“Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”

Exodus 33:11 (NLT)

It would not have been easy to be Moses. He was responsible for about two million stiff-necked children! They were rebellious, and often they didn’t appreciate Moses’ leadership. Moses didn’t have a retirement plan (unless you consider heaven). And Moses was often having to stand between the people and God, interceding for them so that they wouldn’t be harmed. There was simply no way for Moses to succeed in his job apart from divine help.

So Moses pitched a tent outside the camp and called it “the tent of meeting”. Here Moses would often meet with the LORD, and God would speak with him face-to-face, as a man speaks with his friend. It is interesting that when Moses would come away from this FaceTime with God that his face would be glowing! The tent was open for anyone who wanted to seek the LORD, but Joshua is the only one whom the Scripture records actually joined with Moses. He would linger at the tent.

There is a wonderful example for us in this. We have an open invitation to meet with the LORD at any time. We also must go “outside the camp”—that is we must retract from the rat race and normal activities of life to seek the LORD with all our hearts. We have a choice to rush in and rush out or to linger in His presence—to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

I love to meet with the LORD—especially in the morning before the day begins. I have nowhere near the responsibilities of Moses, yet I find that I need God’s divine wisdom and power to meet the challenges of the day. But I don’t always linger like Joshua. Often I’m in a hurry to get on with my day. Whenever I do this, I’m sure I miss out on the better part (Luke 10:42). Whenever possible, I aim to spend as much time as I need in the tent. I would rather be glowing and growing than hasting and wasting!

Would you be willing to go to the tent today?

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