By John Thiel, mp3

Scripture reading: Psalms 25:8 Good and upright [is] the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

If we want to be among the company that is written of in Revelation 15, our definite decision must be to make God’s will our own. The scripture of Revelation 15:2-3 chronicles a company that we must be amongst, a company that gains the victory in these last days.

Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints.

How resplendent these words are with an acknowledgement of God in their experience. These people have gained the victory over the world, with all its subtleties in these last days. And they sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb.

Upon the crystal sea before the throne, that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,–so resplendent is it with the glory of God,–are gathered the company that have “gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.” With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, “having the harps of God,” they stand, the hundred and forty and four thousand that were redeemed from among men; and there is heard, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of a great thunder, “the voice of harpers harping with their harps.” And they sing “a new song” before the throne, a song which no man can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb–a song of deliverance. None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience–an experience such as no other company have ever had. {GC 648.3}

It is the song of an experience that you and I need to have in order to learn the song. We need to have an experience so that we through that experience can learn the song of Moses and the Lamb. It is our purpose in this study to explore the experience product of these people. In other words, what is the product of their experience? Consider their song. It is the song of Moses and the Lamb. Have you ever stopped to think what this might mean? The song of Moses and the Lamb, a song of experience. Consider the song in reference to Moses. Of Moses it is written in regards to the product of his experience:

Numbers 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard [it]. 3 (Now the man Moses [was] very meek, above all the men which [were] upon the face of the earth.)

The man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. That is the story in reference to Moses’ experience. Then remember, it is the song of Moses and the Lamb. What does Jesus say about Himself in Matthew 11:29?

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Learn of me. Why? For I am meek and lowly in heart. Moses was meeker than any man that lived on the earth in his time, and Jesus was the epitome of that meekness. He was meek at the very heart. The experience of both of these, Moses and the Lamb, is a very powerful illustration of meekness.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

This is the demonstration of meekness, He who was equal with God made Himself of no reputation and followed the course of a human being right into the rigours of death, which was the fruit of sin that he experienced of man and that man gave Him.

In the following scripture we see Moses in a similar scenario. What did he do similar to Jesus?

Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Who was he? He was the next in line to the throne of the greatest empire of the world at that time. What did he do? He did as Jesus did; he made himself of no reputation.

Hebrews 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Can you see the similar transaction here? Jesus had a mind which was such that although He was on the throne of heaven, He made himself of no reputation. He was totally humble and meek, and took on the role of the afflictions of sinners. Moses could have enjoyed his position as the Pharaoh of Egypt. But no, he laid it down and chose rather to suffer the afflictions of the people of God. The experience of Moses and the Lamb is here summarised in Hebrews 5. Referring to Jesus, whom Moses was also identified with, it says:

Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Here is the meekness that Jesus embraced, revealed, and exhibited; and it was the same with Moses. He learned by the afflictions. He learned to be perfect. He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. The witness of the Holy Spirit of these two examples is the bench mark for us living in this time as we need to gain the victory over the world to be the church triumphant. Here is the bench mark. What is it that God regards as of great price in these people?

1 Peter 3:4 But [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, [even the ornament] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Here we have an expression helping us to understand what is in the sight of God of great price as the Holy Spirit unveils these two men, Moses and Jesus. It is interesting to note that there is a description of Moses in the Old Testament, which says that God would raise up a man as Moses. Moses was a type of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit demonstrates what is in God’s eyes of great price, the characteristic of meekness. Coming from the period of Laodicea, which we are all living in, what does Jesus offer to the overcomer? What does He offer to the overcomer out of this period?

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Jesus was placed on the throne of His Father. Why? And why does Jesus offer the overcomer of Laodicea to sit with Him on the same throne?

