“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24). “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
Divine friendship; while it is of little interest to the creature, it is of great importance to the Creator; “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man . . . And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden . . . And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou” (Genesis 2:8, 3:8-9)? Divine friendship is of great significance to Christ; “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him” (Mark 3:14). Of them, He would say, “Henceforth I call you not servants . . . but I have called you friends” (John 15:15). While some will experience divine forgiveness; of them, few will enjoy divine friendship! While it is not palatable to the flesh, divine friendship is possible to the few that will pursue it; “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
The procuring of Divine Friendship is illustrated for us in the life of Moses in Exodus 3:1-12. It begins with invitation, “the angel of the Lord appeared unto him” (vs.2). God is in the business of making Himself known. One writer said, “For those who have eyes to see the world is aflame with burning bushes.” The voice of His creation and His Christ vocalize the opportunity to know Him!
The invitation must be met with initiative, “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight” (vs.3). Fueled by interest, Moses takes the initiative to respond. Moses’ interest is generated by the value he places on this encounter! He declares it to be “this great sight”; it’s a vision, revelation, or phenomenon, with a reference to something extraordinary. While it is humbling to our spirituality, the reason so few participate in personal encounters with God is they have no interest; it is not a priority. In addition to attitude, we see activity; there is an immediate response, “I will now turn aside.” This reveals that there is a change in direction and a break from one’s usual routine or course of action. Speaking unto Solomon, David said of God; “if thou seek him, he will be found of thee” (I Chronicles 28:9).
In response to the initiative, there is interaction, “when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him” (vs.4). While it may appear to be an oversimplification, the truth is, “No turning, No talking!” Void of communication, Moses will find it difficult to develop a friendship with a God he doesn’t know! It is during this interaction that he will discover something about God’s Holiness, “the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (vs.5), God’s Heart, “have heard their cry . . . I know their sorrows” (vs.7) and God’s Help, “I am come down to deliver” (vs.8).
While forgiveness is available to the masses, divine friendship is limited to those that pursue it. We will have succeeded when we can say with the Shulamite, “This is my beloved, and this is my friend” (Song of Solomon 5:16).