"The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was" (Exodus 20:21).
Romans 16 contains a list of heroic people in the Roman church, people who were standing for Christ in a hostile world. For the next couple of weeks let us consider some of the great heroes of the Bible, so that we can be encouraged by their lives.
A mediator is someone who stands between two parties who are at odds with one another. Christ is the final Mediator, who stands between us and the Father to reconcile us. Moses was the mediator of the old covenant. Moses stood before God and received the law, and then passed it on to the people. Similarly, Moses represented the people before God, offering their sacrifices for them. He then instituted the priesthood of Aaron to continue that mediatorial work.
When we look at Moses’ life we can see that from his earliest years God prepared him to be a mediator. He was reared in Pharaoh’s household as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. In this way, he became prepared to be a mediator between the Egyptians and the Israelites, even though his mediatorial labors did not succeed and the Egyptians did not repent. Another aspect of being a mediator is seen when Moses slew the Egyptian who was torturing a Hebrew slave. Moses sided with the underdog, and slew the Egyptian taskmaster. A couple of months later, when he had fled to Midian, Moses again stood up for the underdog when he defended Jethro’s daughters against the intruders at the well (Exodus 2:11–18). Another aspect of Moses’ character was his meekness. It requires great strength to be meek, because one has to be strong enough to temper one’s own strength with humility. Moses was strong enough to be a mediator, but meek enough to submit to God’s requirements without rebelling.
Moses is an example of God’s redemptive activity in the events of our lives. In everything Moses experienced, nothing was wasted in God’s plan. It is the same with us today. Think of an event the meaning of which you do not understand. Thank God that He will use everything you experience for your growth and sanctification.
