Posted on by Abe Austin

Ascend, Decline, or Plateau- Hidden Movements

Hidden Decline)

In my last post I spoke about my personal experience with living on a spiritual plateau, one where I was basically good, but not making any real or notable sacrifices, not really living any differently than any other “good citizen.” To anyone looking at me from the outside, I was stagnant and consistent.

But that was only from the outside perspective. The truth is, at this time of outer stagnation, I was on a moral decline in my private life, crossing new barriers in my descent into deeper and deeper addiction. So, in reality, I wasn’t holding steady at all. I was in a moral freefall, and every day of external normalcy was just another lie digging me deeper beneath the surface.

My experience has made me wonder how many people really do live on a moral plateau. Is it actually primarily two groups of people, the truly striving and the downward falling, and it’s just that some of the downward falling put on a facade of plateau normalcy?

I do believe that there are some genuine plateau-dwellers, but I’ve definitely learned that people can be making invisible movements beneath the surface for a long, long time before there is any outward sign of how they have degenerated. When their moral life seems to suddenly collapse into a sinkhole, you can be sure that that didn’t just develop overnight.

Hidden Ascension)

But what about the other way around? Is it possible for someone to be improving morally in invisible ways, suddenly thrusting up to new heights seemingly out of the blue? I think so. I believe that we see this exact sort of pattern many times in the scriptures. Think of Moses, fled from Egypt, spending an entire life herding sheep for his father-in-law in Midian. We don’t hear of any great moments of huge moral development during that long sojourn, but it seems likely that he was being prepared, bit by bit, until he was ready to lead God’s people.

Perhaps as Moses abandoned his Egyptian way of life, he learned to surrender any personal plans. Perhaps while tending to the sheep, he developed a sense of leadership. Perhaps in his daily prayers, he developed the ability to obey God in everything, even if he might grumble along the way!

It seems likely to me that Moses was slowly accruing moral fortitude, and then when the divine call came, it appeared to the outside world that he was suddenly surging forward with new spiritual conviction and power!

This is why judgment of the soul is impossible to the mortal man. Only God and our own conscience can tell us how we’re moving beneath the surface, whether we are sinking into secret sin, or building silent strength. One day it may be clear to everyone, but until that pivotal moment, everything is a mystery from the outside view.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus Summary

My study of Exodus began just over two years ago. It’s been a long journey, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it all. To put it simply, the book is a titan of spiritual and ethical wisdom. My main finding was that the book takes the symbols and spirit of Genesis and begins to concretize them in law and ritual. It is the start of the conceptual becoming physical, of God becoming flesh.

Exodus still has some vestiges of the old legends, but overall, it isn’t as supernatural as Genesis was. It is, in fact, a necessary complement to Genesis. It shows the world becoming more like the one that we see today. Yes, strange powers and manifestations of the divine are still somewhat expected, but we are ramping down, and eventually every intervention of the Almighty will become unique and miraculous.

To quickly summarize the events of Exodus, we began with the death of Joseph, the last of the patriarchs, then launched hundreds of years into the future, at which point the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. When Pharaoh tried to kill all the new males Moses was saved, and he was able to grow into a privileged position. As an adult he observed the plight of the other Israelites, and he tried to help them, but his effort ended in failure. His heart was in the right place, but he was insufficient to the task, so he fled into the wilderness instead, lived an entire life there, and presumably had no intentions of ever returning to his people.

It was at this moment, however, that God performed His first act of intervention. He called Moses to go back to the Israelites and free them. This time Moses would be successful, because this time he would not function in his own power, but in the power of the Lord. Moses took some convincing, but ultimately, he returned to Egypt, where he performed many miracles and raised many plagues, each symbolic of the evil and sin that the Egyptians had given themselves over to. This sequence of events became an epic battle between the pride of Pharaoh and the power of God. This, of course, was a type for all mankind who will cleave to their own ways to the bitter end. Ultimately, God won the contest by exercising His power of death upon both the firstborn and armies of Egypt. This, at last, broke Egypt’s grasp on Israel, and the chosen people went free.

In the second half of the book, Israel took its journey into the wilderness. The people faced adversity with the lack of food and water, but their response to this was inappropriate. Rather than seeking relief from the Lord in humility, they threatened to abandon Him. They even went so far as to create a false idol and raised a rebellion against the Lord.

In spite of all this, God continued to strive with the people, humbling them, and delivering his law by degrees to them. Only after these were properly received, He also gave them the command to build the tabernacle. It was a large task, but the people accomplished it beautifully, and in the final chapter we read how God’s presence came to dwell personally in that house, becoming a permanent fixture in the Israelite community.

