The Face of God with the Face of Moses

The Face of God with the Face of Moses.

“And it came to pass, when Moses entered the Tent, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the Tent, and Yahweh talked with Moses. So the Lord Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:9,11); “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom Yahweh Lord knew face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10).

In the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), the word that was usually translated as “face” was “panim” (paw-neem). That Hebrew word was also translated as presence, front, surface, countenance, and before or in front of. Panim is recorded over 2,000 times in the O.T., and is a very significant idea all through Scripture. The root Hebrew word means to turn, to incline towards.

When God and Moses were said to have spoken to each other “face to face,” a few questions come to mind. God is said to be a spirit (John 4:24), and spirits do not have a human form. Since God is a spirit, He then has no body, no less a face. Besides that question, we find a little later in this same chapter Exodus 33, that God told Moses not to try to see His face, and that he wouldn’t survive the experience if he did (Ex. 33:18-20). God is implying here that His face, His whole Person, would overwhelm Moses’ human capabilities. A mere human being would not be able to tolerate the fullness of God’s glory. God’s full presence is heavenly, not earthly. We can only experience a portion of God’s glory, so Moses would be limited to the “back” of God’s presence, only a portion of His glory. God is a “consuming fire” (Ex. 24:17 and Heb. 12:29). So to approach God in His complete presence would be similar to our attempting a journey to the surface of the sun. We earthlings are simply not made to be able to do that. So God covered Moses’ eyes and passed by him as he was hidden in the cleft of a rock. At that, Moses could only sneak a peek at the “backside” of the Lord (v. 22).

Returning to the face to face interaction between God and Moses, there are many, if not most, who would say that “face,” as it does in many other passages, is meant to be translated as “presence.” Face to face is a metaphor, a figure of speech, that means “presence to presence.” In other words, God and Moses were intimately present with each other. Face to face is a way of describing the strong bond of friendship that God and Moses enjoyed. Face to face is not meant to be taken literally. That phrase conveys a two-way relationship, with no third party involved. It meant one person able to personally communicate clearly and directly with another person. It’s not unlike another phrase we don’t use literally but we know what it means… a “heart to heart’ conversation. Of course our hearts are not actually interacting with each other. Face to face is similar to that, in which there is the implication of deep personal contact. Moses reported a similar figure of speech in Numbers 12:8, when the Lord said, “With Moses I speak mouth to mouth.” With Moses I can have a meaningful conversation, says the Lord. Face to face means it was a real exchange between them in real time, not in a vision or a dream. The conversation actually occurred in the context of reality, but it wasn’t literally face to face. If Moses looked at Yahweh God full in the face, He wouldn’t be merely radiating God’s light as he did so often. Moses wouldn’t need a veil, because he would have been burnt to a crisp.

Moses records in Exodus 33:9-11 that God would speak to him out of the pillar of cloud at the Tent of Meeting. “… and thus the Lord would speak to Moses face to face.” Notice that they would “speak” to each other, they didn’t actually “see” each other face to face. The picture that can be drawn here is the pillar of cloud containing God’s presence at the entrance to the Tent speaking to Moses through the haze of a cloud. And Moses was right there in front of the pillar speaking to the cloud, to the actual voice of God coming through the cloud. They weren’t seeing each other face to face, they were instead speaking in a real conversation, voice to voice.

Reader, are you open to another possible way to look at this? Could this interaction between God and Moses be another example in a long line of examples in the Hebrew Bible of a Christophanie? There were many occasions in the Old Testament when the Angel of Yahweh would make an appearance. And most scholars agree that this rather elusive Angel of Yahweh is actually the preincarnate Jesus Christ. When we read in a Biblical passage of the Angel of Yahweh, we aren’t merely reading about just another angel. We can consider that we are looking at an appearance of Jesus before His birth in Bethlehem!

