference, outside of one’s mental grasp; surrendering reverently to something greater than oneself; an outward-focused sense of wonder and astonishment; not just a momentary feeling, but a spiritual way of life and an actual neurological event that rewires the human brain.

Awesome? Is there a word that has been more trivialized these days than the word “awesome?” I confess that I have unthinkingly become a culprit in this misuse of what is a wonder-full word. Awesome seems to be in the air and ready to escape the lips of practically everyone, describing everything from a hamburger to a TV show, from a dollar store to a restaurant, from a celebrity to a superstar. But the word itself means something vast that is worthy of awe and wonder and astonishment. So let’s get picky here… Really now, isn’t the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, the only one who could be worthy of awesome? In our common experience here on planet earth, it would seem wise to leave a reserved seat for awesome, front row, center aisle, in the worship section. Maybe we could think up some reasonable synonyms for awesome, like tremendous, terrific, superb, fantastic, spectacular, extraordinary, or even sublime or really cool. But I propose that we reserve the word awesome for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Aspects of Awe will be studied in this blog series as we consider the biblical quality of awe to be a diamond with a lot of facets. We’ll be looking at awesomeness in the Hebrew Bible, in the Gospels, and how the experience of awe affects our brain. Yes, to be in awe is a neurological event as well as a spiritual one.

Awe in the Hebrew Bible. Awe turned out to be a rather common experience in ancient Judaism and the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most used for awe is “yare,” which is often translated as “fear” and has a wide spectrum of meanings. Yare could be used for extreme terror when facing danger, or for reverent awe before the Lord; for withdrawing in fear from something vastly superior, or approaching God in adoration and wonder; an experience that leads to fleeing in dread or worshipping in reverence. Yare could signify escape from danger or obedience out of profound respect. Yare is used almost 400 times in the Hebrew Bible, and its meaning depends on the context. Awe in the OT could be a temporary emotional experience or a more permanent attitude in one’s walk with God. For the most part though, apparently starting with Abraham, yare and the fear of God came to mean awestruck adoration, reverent devotion, profound respect, fearful honor, and loyal obedience as a result of such awe of God. Biblical awe will be studied in the lives of many faithful heroes in the Hebrew Bible who were happy to be awed and to use the word awesome… from Abraham to Jacob; from Moses to David; from Solomon to Isaiah; from Habakkuk to Malachi. As we’ll see, these stalwarts knew how to use the word “awesome!”

(1.) Moses is Awestruck at the Burning Bush. “Now one day when Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, he guided the flock far away from the usual pastures to the other side of the desert. Moses came to a place known as Horeb, or Sinai, where the Mountain of God stood. And there, the Angel of Yahweh appeared to Moses in a fiery blaze from within the bush. Moses looked again at the bush as it blazed. To his amazement, the bush did not burn up in the flames. Moses wondered at the sight, and asked himself, ‘Why is this bush not burning up? I will turn aside and move a little closer to get a better look at this amazing sight.’ When God saw Moses turning aside to approach the burning bush so he could observe it more closely, He called out to Moses from within the bush… ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses responded, ‘Here I am!’  God then said to Moses, ‘Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals and stand barefoot on the ground in My Presence, for this is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob!’ A feeling of reverence and awe (“yare“) rushed over Moses, and he hid his face. He was afraid he might catch a glimpse of the True God.” (Exodus 3:1-6).

Curiosity Leads to Discovery. Moses had the spirit of the adventurer. He was guiding his flock to a place far away from where he usually shepherded them. And then, He noticed. He had his eyes wide open to see something different from the norm. So he became curious about this new thing he saw. He bothered to turn aside, to look in a different direction, to take a second look. It was only after Moses turned aside for a second look that God spoke to him. Often this is what it takes to see something new about the Lord, or to experience Him a different way. If we want to “sing a new song,” sometimes we need to turn aside.