This book has taken us on a grand two-part journey. First, we fell into slavery and sin; then we returned back to the Lord through miracle, repentance, and covenant. We have gone down to the deepest depths, even those of the Red Sea, then up to the highest heights, even those of Mount Sinai. This story is a recreation of fundamental archetypes that were first laid out in Genesis, such as the fall of Adam and Eve, the acceptable offerings of Abel, the consuming of the wicked in the flood, the deliverance of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, to only name a few. This story takes those archetypes and adds itself to them, becoming the template for many more stories that will follow in the Biblical record.

What an epic experience this has been! I’m sad to leave it behind, and admittedly I’m unsure that I’ll be able to recognize as much richness and meaning in the following books of Moses. I’ve been surprised before, though, so I will proceed with my Old Testament analysis, picking up the book of Leviticus after a short break. During that break I will post various essays and in-between messages, probably extending for a week or two before returning to my scriptural analysis.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 40:30-33

30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.

33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

The final element of the physical structure of the tabernacle was the water basin, which led directly to the preparation of the men who would serve there as priests. Interestingly, not only Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet, but also Moses. Similarly, we heard in yesterday’s verses that he offered the first offerings upon the golden and brazen altars. Moving forward, we do not hear of him continuing to function in the role of the priest, but it seems that in this first instance he did.

My assumption is that Moses performed these rituals as the first priest, so that he could then transfer that authority and responsibility to Aaron and his sons. As has been previously discussed, it was as if Moses were the Lord, Himself. He was God’s approved representative, so he alone he was authorized to function in these sacred rituals. But after having once functioned in that role, and thus claimed them, he could then pass them on to others that the Lord had chosen: Aaron and his sons.

This idea is echoed by what verse 33 states: that “Moses finished the work.” Obviously, many hands were involved in the labor of creating the tabernacle, but all of them were only able to perform this service as an extension of Moses, who was the extension of God, Himself. Everything was fulfilled under the stewardship of Moses, and now he could hand its continuation to those who would remain after he was gone.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 40:18-19

18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses.

The verse here says that “Moses reared the tabernacle.” However, it seems certain that some of these tasks would be beyond the capacity of a single man alone, particularly one in his eighties. Indeed, the very first step involved lifting and placing fifteen-foot boards into their sockets, and after they were all placed, massive coverings had to be run over the top of them! It seems that today’s verses must mean that Moses oversaw the rearing of the tabernacle, and so the responsibility for it is attributed to him.

Interestingly, this would mean Moses assuming the role of a divinely sanctioned foreman. Israel had just come from a land where they labored as slaves, under the direction of wicked masters. Now they labored voluntarily, for a Lord who had redeemed them, under the guidance of an overseer who had risked everything to secure their freedom. They still served, but the nature of that service was fundamentally changed from evil to good.

Also, this final act of rearing the tabernacle would complete Moses’s responsibility to see that all was done as the Lord has instructed. He had already confirmed that the parts were made correctly on an individual basis, now he would verify that they were put together correctly also. After that, direct responsibility could be handed over to the priests.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 34:33-35

33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

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

35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

This chapter finishes by returning to the matter of Moses’s shining face. Because of the discomfort that his radiance caused the people, Moses wore a veil covering his face while in their presence. When he would go in to the Lord, he took the veil off, but when he came back out to the people, he covered its brightness.

I do not think we have enough of a description to understand why a shining face would have been distressing and not attractive to the people. Apparently, the effect went beyond an amusing novelty to something challenging to behold.

This is an excellent demonstration of why we live today at a distance from God. If Moses’s shining face was already too much for the people, how much more the full glory of the Almighty? It is for our own benefit that He has veiled Himself from us, speaking through indirect means, to try and prepare us for His coming. When He returns again in His majesty, He will have a purifying aura before Him, so powerful that the unworthy will not survive it. We should be careful about seeking glory that we are not ready for, and ought to be grateful for the time we have to prepare.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 34:29-30

29 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.

30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, it seems that Moses must have been somewhat transfigured to survive 40 days and nights in the top of the mountain without even water. And so, it is understandable that when he descended back down to the people his face was shining, such that people were too afraid to even approach him. Moses may have been back among the common man, but the glory of God still burned within him.

While I certainly have never been transfigured like this, I am well aware of the glow within the soul that follows a period of deep spiritual connection. It is unquestionably the best that I have ever felt, and it can continue for days after the original experience. I’ve never had that flush last forever, but there have been personal changes made in that time which have continued with me to this day (including the writing of this blog). While we are not told whether Moses’s face ever returned to normal, my assumption would be that after some time it did.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 34:27-28

27 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

28 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.