So when people in the Old Testament state that they have seen God, what have they literally seen? Early Church theologians, and numerous Biblical scholars since, have believed that when God is in visible form, the truth is that Christ has made an appearance. Every physical appearance of God in the Old Testament is a revelation of Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form.  The Deity of Jesus is clearly portrayed in His role of Angelic Messenger, God’s special representative that speaks God’s mind and performs His will. “The Angel of the Lord is the visible Lord God of the Old Testament, as Jesus Christ was of the New Testament.” (Amplified Bible notes).

When is it safe to say we might assume that Christ made an appearance in the Hebrew Bible? There are several signs that point to the presence of Jesus:

• Did the Angel do or say anything that is normally associated with what God says and does?
• Did the persons involved claim that they had seen God?
• Was there a response of worship on the part of the witnesses?
• Was there anything miraculous in the appearance?
• Were there any traits of God demonstrated?

“That the Angel of Yahweh is an uncreated angel, distinguished from other angels, and in many places identified with the Lord God is undeniable. On the other hand, there are passages in which He seems to be distinguished from God the Father. The simplest way of reconciling these two classes is to adopt the old view that this Angel is Christ, the second Person of the Godhead, even at that early period appearing as the revealer of the Father.” (Lange’s Commentary).

This incomparable Messenger from heaven, this Angel of Yahweh, is God in the form of God’s Son before His incarnation. “There is a fascinating forecast of the coming Messiah, breaking through the dimness with amazing consistency, at intervals from Genesis to Malachi, Abraham and Moses, the slave girl of Hagar, the impoverished farmer Gideon, even the humble parents of Samson, had seen and talked with Him centuries before the herald angels proclaimed His birth in Bethlehem.” (Cambridge Bible).

In the biblical story leading up to this point, we have already seen the Angel of Yahweh make an appearance with Moses, three times when the preincarnate Jesus was involved in the story of the Exodus: at the burning bush; at the Red Sea; and at Mt. Sinai.

Moses and Jesus at the Burning Bush. In Exodus 3, Moses was simply minding his own business as a shepherd on the Sinai peninsula. He had been doing this humble work for 40 years, which makes him 80 years old at the time of this miraculous encounter with God. Moses witnessed an amazing sight there on Mt. Sinai, a big thorn bush that was burning but was not being consumed in the fire. Moses wondered at this inexplicable sight, so when he decided to investigate it, the Angel of Yahweh appeared in the midst of the fiery bush and spoke to him. ‘Moses, Moses!” said this Messenger in the middle of the fire. And Moses responded with the line that is music to God’s ears, “Here am I.” (3:4).  Moses at this point was convinced that this was indeed the Lord he was talking with, so he hid his face. He wouldn’t look directly into the fire because he was afraid to see God full in the face. This Angel, this Messenger of God, was certainly Jesus Christ. And could it be that this unusual fire was the shekinah glory from the Angel’s presence? Could it be that Jesus had brought this unique fire from glory? Moses and the Angel then engaged in an extended conversation, in which Moses received the Hebrew Bible’s version of the Great Commission. Moses was asked by the Lord to go to Egypt, liberate His chosen people from their slavery, and lead them into the Promised Land. Speaking the words of the Lord, the Messenger then told Moses God’s name, Yahweh. The ground near the burning bush was holy due to the presence of God. So Moses took off his sandals and bowed low. Speaking the mind of God, Jesus informed Moses of the whole scenario with Pharaoh, including the signs and wonders he will demonstrate to the Egyptians. To convince Moses that He could indeed perform these miracles, Jesus demonstrated a couple of quick miracles right on the spot. Moses’ staff turned into a snake and then back again to a staff. And Moses contracted leprosy, and then was immediately healed of that leprosy. If anything would encourage Moses to go on this adventure, the Lord is thinking, this should be sufficient. But Moses remained unconvinced, mainly because Moses felt he wasn’t equipped to be a spokesman for the Lord. He said he was slow of tongue, that he couldn’t speak well enough to represent the Lord in Egypt. So Moses stubbornly responded to God with, thanks but no thanks, please pick someone else. God became angry and accommodated Moses somewhat by picking his brother Aaron, a well-spoken man evidently, to be at his side throughout the interaction with Pharaoh. I will be with you and teach you what to say, so let this be the end to your resistance, the Lord says to Moses. Jesus the Messenger from the midst of the burning bush sent Moses on his way back to Egypt. And the rest is history.

