“Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. … So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” (Exodus 33:7-11)
Wow. Can you imagine experiencing what this verse describes? A tent set up dedicated to talking with God. Everyone who sought the Lord would go to this tent. When Moses entered the tent, God’s cloud of glory would be visible above it. Moses and God would talk face to face, like friends. What would you give to have a turn in the tent of meeting? What would you pay to listen in on God and Moses, and even speak to God and hear from Him personally as well? What was special about Moses? Why did God give him this special privilege, this respect, and not others?
Well, the truth is, there wasn’t anything special about Moses. He wasn’t sinless; in fact, he had murdered a man in Egypt and then fled to escape the authorities. He spent his life hiding in the desert and apparently had a speech impediment. We see from Scripture that he often was angry, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Many theologians believe he would have been diagnosed with depression or at least an anxiety disorder if he were alive today. Yet God showed up when he went to the tent of meeting.
The truth is, “There is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11, KJV); or from a more modern translation, “God does not show favoritism.” (NLT). Just because the Bible says that God talked to Moses like a friend doesn’t imply that God doesn’t talk to others in the same way. 2 Corinthians 3:8 says that the glory, ministry, and access we have to God in the new covenant far exceeds what Moses had in his day. You and I have access to far more of God than Moses did. Do you believe this? Does your prayer life reflect this truth? Are you taking time in the tent of meeting to talk with God?
We now have a “tent of meeting” time before our church services to gather with other believers and pray. Will you pay the price to enter the tent? The price of getting up earlier and getting to church. The price of praying with others. The price of praying aloud. The price of expending time, energy, and expectation, so that God’s glory will show up. Saints, let’s not miss this opportunity to get some “face time” with the Lord!