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name [is] Holy; I dwell in the high and holy [place], with him also [that is] of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Who does Jesus offer His throne to? To the overcomer, the beings who have overcome as Jesus overcame. What is the overcoming criteria? Those who are contrite, who are of a humble, broken spirit. Contrition comes from a crushed experience. Jesus humbled Himself and was therefore lifted up to sit on His Father’s throne, and to be the Forerunner of all those who will learn of Him, such as Moses. As we look at this statement that it is the contrite and humble spirit with whom God dwells, we observe the precursor of meekness, that which has to happen before meekness arrives in our experience. Meekness comes and arises from someone who is of a broken and humble spirit. It comes from a sense of our own utter unworthiness. There is a very interesting statement in regards to this in Historic Sketches:

Christ is willing to help all who feel their need of help; but if any are satisfied with themselves, the Saviour will pass them by. {HS 214.3}

A person who is satisfied with himself, is he meek? Not at all. The Lord will pass him by. But the people who feel their need of help, they are the ones that He is willing to help.

Flavel has said: “When the Lord intends to fill a soul, he first makes it empty; when he intends to enrich a soul, he first makes it poor; when he intends to exalt a soul, he first makes it sensible of its own miseries, want, and nothingness.” I desired our brethren to have a sense of their wasted or unimproved opportunities, to realize that they were dwarfs in the religious life, when they might be giants. {HS 214.3}

“I want our brethren to have a sense of this.” Why? Because the one that God will exalt He first makes it sensible of its own miseries, want and nothingness. Indeed, is this how Moses became the meekest man on earth? What was the reputation of Moses in Egypt? At the age of 40 he was the prince of Egypt. What had been his education and what skills had he developed?

Moses was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all ages. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he stands without a peer. {PP 245.4}

What was his position? What was his condition? He was the greatest man on earth. With all these skills, with all this intellectual capability, with an astuteness to which there was no peer. Place yourself there in your imagination. How would you feel about yourself? You can outdo any other mind. Your mind is the sharpest that exists. He knew that, with the ability he had, he was chosen of God to do a great job, to relieve the children of Israel from their captivity.

The elders of Israel were taught by angels that the time for their deliverance was near, and that Moses was the man whom God would employ to accomplish this work. {PP 245.2}

Here was this man who was so skillful, so capable, that he could outwit any man, and he was the one whom God had chosen to accomplish His work.

Angels instructed Moses also that Jehovah had chosen him to break the bondage of His people. {PP 245.2}

Wouldn’t that make your head swell? Just picture the experiences of this man Moses in the courts of Egypt, excelling and excelling again and again and then to have God say to him, You are the man that I want to use to redeem Israel from Egyptian captivity.

He, supposing that they were to obtain their freedom by force of arms, expected to lead the Hebrew host against the armies of Egypt, and having this in view, he guarded his affections, lest in his attachment to his foster mother or to Pharaoh he would not be free to do the will of God. {PP 245.2}

What was his mindset? ‘I am the great leader of Egypt and God is choosing me to take the Israelites away from Egyptian captivity.’ His mindset was built on that which he had gained over those 40 years in Egypt. God had already told him, You are the man. Is this meekness? With this as part of his attitude, what did he do to exercise his muscle and reach out for the position that God had laid upon him. What did he do? As he was walking amongst the Israelites, what did he do? He saw the cruelty of the slave drivers, and there was one who was particularly cruel, so what did he do with him? He thought, I am going to deal with this. And he did. He killed him. Was that meekness? As he did so, he thought that this was the beginning of his work to redeem Israel. But what were the circumstances that followed immediately after? He was deeply humiliated. He had to flee for his life. His spirit of thinking that he was the man, which God had said to him he was, was completely shattered. Have you ever been through such an experience where you thought that God said to you, You are this person, you are my child; and you feel honoured that you are part of the church of God, and that you can be something for God in His church, and you begin to postulate yourself; you begin to do something because you feel that, This is my job, I must do this? This is what Moses did.

In slaying the Egyptian, Moses had fallen into the same error so often committed by his fathers, of taking into their own hands the work that God had promised to do. {PP 247.3}

He took into his own hands that which God had promised to do. Here we see the opposite of meekness.

It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought, but by His own mighty power, that the glory might be ascribed to Him alone. Yet even this rash act was overruled by God to accomplish His purposes. Moses was not prepared for his great work. He had yet to learn the same lesson of faith that Abraham and Jacob had been taught–not to rely upon human strength or wisdom, but upon the power of God for the fulfillment of His promises. {Ibid.}

Here is a very vivid explanation of what it means to do what God wants us to do and yet not to do it with human strength and wisdom. It is very vivid here. We need to understand this.

