FACE-TO-FACE
How many of us talk to people face to face, in person, anymore? We have all the devices to communicate with others. I text people all the time. I am thankful for this means of communication. I can “talk” to several people during the day. Once and awhile, if I can figure it out, I can facetime my grandkids who live almost a thousand miles away from me. That type of communication is good because I can see their sweet faces and they can see mine. They can remember who their old nana is! When we talk to people face-to-face, we have a more intimate feeling within us. We feel closer to that person, because we have spent time with them.
As humans, we know the importance of one’s face. We readily identify someone by their face. Some can be identified by their back, but most are when we see their faces. I remember years ago, at Boy Scout Camp, one of the leaders saw my two boys walking away from them. He said ‘Isn’t that the Vaughn boys?’ The way they walked was just like their dads. So, they could be identified by their backs. But we mostly have to see someone’s face to identify them.
Our face reveals the most information about someone’s mood and personality. I had a friend who always had a scowl on her face. She looked cranky. I was a little “afraid” of talking to her, at first. Did I want her supposed negative attitude to rub off on me? But as I got to know her, she was the sweetest person. A person who I could depend on, if needed. I never told her that she needed a face adjustment. Maybe I should have and then she could have enjoyed more face-to-face communication with others. My son, is a store manager for a retail store. At times, a very stressful job. I dog-sit his dog everyday he works. So, when he comes to get his doggy at the end of his day, I can tell by his face what kind of day he has had at work. When I am having a hard day, someone might just simply smile at me and it lifts my day. All of that requires us being face to face.
I want to share with you some thoughts I have had about talking to God face-to- face. In the Old Testament, the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face. Exodus 33:7-23 tells us about this experience. Read this scripture and all the way to the end of that chapter. Before the official tabernacle was built, Moses pitched a tent, called the tabernacle of meeting and would talk to the people there. When Moses went in to talk to God, a pillar of cloud covered the door so no one could come into it but Moses. The people could not go into this tabernacle when Moses was talking to God. Verse 11, says “So the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face as a man speaks to his friend.” Then in verse 20, God says to Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” After verse 11, it is a bit confusing why God told him that in verse 20, isn’t it! From the commentators that I looked through, it seems the face-to-face reference with Moses, means, as a figure of speech, that God had an intimate relationship with Moses through direct close communication, as a close friend. One commentator said ‘when interpreting verse 11, it signifies a close, direct, and personal relationship between God and Moses, not a literal physical sighting.’ Moses had a special direct connection to God and the scripture says God spoke to him, one on one, face-to-face, as a friend. Wow, to have that type of relationship would be amazing wouldn’t it! (Hold onto that thought for a minute.) But then in verse 20, God says no human can see God face-to-face and live. Another commentator I read, said ‘The fullness of God’s divine glory is too powerful for a mortal to see and live. Human language is simply too limited to express the mysteries that these verses describe.’ Romans 11:33 reads “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”
In my last blog, I talked about the veil that separated the holy place and the Most Holy Place in the temple. Immediately at Jesus death in Matthew 27, the veil that separated the holy place from the Most Holy Place, tore from top to bottom. The only way that could have happened is by God because that veil was, according to Jewish and historical sources, about 60 feet tall, 30 feet wide and about the depth of your hand. So, what is the significance of this? Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place under the old law. Now, after Jesus’ death, the barrier of the veil that separated regular man or woman from direct access to God, was torn by God Almighty! Now WE have direct access! We can talk to God as a friend!
While Jesus was on this earth, mankind could literally see face-to-face, one part of the Godhead. Jesus was the answer to us getting closer and closer to when, in Revelations 22:3-4 we will see God face-to-face. “…and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face…” Each one of us, individually, will no longer see as a human but as a spirit and we will stand before the judgment seat of God. (Romans 14:10-12)
Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection have given us the ability to be called a friend of God, like Moses was. Jesus said in John 15:13-16 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
In order for us to have friends, we have to spend time with them. We have to be in their presence. The same way with us and God. In order for us to be face-to-face, or have a close intimate relationship with God, we have to reach for His word, the Bible, and spend time reading, meditating and sharing with others His words. That veil in the temple that was torn, represents the fact that we all can come to God in deep intimate face-to-face friendship.
There are so many thoughts and angles I could have gone with, in thoughts of face-to-face. What about other people of the Bible? David, Abraham, Job. Didn’t they have a close relationship with God! I think that the more I think about this, the more questions I have. Delve into this yourself and see what conclusions you come to. Let me know what thoughts you come up with. The more verses I look at, the longer this blog could become. I am going to stop right here. Whether Moses actually saw God’s face or not, the fact is, he had a close, intimate relationship with God. One thing is for sure, one day when I stand before the judgment seat, face-to-face with God, I pray I have had such a close intimate relationship with God while on this earth, that I can live eternally with Him.
Till next time!
Keela