Angel of Yahweh. Angel of the LORD. This is another mysterious appearance of a specially designated Angel of Yahweh. In many places in the Hebrew Bible, this particular Angel is specifically identified with the Lord God and is distinguished from Yahweh. This One-of-a-Kind heavenly Messenger has appeared as a divine visitor to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre and on Mt. Moriah, was a welcome comfort to Hagar, and a wrestling opponent to Jacob. This Angel appeared to Moses in the burning bush, as a sustainer to Elijah and a redeemer to Isaiah. This Angel was reportedly with Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace and to Daniel himself on the banks of the Tigris River. He appeared to Gideon on the threshing floor and to Samson’s parents at his birth announcement. Balaam was shocked to see Him while riding his donkey, and so was Joshua just outside the city of Jericho. Most scholars, including the early church Fathers, considered this special Angel of Yahweh to be God in the form of a Man, the preincarnate Christ, Lord God’s unique Representative to speak His mind and do His will on earth. It is safe to say that it is Jesus Himself who is shouting so urgently to Abraham about to slaughter his son. Isn’t it especially poignant that Jesus is asking the father not to slay his son, when a few centuries later He is asking His Father to withdraw the cup of death from Him?

Doubled, with Meaning. ‘Moses! Moses!’ In Scripture, it is no accident when someone is named twice. Twice-naming was spoken when there is an intense urgency, or a deep intimacy, a request to pay special attention, or an announcement that what follows will be a crucial turning point in that person’s life. We see this with Abraham on Mt. Moriah with Isaac, Samuel before a special message, Jacob before going to Egypt, and Absolom when David was in such agony. Jesus continued that biblical tradition when twice-naming Martha in his love for her, Peter while being warned, Saul on the road to Damascus, and in Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem. So it’s no surprise that Moses noticed the urgency and importance of his name being called out twice from heaven, and that his immediate response would be “Here I am!”

Here I Am! When God appealed personally to Moses by name and got his attention, Moses responded just as personally with “hineni.” “Hineni” is an important Hebrew word combining “hineh” (Behold) and “ani” (Here I). So the literal translation of hineni is “Behold, I am.” It is generally translated in the Hebrew Bible as “Here I am.” Hineni is the declaration of one’s presence and willingness to act. In Scripture it is a response of someone to someone else asking for attention. It could be a response to God, to an angel, a response of a child to a parent, or a servant to a master. Sometimes it is even a loving response of a parent to a child. The Biblical Here I am means, You have my full attention; I am at your service; I am completely available to you; Whatever you want, I am all in; I am in total readiness to hear and obey you; I have no hesitation in responding to you. Most of the time in Scripture the person saying ‘Here I am’ doesn’t yet know what the caller wants from him. So hineni can essentially be a statement of faith and absolute trust. The willingness of biblical characters to say henini can be seen throughout the Hebrew Bible: Isaiah said it in his famous calling; little boy Samuel said it in the Temple; Moses said it at the burning bush; Jacob said it during one of his night-time visions; and father Abraham responded to God with a hearty hineni three separate times!  Generally, hineni is often stated in a pivotal moment of that person’s life. ‘Here I am’ can just be a casual response to a caller, but it most often is an important moment in the life of the person responding. As followers of Jesus, what He yearns for us to say is “hineni!”

A Southern Gospel Revival: Courtney Patton – Take Your Shoes Off Moses

Take Off Your Shoes, Moses! Of course, this ground on which Moses was standing wasn’t any different from any other plot of ground thereabouts. This was holy ground because of the Personal Presence of God Himself, and because God set this physical space aside specially for this divine encounter with His servant Moses. St. Ambrose maintains that shoes are made of dead materials unworthy of this particular moment, that “Nothing dead is to stand between God and Moses, for He is the God of the living.” Others have made the shrewd insight that God also wanted Moses shoeless because it would make him less likely to take off running! Yahweh wanted a captive audience in Moses, He wanted Moses to stay put to hear everything He wanted to say, and both of them knew Moses wasn’t going anywhere in that rugged area of the world without some protection on his feet.