And there were other lessons that, amid the solitude of the mountains, Moses was to receive. In the school of self-denial and hardship he was to learn patience, to temper his passions. Before he could govern wisely, he must be trained to obey. {Ibid.}

Are you registering? Meekness is to obey. Not to do what you think. Meekness is to obey.

His own heart must be fully in harmony with God before he could teach the knowledge of His will to Israel. By his own experience he must be prepared to exercise a fatherly care over all who needed his help. {Ibid.}

How? He must be prepared by his own experience. Remember, “the song of their experience.”

Man would have dispensed with that long period of toil and obscurity, deeming it a great loss of time. But Infinite Wisdom called him who was to become the leader of his people to spend forty years in the humble work of a shepherd. {PP 247.4}

To human opinion the reaction is, ‘What? Come on, you don’t have to go forty years into the wilderness.’ ‘Surely you can step in there and help Moses, to just use him as a tool in your hand?’ No, that is not how God works. God has to spend time to bring people into an experience by which they, under their own will-response, will let God use them, instead of them using God.

The habits of caretaking, of self-forgetfulness and tender solicitude for his flock, thus developed, would prepare him to become the compassionate, longsuffering shepherd of Israel. {Ibid.}

How can you become compassionate if you haven’t learnt the extreme suffering of your own condition? How can you become compassionate on others who haven’t learnt quite what you have learnt yet?

No advantage that human training or culture could bestow, could be a substitute for this experience. {Ibid.}

It is an experience.

Moses had been learning much that he must unlearn. The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt–the love of his foster mother, his own high position as the king’s grandson, the dissipation on every hand, the refinement, the subtlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, the splendor of idolatrous worship, the solemn grandeur of architecture and sculpture–all had left deep impressions upon his developing mind and had molded, to some extent, his habits and character. {PP 248.1}

Have we grown up in a society that is moulding people to receive the mark of the beast and the image, the condition of the world? Yes, indeed, we are being moulded. If we are going to be able to sing the song of Moses, we are going to have to learn what Moses learned.

Time, change of surroundings, and communion with God could remove these impressions. It would require on the part of Moses himself a struggle as for life to renounce error and accept truth, but God would be his helper when the conflict should be too severe for human strength. {Ibid.}

To fight for life, to give up error, to give up something that has entrenched itself into your very fabric. It would be a struggle as for life, and there would be moments too severe for human strength. Can we learn the experience by watching Moses, so we can sing the song of Moses one day?

Do you feel that God is calling you to be part of the church triumphant? just like Moses was called to be the man? Can you feel a deep impression within yourself that, I am going to be part of the church triumphant? It is not wrong to have that conviction. God had pointed it out to Moses. But, don’t rush into it. Learn by the experience of Moses and of the Lamb to be able to sing the song of their experience because it is yours. Remember, Moses had a job to do, but look at the forty years of delay before he could do that work. Do you want to be part of the church triumphant? Is there going to be a delay for you to be part of that?

Jacob’s history is also an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been deceived and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send His angels to comfort and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord’s eye is upon His people, and His ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but the Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. {GC 621.1}

The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger–a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. {GC 621.2}

How long has the period of probation been extended? God has to be patient with us like He was with Moses. Here we are, going through experiences, by God’s direction, in which we must learn through hardship to endure weariness, as Moses also learned before he could be the victor. Do you have an easy task in enduring weariness? Are you an impetuous person who wants to rush into it and do what you have to do? ‘Come on, God, what are you waiting for? I am ready to help you!’ That is what Moses said. But no, we must learn to endure delay. ‘No, something has to be done right now!’ Have you done that? You can’t wait? There will be delay, and hunger. We need a faith that will not faint though severely tried.

Observe the amplification of what we read in Patriarch and Prophets. God would help Moses when there were conflicts too severe for human strength, but it is a conflict we must go through. Let us identify the meekness that is described for Moses, for Jesus, and for the 144,000. After Moses finally graduated from the 40 years in the wilderness and became the leader of Israel, he had then, during the 40 years of wanderings, to meet with conflict and affliction. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of God. What kind of affliction was it? Can you put yourself in Moses’ position, being opposed, murmured at, and complained against? The people of the whole congregation came up against him time and time and again. Standing before those millions of people and being attacked by them, how would you survive? In those times of affliction, he had an experience gained which made him the meekest man because the Lord had taken him through those situations before. He could have compassion instead of becoming wild at the congregation. What did he do? Watch him and learn what real meekness is. This is now our purpose, to identify its real content of character. There was an occasion when the golden calf was worshipped, while Moses was up on the mountain. And because the people of Israel had done this terrible thing, the tabernacle was placed outside of the camp.

