Moses spoke to God 'face to face, the way someone talks with a friend.' This phrase haunts and invites. It suggests a kind of intimacy that seems almost impossible. Yet for Moses, it was the reality of his relationship with God. They knew each other. They conversed with ease.
Friendship requires vulnerability and trust. You can't maintain friendship with someone you fear will judge you harshly or disappoint you. Yet Moses continually brought his doubts, his struggles, even his anger to God. After the golden calf incident, he asked boldly, 'Show me Your glory.' A servant wouldn't ask this. A friend might. And God responded, not with punishment but by adjusting His revelation to what Moses could handle.
This kind of friendship with God becomes possible when we stop thinking of Him primarily as judge or taskmaster. Those are aspects of who He is, yes, but His deepest desire is for known intimacy. The progression from servant to friend to beloved appears throughout Scripture. Jesus told His disciples, 'I no longer call you servants... I have called you friends.' This was radical. Their fear could become familiarity. We're invited into the same friendship Moses enjoyed. Does our practice of faith include this kind of honest, vulnerable, friend-like conversation with God?
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