Articles
A Close Relationship with God
The phrase, “Parents can’t be friends with their children” is both true and false. While parents shouldn’t become pally with their children by acting and dressing as equals or foregoing discipline, they can still have a close relationship with them.
Moses' first contact with God starts when he is 80 years old living in the land of Midian (Acts 7:23-36). Exodus 3:2 reads, “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” God asked Moses to be the spiritual guide and leader for His chosen people: the Israelites. At first, Moses acted like an adolescent. He was insecure and still learning the ins and outs of truly serving God. After being led into the wilderness, Moses was more confident and mature. Exodus 33:11 reads, “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
As Moses grew with God, his relationship with Him changed to meet the level of maturity and responsibility he gained. However, the true underlying nature of the parent-child relationship never changed. God still held the authority and Moses from time to time was disciplined to remind him of that. When Moses was still young in his relationship with God, he thought he knew his capabilities better than He did saying, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else” (Ex. 4:13) Then God sternly said to Moses, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well… He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him” (Ex. 4:14-16).
Later on in the wilderness, by the time they reached Meribah, Moses’ patience with the Israelites was very thin. He had faced grumbling after grumbling, idolatry, and even a rebellion from the Israelites. When they grumbled again about being thirsty, Moses pleaded with God on their behalf. He told Moses to Assemble the congregation in front of him and Aaron and have his brother tell the rock to submit and give water to the Israelites. However, Moses said, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” and then struck the rock twice to have it yield the water. Therefore, God disciplined Moses saying, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)
Even though Moses was not perfect and sometimes required discipline, God loved Him very much. Deuteronomy 34:10 reads, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Also, Moses worked hard to understand his Heavenly Father’s authority and to trust His discipline. After Meribah, we do not see another moment where Moses requires discipline. He successfully leads the people to the promised land and strengthens their relationships with God as in Deuteronomy 29 when the covenant is renewed between Him and the Israelites.
God made a covenant with us when He sacrificed His only son on the cross. God’s children gain eternal life in return for life-long obedience through baptism. In John 15:14 Jesus tells us as His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Even though Jesus is your Lord and Savior, do you have a close relationship with Him and know Him as though He is your best friend? And, do you give God the proper respect as being our Creator and Heavenly Father?