Moses and Jesus At the Red Sea. In Exodus 14, the Israelites were on the run in the wilderness on the outskirts of Egypt. The sophisticated war machine of Egypt, complete with horses and chariots, were in full pursuit. The Israelites were no match, for they had no weapons, were not soldiers, and were on foot. As the Israelites were leaving Egypt, the Angel of God was before them, showing the way and defending them from danger. But now the Israelites are boxed in… the Red Sea on one side, and the powerful Egyptian army on the other side. There was much fearful complaining and grumbling from Israelites, of course. Who wouldn’t be afraid at this point? But Moses came right back at them with this… Quit your crying out to God in complaint! Stand still and see Yahweh win the day for you! (14:13-14). The Messenger of God, the Angel of Yahweh, then shifted from the front of the Israelites to the rear of them, standing between the escaping slaves and the fearsome army. (14:19). The pillar of cloud also shifted with Him to add to the protective barrier. The Angel remained at His post, holding off the army. And as darkness fell, the pillar of cloud turned into a pillar of fire. Yahweh then instructed Moses to raise his hand over the sea. Then the wind blew, and a pathway of escape was miraculously provided right through the Red Sea. There was a way when there was no way. Once the Israelites were across the Sea to the other side, Moses raised his hand with his staff once again, and the Egyptian army with all its chariots and horses were drowned as the sea returned to its normal height. The Angel, the incomparable Messenger of Yahweh, provided His presence to defend the Israelites. Jesus Himself stood between two opposing camps, and protected the Israelites from the Egyptians. The Messenger from heaven had a direct hand in the deliverance of God’s chosen people.

Moses and Jesus at Mt. Sinai. In Exodus 23, the Israelites have already been camped at Mt. Sinai, and Moses has received the words of instruction directly from Yahweh. The Ten Commandments have been declared, as well as much of the Law. The awesome majesty and power of Yahweh has been on full display to the Israelites, complete with a fire on the mountaintop, a loud heavenly shofar blast, flashes of lightning, billowing smoke, claps of thunder, and the very earth shaking underneath them. The people have agreed to follow the Lord’s commands, but they don’t want to hear the voice of Yahweh. They are panicked with fear, they are terrified, and they want Moses to be the intermediary. Yahweh now makes an astounding promise to the Israelites. In Exodus 23:20-23, Yahweh explains that He is sending a special Messenger, the Angel of Yahweh, to walk before them on their journey, to bring them into the Promised Land. Yahweh referred to this special Angel when He said, “My name is in Him.” (23:21). This Messenger is to be obeyed, they are to follow His guidelines and direction. They are not to provoke the Angel in any way. “So you shall serve Yahweh your God, and He will bless your bread and your water.” (23:25). In other words, the Israelites will be serving Yahweh by obeying the Angel of Yahweh. This unique Angel is God’s representative and God’s mouthpiece throughout their journey. The Angel is acting on God’s authority. This Messenger is Jesus Christ, for He bears the name of Yahweh, the Great I Am.

So it is entirely possible that Moses is literally speaking face to face with God’s  representative, God’s Spokesman, Jesus Christ. Moses could very well have been face to face with Jesus in the Tent of Meeting. Why not? The Angel of Yahweh had already been promised to accompany Moses and the Israelites as they made their way to the Promised Land. Jesus was right there all along in the wilderness journey. Is it in the realm of possibility that Moses and Jesus had plenty of time for their intimate conversations? Furthermore, I love the idea that when Moses and Jesus had their extended conversation on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17), they were in fact having their own little reunion. They had already established rapport in the wilderness. They were already best buddies!