We heard a few of the commandments that the Lord reinstated to Moses, but now we are told that the two remained in communion for another forty days and nights. Given that duration, it seems entirely plausible that every single commandment that the Lord had given thus far, from when the Israelites first left Egypt to the time Most first ascended Mount Sinai to the time he ascended it the second time, were all included in this restoration of God’s law. All of the commandments around the feast days, and surrounding betrothal and marriage, and the management of servants, and the ten commandments, and the structure of the tabernacle, and the process for each sacrifice, all of it. In fact, verse 28 specifically calls out the ten commandments as being one of those things that was communicated, even though we do not have the full transcription of that here, so it stands to reason that all these others might have been as well.

How Moses was sustained for forty days and nights without even water is a wonder, and I must assume that there was some sort of divine intervention there. I wonder if he was being nourished by the spirit, and whether partaking of the food and drink of our fallen world would have made him unfit to remain in the presence of the Lord. Indeed, we will see in the following verses that he really was somewhat transfigured during his time in the mountain, and that it altered his very appearance.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 34:8-9

8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Moses now repeats the same sort of pleas that he made for Israel down in the tabernacle. He asks that the people can be pardoned for their sins, chosen once again as the Lord’s inheritance, and then led by His presence directly. He does not specifically say what end he hopes for them to be led to, though. He does not discuss the Promised Land or the driving out of their enemies or even safe passage through the wilderness. For now, the return of God’s presence is all that matters to Israel.

Moses asking the Lord to take Israel “for thine inheritance” is something new. We have heard a good deal of the Israelite’s inheritance, but not of them being the inheritance of God, Himself. This definitely reinforces the notion of Israel being a chosen and peculiar people. It brings to mind a sense that all the world was what it was, but Israel specifically was selected out of the midst of it to be the reward and sole possession of the Lord’s. They were the harvest for all His work on this world, the fruit in the midst of the tree.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 33:21-23

21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22 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:

23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

In yesterday’s post I suggested that Moses’s request to see the glory of the Lord might have been in reference to an upcoming meeting between the two, not the one currently transpiring within the tabernacle. Today’s verses seem to support that idea, with God talking about placing Moses in the cleft of a rock. It doesn’t seem that geographical feature would have been present in the tabernacle, but it certainly would have been found up in the top of the mountain, which is where Moses will go immediately after this meeting.

This idea of placing Moses in the cleft of a rock and covering him with God’s hand is clearly symbolic. A cleft in the rock face is a wound in the body. There immediately comes to mind the image of Jesus Christ, pierced in the side while on the cross. We are all of us tucked within that wound, our frailty and impurity being covered by the works of Christ as Moses was by the hand of the Lord, giving us our only hope of surviving the image of God and receiving a good reward.

Even the fact that Moses was only permitted to see the back of God, and not His face, seems symbolic for our experience in following a Lord that we do not perfectly understand. We generally understand God, but certainly not in His totality. We long to see His face but feel we have only a general sense of His form. We follow according to what little we do understand, looking forward to the time when we will fully see “face to face, and shall know Him even as also we are known.“

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 33:18-20

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

19 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.

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

Moses now asks that he might see the Lord’s glory but is told that no one will be able to see His face and live. This passage is a bit confusing, because when Moses first came into the tabernacle, we were told that he spoke with God “face to face.” Some have tried to dismiss the earlier “face to face” reference as not being literal, as only meaning “forthright and openly.” That seems like an unnatural interpretation to me, though. It isn’t derived from the original Greek and only seems to be proposed to try and make amends with today’s verses.

I, however, wonder if this seeming inconsistency is actually pointing towards different degrees of divine manifestation. When Moses conversed with the Lord here in the tabernacle, did he perceive the Lord spiritually as opposed to literally? Was it something like a vision, such as Stephen had when he perceived both God the Father and Jesus Christ at the time of his martyrdom? Was Moses requesting to see God’s form in the flesh, and was learning that His presence could only be tolerated spiritually, as any physical manifestation would be fatal?

Something that supports the idea that Moses was referring to a different sort of appearance than what was going on in the tabernacle is that this was a preliminary conversation between him and the Lord. Immediately following this account, Moses will travel back up into the mountain, where he and the Lord will again confirm everything that has been agreed on here. So, given that this is the pre-agreement before the formal contract, it makes sense that it could also be a spiritual presence before the physical, and different rules would apply for each.