"Faithful In All God's House"

by Toms, A. F. | Category: Moses A Man Of God | Jul 1975

By comparison and contrast the writer to the Hebrews presents the surpassing excellence of the Person of Christ. "Better than" is one of the key phrases that run through the epistle, and in chapter 3 Christ is shown to be better than Moses by so much as the one who builds a house, in whose mind the design is conceived and through whose skill the building reaches completion, has more honour than the house itself. That is true of any building, of course, but in this paragraph it is the building of God's house which is under consideration. In this house Moses was a servant. But now Christ is Son over God's house.

We get a glimpse of the great truth of God dwelling among men in Genesis 28 when He brought Jacob to Bethel, but not until He had redeemed Jacob's posterity out of the bondage of Egypt, baptized them in the waters of the Red Sea and heard their pledge of obedience to all that He commanded, did God expressly say "Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them". To Moses was entrusted the responsibility of receiving from God the pattern of this house and of supervising its building in absolute conformity to it. He was God's servant (therapon, minister) in this tremendous assignment, and the divine approbation is recorded for all time, "Moses indeed was faithful in all God's house (R.V. margin) as a servant". He filled the role of both

apostle, sent by God to His people, and prophet, in whose mouth God put His words (Deut. 18:18), and faithfully Moses conveyed to the people every word which God had spoken.

The Pattern Given

The house which was to be built was, as we have seen, to be according to a divine pattern. The Lord called Moses to the mount of God where he was shown the heavenly pattern and then sent down to build in the wilderness a dwelling-place for God which answered to it. Careful reflection will impress upon us the immensity of the task with which he was entrusted.

One of my boyhood memories is of being invited to the home of one of the elders of the church of God in which my early years were spent. He was a gentleman greatly loved and respected by all who knew him. The wonders of God's creation were but one of the studies with which he had furnished his mind, and I remember him showing us under his microscope the finest and most delicate surgical needle he had been able to procure, and alongside it was the sting of 'a bee. The contrast was striking, not only in the much greater thickness of the needle in relation to the bee sting, but even more so in that the needle under magnification was seen to be rough and pitted whereas the sting of the bee was smooth and flawless. We learned in a forcible way that down to the tiniest details of His vast creation God's work is perfect.

Bearing that point in mind we reflect upon what Moses must have seen as God showed him the heavenly sanctuary, the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, not man (Heb. 8:2). Herein was the throne of God, where the innumerable hosts of angels worship Him day and night. "Honour and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary" (Psa. 96:6). What a glorious sight Moses was privileged to see! And every detail of it was impressed upon the mind of this faithful servant. He had been instructed in all the wisdom of Egypt, until he was mighty in his words and works. This training may well have helped him to retain much of what he saw, but doubtless it would require the working of the Spirit of God upon his mind to bring to his remembrance the infinite detail of the design of the whole and of its many parts. Certainly we can be sure that God who is so precise in all His ways would not allow the smallest detail to be overlooked. And having had it thus implanted upon his mind, Moses then conveyed to the people all that God had shown him. Four times over these or similar words occur, "See that thou make them after the pattern which hath been shewed thee in the mount".

The Work Prosecuted

Exceedingly busy months would follow for Moses. It is true he did not do the work himself. Bezalel and Oholiab were raised up by God, filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship. And not only were they gifted to do the work themselves, but also to teach others, so that many wise-hearted men joined in the task, and there were the women also who spun the goats' hair in their tents. But to one man alone had been given the pattern. He had seen the heavenly thing which these men, themselves guided by the Spirit of God, were now copying on earth. Surely we are not wandering into the realm of imagination when we suggest that constantly these workmen would refer to Moses for instruction and guidance during the nine months, or less, that the work was in progress. Moses would be at pains to ensure that every detail was according to the pattern which God had so carefully shown him, and which the Spirit of God would now so precisely bring back to his remembrance.

At last the long task was completed and on the first day of the first month of the second year the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was reared up. With a sense of admiration we read, "Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he" (Exod. 40:16). "So Moses finished the work" (verse 33) and God showed His complete approval of all that had been done when the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. What a testimony to the faithfulness of God's servant. No wonder God's anger was later kindled against Miriam and Aaron when they spake against Moses in Numbers 12."MyservantMoses... is faithful in all Mine house wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?" (verses 7,8).

The Pattern under the New Covenant

In the present dispensation there is in the purpose of God a spiritual house which is the counterpart of the material house which was built by Moses. The building of this house began on the day of Pentecost. Later God called a man who, like Moses, was to be a faithful servant in the building of His spiritual house. The dual gifts of apostle and prophet were combined in this servant also, who described himself as a minister of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1). Like Moses too, Paul spent some time in Arabia alone with God. How long he was there we do not know but three years elapsed from the time of his conversion to his going up to Jerusalem and presenting himself to his fellow-apostles, and those three years were spent between Arabia and Damascus. The pattern of teaching which was given to him was as precious to Paul as the pattern given to Moses had been to that faithful servant.

In regard to the gospel which he preached, he wrote "Neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:12). And that which was thus revealed he faithfully delivered to others. "I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received" (1 Cor. 15:3). He received it, preached it, delivered it, and often contended for it, for when false brethren tried to introduce another gospel, he "gave place in the way of subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Gal. 2:5). And so it was with every facet of divine truth. "I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you" he wrote in connection with the Lord's supper. As he received it, so he delivered it. Nothing would persuade him to add to it, or take from it, even in the smallest detail, and when as was often the case, it was unacceptable to those to whom he preached, still he shrank not from declaring the whole counsel of God. It was his stewardship, and "it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful". He was faithful unto death, and when his strenuous labours we're almost over he wrote to Timothy, his child in the faith, "Hold the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:13).

Teaching Others

Another faithful man was ready to carry on the work, but if there was to be continuity he must pass on to others what he had learned. So among the last words which Paul wrote we find this important instruction, "the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). Four generations of men are envisaged in this verse. From Paul to Timothy, from Timothy to faithful men, and from those faithful men to others. Only thus would the line of succession be assured. It takes faithful men to hold divine truth and never more so than today. "The time will come" warned the apostle, "when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts: and will turn away their ears from the truth". It happened long before the apostolic era ended. And it is happening all around us today.

But the pattern given to and faithfully delivered by the apostles and prophets still holds good today. Let those who love their Bibles never forget that. If God's great desire to dwell amongst men on earth is to

continue to be realized then faithful men and women must continue to build to the pattern. And let us never forget also that the God whom we serve is a God of perfection in every detail. Every part of His revealed truth is important. We dare not ignore the smallest detail it we desire to please Him. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you" was the resurrected Master's parting word to His apostles. We live in days when truth is being assailed on every hand. Even great bulwarks of the Faith are being challenged by men who once stood boldly for them. Never was there a day when faithful men were more needed. Who will present themselves alive unto God, to learn the pattern of sound words, be assured of it in their own hearts, hold it fast, build to it, contend for it when occasion demands and then pass it on to others? Those who do so will find themselves walking the straightened way, in company with the few, but let us remember it leads to life, and will it not be ample compensation if having served the counsel of God we might hear the divine commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord".

Toms, A. F. | Jul 1975
Moses A Man Of God