True Meekness

Exodus 33:8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, [that] all the people rose up, and stood every man [at] his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood [at] the door of the tabernacle, and [the LORD] talked with Moses. … 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. 12 And Moses said unto the LORD , See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation [is] thy people.

What do you see here? Moses could have just said, ‘Get rid of them, they are a hopeless lot. Here they are, you have done these wonderful works and they go along and worship a golden calf.’ What does he do? In total meekness he goes to God’s footstool on earth, to the place where He is, in the temple, and he talks to Him like this. Study these words well. Understand his meekness. We are learning what meekness is. As we sung in the hymn, Prince of peace, control my will; may Thy will, not mine, be done. Moses, in his meekness, said, ‘I don’t know, you said this, and I don’t know; please, guide me, lead me here; how do we go on with these people?’ He could have done what he did before, in Egypt, he was the great learned man. But no more. He was meek, totally meek.

We read another such occasion in the following scripture when these terrible men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, rose against him whom God had identified as His man.

He Fell on His Face

Numbers 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took [men]: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

Who went with Korah, Dathan and Abiram? Princes, 250 of them, men of renown.

Numbers 16:3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the Lord [is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

What did Moses do? Did he say, Get out of here?

Numbers 16:4 And when Moses heard [it], he fell upon his face:

Numbers 16:19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

Korah isn’t softened at all, he now gathers the whole congregation, not only the 250 princes.

Numbers 16:19 … and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. 20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

God is now showing something, that maybe He could have stimulated Moses to say, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ But notice Moses:

Numbers 16:22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

The congregation was saved. Did you notice that God tested Moses? He said, ‘Alright, step aside, I am going to save you, but I am going to kill them all;’ and they fell on their faces. That is meekness. Drink it in well. To be humbly dependent upon God’s guidance, and pleading with God for the mercy that is needed for the people. How is it with us today? We are living at a time of congregational and leadership chaos, are we not?

Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

Who? The people that are spewed out by the congregation. Remember what we have read in the past? Those who tremble at God’s word are cast out, and the others say, Let the Lord be glorified (Isa 66:5).

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.

O nation not desired. All ye meek of the earth, those of you who have learnt of Moses and who have stood faithful to the Lord; you have asked Him for guidance and you have stood firm, hard and fast, and you are a nation not desired; step aside, so that God can deal with the corrupt. In the story of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, the people were instructed to separate themselves from this core of rebellious people, and so the Lord opened the earth and swallowed them up. In the future, God is going to do the same. Not only that, there were certain of the congregation that came back afterwards and blamed Moses again for even swallowing up the rebellious ones in the earth. The Lord sent a plague through them, and again Moses pleaded for the genuine ones and there were many slain.

This is happening again in the future, and it is already happening around us today. God is already pouring out His wrath. He says, Ye meek of the earth, learn your lesson, learn meekness. Step aside, become like Moses. In those times of conflict and uprising, there are men of strong opinions, like Korah, Dathan and Abiram, intelligent men, men of renown; princes in Israel; men in position. As we exercise ourselves among God’s people, strong opinions get thrown about, and many people get bewildered by strong opinions. People say, This is the way it has to be, and if it’s not going that way, then I’m not going with you. What does meekness do in times like that? It goes into the tabernacle. Where are we to go in these last days? We are to go into the most holy place. This is what the 144,000 do in the time of the judgement. We are to go into the most holy place and hide for a little while. We are to shut ourselves with God, as Moses did, and seek His guidance. The meek of the earth are a people who do not blunder forward with their own opinions. They are meek and they are learning and watching God’s directions.

