Passage Read: Numbers 4-7
Meditation Verse: 7:89
Thought
This is so sudden and disconnected from everything that came before it. Completely out of context. There is no context for it, just, "By the way, when Moses spoke with the Lord, he heard the voice from above the ark." It's both easily overlooked, but also jumps out from the rest. Moses heard God speak audibly, and he could pinpoint the source as being above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim. Moses likely stood outside the veil, so he couldn't see clearly through the veil, but he knew the position of the ark, and so where the voice came from, and it was as though the Lord sat upon the mercy seat, seated upon His throne. But who knew this was true? Was Joshua in the tent with him, seeing and hearing this? Was Aaron? Was anyone a witness to all this, or do we just take Moses at his word? Was he crazy, hearing voices, or was he entirely sane, hearing the voice of God? It's statements like these upon which the whole of Judaism and Christianity hang, as either absolutely true or entirely a house of cards. If God is real, then He absolutely can do this, and this statement can and should be absolutely true, believable and trustworthy. And that means everything else in all Scripture is also absolutely reliable and true, because the God who speaks it is absolutely able to make sure only His Word and will are recorded. And that makes us liable for everything written in it. But if this statement cannot be believed, if it is not true, then everything else in all Scripture is also false. It's just a collection of unreliable wisdom or experience masquerading as God's truth, built entirely on lies. We can pick and choose what we think is helpful or toss it all out as nonsense. That this statement comes on the heels of such an orderly record of gifts and a wealth of intelligently and carefully recorded history and laws argues for its trustworthiness. These are not the ramblings of a madman or deceiver. But ultimately it comes down to a question of faith: Either Moses heard from God exactly as described or he didn't. Any seeking for a middle ground is just self-deception, hedging bets, giving yourself space to do things as you please, but leaving room to claim earnest uncertainty.
Application
This seemingly random comment forces a test of faith: Either Moses really heard the voice of God from above the mercy seat or he didn't. If he did, then God is real, and powerful enough to manifest a voice with which to speak audibly to Moses. That means all Moses recorded was from God and at His direction. Moses, after all, describes a God with incredible power, one you wouldn't want to mess with, but had better be careful to obey. That's what I choose. There is no room for me to doubt, no room for me to question. Either this is true or it's not, and I choose to believe it's true, so I must also live like it. I don't have to hear the voice of God speaking audibly to me. He chose Moses and spoke with him, who wrote everything down for me. That's all that's needed.