Moses and Paul
“Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH; … and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them [His grace and His law] both.” (Zech. 6:12,13).
The two greatest power players sit in the opposite ends of “the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1Pet. 1:23). Moses, the progenitor of justice, and Paul, the progenitor of grace. Moses communicates the Law of God, and Paul enforced the grace of God. Yet, Paul did not exclude the agenda of Moses; and Moses did not preempt the work of Paul. They are not mutually exclusive; they are mutual friends.
Each was not self-appointed and their agendas were not self-generated opinions. God called each to present to the world the message which they faithfully dispatched. The Godhead mandated their course of action and respective doctrines. “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” (Is. 2:22). The authority of Moses and Paul came not from man, but “down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jas. 1:17).
Therefore, both having come from the same source, law and grace are not antithetical or contradictory. They cooperate, working together to demonstrate the perfect character of God. Combined, in infinite justice, and in mercy that endureth forever, we can stretch the powers of the mind yet forever only begin to grasp the eternal God. The poles of justice and mercy are the essence of the Father’s I AM THAT I AM.
“Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.” (Ps. 89:14,15).
“I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps.” (Ps. 85:8-13).
Both Moses and Paul led as champions of the two dipolar principles that teach us of God, “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.” (1Tim. 6:15,16). God is involved in great mystery. All we can know of Him is abstract and indirect. We see Him through the works of His hands in creation, and from the providences from His hands in life, and we also see Him in His twin poles of justice and mercy, the foundation pillars of His love.
But to aid us in wading through the vagueness of God He gave us His Son. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (Jn. 1:18). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (Jn. 1:14). The Son of God as the Word of God lived the truth of God. He showed us the best picture of grace and truth of His Father. But He did more than that. He left us a treasure in the events of earth which He personally devised and in the making of the sacred scriptures which He personally supervised.
He raised up and empowered the two great champions, fiery dynamos of energy, with two disparate doctrines to give to the whole world. Both men exhibited the holy authority of God. Both were kings in their own right.
“The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words.
Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.” (Deut. 33:2-5).
The twelve heads of the tribes of Israel surrounded Moses, “the man of God.” They were all kings, as we hear from the promise to Abraham. “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” (Gen. 17:5,6). But Moses was king of kings, though he never lived by their tithe or material support. “And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.” (Num. 16:15).
Paul was also king. Of His disciples Jesus declared, “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28). “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” (Rev. 1:5,6). “And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father.” (Rev. 2:26,27).
But, similar to Moses, the apostle Paul stood head and shoulders above the other twelve as New Testament church king of kings; and like Moses, Paul never took support of the church. “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.” (1Cor. 9:11-15).
He was guardian and enforcer and doctrinarian of the other great attribute of God’s character, which must never flag. He jealously took personal responsibility to ensure the perpetuity of God’s immutable grace. Christ imbued Paul with intense discernment to warn off or destroy to the uttermost any encroachment by Satan against this vital pillar of God, EQUAL to His great, eternal, immutable law of justice.
In the power of Christ he preached and wrote of God’s grace,
“But now the righteousness of God without [outside of] the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: …
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:21-22,24-26). “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4).
Thus Christ, the ulimate King of kings, Lord of lords reared up these two witnesses as bookends to His sacred message to earth and to the inhabited universe, “Behold … the goodness and severity of God.” (Rom. 11:22). He, the Rock of ages, who designed creation, designed His book of the ages. As earth revolves around its sun in an ellipse due to two foci close to the center of revolution―as these stand as foci of Earth’s revolution―so Moses and Paul stand as foci for God’s revelation.
Around them both―grace and truth―move the laws of reality; and only through them can we accurately interpret and comprehend our experiences in life.
The two greatest power players sit in the opposite ends of “the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1Pet. 1:23). Moses, the progenitor of justice, and Paul, the progenitor of grace. Moses communicates the Law of God, and Paul enforced the grace of God. Yet, Paul did not exclude the agenda of Moses; and Moses did not preempt the work of Paul. They are not mutually exclusive; they are mutual friends.
Each was not self-appointed and their agendas were not self-generated opinions. God called each to present to the world the message which they faithfully dispatched. The Godhead mandated their course of action and respective doctrines. “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” (Is. 2:22). The authority of Moses and Paul came not from man, but “down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jas. 1:17).
Therefore, both having come from the same source, law and grace are not antithetical or contradictory. They cooperate, working together to demonstrate the perfect character of God. Combined, in infinite justice, and in mercy that endureth forever, we can stretch the powers of the mind yet forever only begin to grasp the eternal God. The poles of justice and mercy are the essence of the Father’s I AM THAT I AM.
“Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.” (Ps. 89:14,15).
“I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps.” (Ps. 85:8-13).
Both Moses and Paul led as champions of the two dipolar principles that teach us of God, “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.” (1Tim. 6:15,16). God is involved in great mystery. All we can know of Him is abstract and indirect. We see Him through the works of His hands in creation, and from the providences from His hands in life, and we also see Him in His twin poles of justice and mercy, the foundation pillars of His love.
But to aid us in wading through the vagueness of God He gave us His Son. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (Jn. 1:18). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (Jn. 1:14). The Son of God as the Word of God lived the truth of God. He showed us the best picture of grace and truth of His Father. But He did more than that. He left us a treasure in the events of earth which He personally devised and in the making of the sacred scriptures which He personally supervised.
He raised up and empowered the two great champions, fiery dynamos of energy, with two disparate doctrines to give to the whole world. Both men exhibited the holy authority of God. Both were kings in their own right.
“The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet; every one shall receive of Thy words.
Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.” (Deut. 33:2-5).
The twelve heads of the tribes of Israel surrounded Moses, “the man of God.” They were all kings, as we hear from the promise to Abraham. “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” (Gen. 17:5,6). But Moses was king of kings, though he never lived by their tithe or material support. “And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.” (Num. 16:15).
Paul was also king. Of His disciples Jesus declared, “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28). “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” (Rev. 1:5,6). “And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father.” (Rev. 2:26,27).
But, similar to Moses, the apostle Paul stood head and shoulders above the other twelve as New Testament church king of kings; and like Moses, Paul never took support of the church. “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.” (1Cor. 9:11-15).
He was guardian and enforcer and doctrinarian of the other great attribute of God’s character, which must never flag. He jealously took personal responsibility to ensure the perpetuity of God’s immutable grace. Christ imbued Paul with intense discernment to warn off or destroy to the uttermost any encroachment by Satan against this vital pillar of God, EQUAL to His great, eternal, immutable law of justice.
In the power of Christ he preached and wrote of God’s grace,
“But now the righteousness of God without [outside of] the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: …
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:21-22,24-26). “Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4).
Thus Christ, the ulimate King of kings, Lord of lords reared up these two witnesses as bookends to His sacred message to earth and to the inhabited universe, “Behold … the goodness and severity of God.” (Rom. 11:22). He, the Rock of ages, who designed creation, designed His book of the ages. As earth revolves around its sun in an ellipse due to two foci close to the center of revolution―as these stand as foci of Earth’s revolution―so Moses and Paul stand as foci for God’s revelation.
Around them both―grace and truth―move the laws of reality; and only through them can we accurately interpret and comprehend our experiences in life.
posted by David | 6:28 PM
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