Psalms 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Lay down your strong opinion. Go and search God’s will in your life, both for yourself and for the people. That is what Moses did. How do we do it? In today’s circumstances there are strong opinions and interpretations this way and that; someone quotes the Scriptures and Sr. White, and another also quotes Sr. White and the Scriptures, and we all feel, ‘Where are we?’ If I have a strong mind of my own, I will even think that what I believe is what God has said. Here is how we go to find our guidance from God:

In your study of the word, lay at the door of investigation your preconceived opinions and your hereditary and cultivated ideas. You will never reach the truth if you study the Scriptures to vindicate your own ideas. Leave these at the door, and with a contrite heart go in to hear what the Lord has to say to you. {MYP 260.1}

This is what Moses did. He went into the sanctuary, and heard what God said. Leave your own ideas, that which has moulded you and me to think a certain way. Be prepared to lay it down. Leave it at the door, and with a contrite heart go in to hear what the Lord has to say to you. Why with a contrite heart? Because you see and sense your utter undone condition.

As the humble seeker for truth sits at Christ’s feet, and learns of Him, the word gives him understanding. To those who are too wise in their own conceit to study the Bible, Christ says, You must become meek and lowly in heart if you desire to become wise unto salvation. {Ibid.}

Do not read the word in the light of former opinions; {MYP 260.2}

This is very important counsel, and in all my experience and discussion of Bible truth I have seen that this is the big problem. People hold to former opinions and are not prepared to alter and unlearn what has been instilled into them.

But, with a mind free from prejudice, search it carefully and prayerfully. If, as you read, conviction comes, and you see that your cherished opinions are not in harmony with the word, do not try to make the word fit these opinions. {Ibid.}

If only I could impress this, but I pray the Holy Spirit will impress it into our understanding. Have you ever read the Scriptures and something convinces you, yet you think, ‘But that doesn’t fit’? Do not try to make the word fit these opinions.

Make your opinions fit the word. Do not allow what you have believed or practiced in the past to control your understanding. Open the eyes of your mind to behold wondrous things out of the law. Find out what is written, and then plant your feet on the eternal Rock. {Ibid.}

This is what the meek will do. It requires meekness to do this, but it can’t be done if I do not sense my absolute undone condition. If I don’t sense it, I will exercise my own impetus. Meekness puts up with weariness and delay. ‘It doesn’t fit. It shouldn’t be so long. The Lord is coming, we’ve got to hurry Him up. We’ve got to do something!’ Yes, learn meekness, that is what you have to do; that is what He is waiting for. And when we have meekness, then He will come. When this is done, according to what we have been reading, then the meek of the earth will arise:

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Gross darkness covers the earth; they are all full of self, they are all full of their own opinions. It is a darkness of confusion. People are running into walls, not knowing which way to turn anymore. But those who learn to do what Moses did, and learn the meekness of Moses, will stand up and be attacked by the congregation, by the myriads, by the mob. They will go to the Lord and say further, What is it now, Lord? They will stand out. Are you meek? As you look back in your past, have you displayed the strong self-interpreted thrusts of God’s plan for His people, like Moses? You really feel, I have to do something here! and you go forth and do it, like Moses did, and you become totally humiliated. You have taken the work of your calling into your own hands, and have become totally humiliated. You are now broken, you are contrite, you learn to heed God’s interpretation. Then, after many years, like Moses, you spoil it again.

Numbers 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also]. 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

Here was his test just before entering the Promised Land. Instead of speaking to the rock to bring water, what did he do? The murmuring, complaining crowd finally broke his longsuffering meekness and he says, Must we bring water out of this rock for you? and he struck the rock twice, when he was told to speak first. Was that meekness? No. But Moses was still saved. Meekness refuses to let human passion and opinionated drives and murmuring to sully it, or your own failures to crush you. Jesus gave us a perfect example of this. He gave us an unfailing example, while Moses gave the example of lessons of personal failure and ultimate victory for those who must learn from their mistakes as he did. Therefore he was a bench mark for us in these last days. God intends to exalt you and me, but for us to be exalted among the 144,000, what will He do? He first makes us sensible of our own miseries, of our own want and nothingness. This is the experience that we will go through. Those who take the humiliation gracefully are the meek of the earth that will stand on the sea of glass and sing the song of their experience, which is the song of Moses and the Lamb.

Amen.

[Jan. 10, 2009]