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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.’" (Revelation 15.1-4).
The purpose of these devotionals will not take a detour here though it is tempting. We shall maintain our purpose of examining the characteristics of the prophets rather than attempting an in-depth study of prophetic texts. Regardless of the view one takes of the book of revelation, the message about Moses conveyed in the focus text is the same. He is explicitly called "the servant of God," a high and exalted complement from any quarter. However, consider the scene depicted by John in this passage. Those who had gained the greatest possible victory, i.e., "…over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name…" sang two songs – one the song of Moses, and the other, the song of the Lamb. The song of the Lamb is a song dedicated to or perhaps led by Jesus Christ. But to think that the redeemed saints would lift their voices in praise to God and include in their repertoire The Song of Moses! Could a higher complement be paid to a man? If so, I wouldn’t know how to imagine how it could be!
Think back to the mount of transfiguration and the time when Jesus’ appearance was changed; "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light." (Matthew 17.2). Before the eyes of mortal men, namely Peter, James, and John, appeared the transfigured Lord along with two Old Testament prophets, Moses and Elijah. Somehow these two scenes (the Revelation passage and the transfiguration passage) seem to attest to one mighty theme concerning the man Moses, namely that he was a one of a kind individual and one upon whom God looked with high favor. Moses’ appearance with the transfigured Lord and the inclusion of his song in the chorus of the redeemed leave no doubt as to character of the man as witnessed by the very acts of God Himself!
Take a final lesson from this miniseries. As mighty as Moses might have been and as favored as he was in the eyes of God, Moses himself stood in need of a Savior. His sin, like the sin of David, must have been ever before him (see Psalm 51.3). Moses knew that he was not the ultimate prophet, but he spoke of the One who was to come (Deuteronomy 18.15-19 and Acts 7.37). No person, not a single soul, past, present or future will ever live a life such that they have no need of Messiah. Moses needed Messiah and the redeemed voices hymned praises demonstrating that very fact! You and I need Messiah. He lives for this purpose!
Questions:
1. What message did the heavenly choir send regarding Moses character?
2. What message was sent by the fact that Moses appeared with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration?
3. What message was sent by the fact that Moses spoke of Messiah to come and stated that anyone refusing to hear His voice would be judged harshly?
4. What message does all of this send to you about your need for Messiah?
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