AS PLAIN AS A FRIEND Ex. 33:11-23

I have a friend. We started off good, giving each other great respect. She refers to me as Sir and I sometimes include ‘ma’ or ‘aunty’ when conversing with her. At the start, I did most of the asking about personal welfare. We really got along and apart from mere talking, we prayed and advised each other-advises were usually taken; and we sought each other’s views sometimes. There were also times one party would scold the other for wrong doing or attempted wrongs. I did more of this at the start, but right now, the she does that more. Currently, the friend does most of the asking, I think or better still we do it…so there’s some kind of balance now. Ordinarily one may wonder this rising balance…kind of shocking but great to think about… This brought my mind to how God relates with His close children and going back to look at Moses and Abraham, I understand better and appreciate how God walks and how He expects us to relate with Him.

Friends Say It As It Is

Exodus 33:11

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…

God spoke to Moses as friend: freely, familiarly, not in parables or stories or dreams but in a walking conversation kind-of way. A man speaking to a friend, speaks without fear and without over bearing regard to authority and procedure. Little wonder Moses could speak boldly before God. He even scolded God when there was the thought of doing some evil.

Exodus 32:11-14

And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Friends listen to friends. You may be shocked to find that people will refuse advise from anyone but not from a close friend. It is only then they come to see the light of the advice. God listened and followed Abraham’s advice.

Also as Friendship develops, there comes to be a balance in power and authority. Both parties know where the superior power lies, but there is this balance which gives them that freedom to advise each other rightly and timely. This freedom enables both sides to ask questions where they are not clear even if such question would seem foolish or an encroachment of authority or space. See Abraham’s discourse with God concerning Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18: 17 to end. That story painted a friend negotiating for a loved one with his fellow friend.

Friends do not also hide things from each other. They would feel very uncomfortable doing it. God could have as well gone ahead to kill the Israelites and not confide in Moses before doing it. Exodus 32: 9-10. Genesis 18: 17 to end. John 15:         15. Amos 3: 7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Friends report issues to friends. They are usually the first to know, whether good or bad. God reported the evil acts of the Israelites to Moses at the mountain. He did not have to show him. He told him mouth to ear. Exodus 32: 7-8. Genesis 18: 17-21.

Friends seek advice from each other, sometime indirectly by revealing their plans, knowing that it is only such friends that can stop them. In other words, they recognize that such friends hold the lever to stop their actions. God in his anger would have destroyed the Israelites, but he knew their mediator Moses better, that he would refrain him.

Friends do not see boldness on the part of the other as abuse of privilege. Many of us would wonder if Moses was not stepping over his bounds by asking God to repent of the evil plans. Rather, such boldness arouses a lovely friendship in the mind of the greater…it is akin to children who are bold before their parents. Every normal loving parent would love such move and encourage it, creating a situation where the child is like the parents brother or sister. There are cases where a girl and her mother are like sisters, where they walk together and the daughter is free to air her view and advise her mom.

 

Last observation. What seems to fuel such love is not self love, but love for others. God promised to raise another line from Moses if he was allowed to destroy the Israelites. Moses rather, because he loved the people of Israel appealed for their behalf, for their sakes. Also, Moses knows that God loves the Israelites so well that he planned a rescue mission for them. He reminded God of his swearing to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. In other words, there should be no self-centeredness in love.

When two parties love themselves, not built on self-centredness but on love for others, such love is bound to flourish.

Conclusion

Between myself and this friend, we are now able to talk things out, share things, advise each other, restrain each other, convince each other, give suggestions and ask questions.

How is our relationship with our heavenly Father like?

How do we relate with Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

BRAGGING RIGHTS. Job 1:8

Thinking better of people particularly loved ones helps in making people better. Children who believe that their parents believe in them are more likely to grow up bolder and more successful in life.

Its amazing that God loves and think better of us than we think of ourselves most times. A good knowledge of that helps our relationship with the Father and enables us to recognize our authority, giving us victory over the devil. One clear proof that God believes in us is in sending Jesus to die for us, people who as at then were not sorry for their sins and may even never be. Yet, God gave believing that some of us will still love him.

Roman 5:8; But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16; For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God is ‘mouthed’ concerning His children. If God relates this way with us, then what about our loved ones.

Some think atimes they are not up to, not fit, do not measure up. Look at some of the characters Christ made his disciples, Matthew a tax collector, Peter and friends, mere fishermen and uneducated, and even prostitutes followed him and yet he is willingly to entrust so much power, authority, care and the gospel to such people as first carriers. The point is God Almighty has clothed us with the righteousness of Jesus and so that way we are His most loved. God believes in you and there is nothing you and I can do about it. We may only reject it and refuse to live in accordance with it or we may accept this truth and live as His children.

Do you know God feels like talking about us to whoever is ready to listen, even to the devil? He’s not holding back on us.

Job 1:8; And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

God is kind of loud concerning His children. He started the conversation with Satan and then uses that means to brag concerning Job. And like typical parents do, God was not asking the devil if Job was faithful or not; but was rather asserting Job’s faithfulness by making it look like a question, which is usually supposed to get an affirmative answer. Parents use this technique in different ways to boast about their children. God was in a way boasting about Job. And when God allowed satan to carry his test, He provided a caveat in verse 12, like every typical protecting parent: And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.

Another interesting point here is that God, even though He can see the future, does not impute our sin as a reason for holding back His loving us. If you must brag about and believe in others, you must learn to see above their faults and weakness and present circumstances and future conceived fears.

In Acts 13:22 He testified concerning David- “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will”; Even though he can see the future, he does not for that reason deny his trust in us. Why didn’t God look into the future and seeing David would fall to lust or other sins, deny giving him the award of a man after his heart? In other words, we must not tag our belief in our loved ones on whether they will fail us or not. Our love should remain constant. Truth be said, they are likely to fail us one time or another.

Let us consider another of such person, Abraham. In bragging about Abraham, God said: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19.

See also Peter, a man whom he referred to as “Rock” in Matthew 16:18, after bragging about him, he still went on to deny him in Matt 26:69-75. This was a man whose spiritual character so to speak at that time was still questionable, Matthew 16:21-23. It’s not a matter of your failure or shortcomings; God believes in you. It’s a matter of your response to that belief.

In talking about us, He doesn’t act like we were some kind of mortal flesh, perishable, can die in a second at his fury, but he treats us like a partner. Some of us, when we believe in others, we measure the trust, based on ourselves, or such belief is tied to some obligation and act. This should not be so.

He makes us the subject of his discussion; we fill his thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Conclusion

Many times we tend to place our present sins as hindrances or blocks to God’s belief in Us or trust in Us. He believes in Us whether we like it or not. It is up to us to accept His belief in us. What we do with that will either strengthen our belief in Him or not which produces either positive or negative results.