Jessy Dixon – Moses, Take Your Shoes Off (Lyric Video)

(2.) Moses is Awestruck at the Song of the Sea. “Who compares with You among the gods, O Yahweh? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, revered in praises, awesome (“yare“) in glorious splendor, our wonder-working God! (Exodus 15:11). So there they all stand on the far side of the Red Sea, huffing and puffing after a 300-yard dash on dry ground through roiling walls of water on both sides, finally breathing deep sighs of relief, watching as the dreaded Egyptian army, complete with its 600 horses and chariots, drown in the sea. Fearfulness and dread have turned to awe and wonder. Finally the Hebrews believe in the Lord and in “Moses, His servant.” (Ex. 14:31). The people for the first time are finally willing to trust in Moses’ leadership. They realize now that they are saved, they are delivered from slavery. God has achieved a miraculous victory for the Hebrew people. And what do they do first? Slap each other on the back, give each other high-fives, and chant “We’re number one! We’re number one!”? No, the first thing they do is they sing a song of worship and praise. They realize that they did absolutely nothing to bring about this victory. The earlier words of Moses are fresh in their minds… “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” And then the people obeyed, watching as God does all the heavy lifting. The Red Sea had miraculously parted, they are on the other side, and led by Moses and Miriam, they sing the lyrics to their famous song of deliverance that has come down through the ages. We still know the lyrics to this ancient song, even though it was the first collective song the Jews ever sang.

(3.) Moses is Awestruck at the Entrance to the Promised Land. The book of Deuteronomy is the final book of the Torah and one of the greatest books in Scripture. The New Testament quotes it 80 times, and Jesus seemed to lean heavily on it, to the point of quoting it three times on the Mountain of Temptation with Satan. Deuteronomy consists of a series of sermons and teachings given by Moses at the threshold of the Promised Land. It’s been 40 years since they were delivered from Egypt and wandered the wilderness. So a whole new generation of Israelites are being prepared to return to the Promised Land for the first time in 400 years. Moses offers crucial reminders and warnings and pieces of history as he does his best to prepare the people to develop an entirely new national identity. As Moses speaks the Word of the Lord, they all are looking across the Joran River to a whole new life.

Moses and Awe. If anyone in the history of the world had a right to be filled with awe, it was Moses… He dropped miraculous plagues on Egypt to free his people; he saw the Sea parted to provide a dry path to escape; he watched the Lord perform countless miracles for their survival in the wilderness; he was on Mt. Sinai when it quaked and smoked with fire, lightning, thunder, and a shofar blaring from heaven; he ate a communion meal with the Lord Himself and the elders while sitting on blue sapphire pavement; he saw the back of God’s glory pass him by, and then was able to speak with the Lord face to face like His best buddy; his face shone so brightly with heavenly radiance at one point that he had to wear a veil. So it’s no wonder Moses embraced the opportunities to refer to the Lord Yahweh in awe-inspiring terms in his final time to speak in front of his people.

1. Awe with Swarms of Hornets! “The Lord your God will send hornets among the nations until those who are left and those who hide themselves perish ahead of you. You are not to be frightened of these nations, you are not to be intimidated, because Yahweh your God is there with you in your midst, a God majestic and awesome (“yare“).” (Deuteronomy 7:17-21). “I will send my terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you and run away. And I will send hornets ahead of you, that they may drive out the Canaanites before you. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.”  (Exodus 23:27-28, 31); 
2. Awe at the Lord’s Character: “For the Lord your God is the God of all gods, the Master of all masters, a God who is immense and powerful and awesome (“yare“)! He doesn’t play favorites and is completely impartial; He takes no bribes. He secures justice for the fatherless and the widow, making sure they are treated fairly. He loves the foreigners living among you, giving them food and clothing.”  (Deuteronomy 10:17-18);
3. Awe at God’s Miraculous Deeds: “You are to reverently respect Yahweh and stand in awe (“yare“) of Him. You shall serve Him, hold tight to Him, faithfully clinging to Him. You shall back up your promises with the authority of His Name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these tremendous and awesome (“yare“) wonders before your very eyes!” (Deuteronomy 10:20-21).

Holy fear involves the raised hands of adoration; the knocking knees of apprehension; the bare feet of awe; the dry mouth of uncertainty; the quickened heartbeat of anticipation; the bowed head of reverence; the humbled spirit of devotion; the straight posture of respect; the closed mouth of deference; the open mind of discovery; the tender heart of gratitude; the open ears of full attention. (Steve Larson).