If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. “Not so, with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, also openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of Yahweh.

Proof of the Trinity Error

Trinitarians often claim it was the pre-incarnate Son who spoke to Moses. However, the Scriptural facts tell us that it was God the Father who spoke directly with Moses.

The Evidence

1. Numbers 12:6-8

[Yahweh] said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. “Not so, with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, also openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of Yahweh. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” See Exodus 33:9-23, Numbers 7:89. Note Exodus 40:35; 1 Kings 8:11; 2 Chronicles 5:14.

Moses spoke with God when he went into the Tent of Meeting outside the camp (Ex 33:7-9). Exodus 33:9-23 makes it quite clear that speaking "face to face" with God (33:11) did not mean Moses saw God's face. In the same chapter, Moses is told by God that Moses could not see His face and live (33:20). And again, at Numbers 7:89, we are told how God spoke to Moses - from the mercy seat. Speaking "face to face" meant that God spoke to Moses personally and directly as a man would speak to a friend.

It is often mistakenly thought that John 5:37 indicates no one has ever seen God's form or heard his voice. However, that is not what Jesus said. Rather, he said, "You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. Jesus said these first century Jews had never heard God's voice or seen His form and they had not. However, all ancient Israel who crossed the Red Sea had indeed heard God's voice at the giving of the Law (Ex 20:19; Deut 4:12,15,33,36; 5:4,22-26). And Moses had seen his form (Numbers 12:7-8). No one but Jesus our risen Lord has seen the face of God (cf. Exodus 33:20).

2. Hebrews 3:4-5

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who made him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a son over His house, whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

[Yahweh] said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. “Not so, with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, also openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of Yahweh. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?" Numbers 12.

Note how the Hebrews writer is obviously referring to Numbers 12:7-8. Moses was faithful as a servant over God's house. Now observe that he is referring to God the Father since he refers to Jesus as His son over His house. Hence, it is clear that Moses was God the Father's servant and Jesus was God the Father's son. Therefore, we are being told that Moses spoke mouth to mouth to God the Father.

3. The Cloud

We are told a cloud would descend when God wanted to speak with Moses.

Whenever Moses entered the Tent [of Meeting], the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and Yahweh would speak with Moses.

4. The "Mercy Seat"

In the immediate context of Exodus 33:11, we are told that Moses spoke to Yahweh when he went into the Tent of Meeting. And Numbers 7:89 makes it even more clear how God spoke to Moses:

Now when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him.
Numbers 7:89

Conclusion

The Hebrews writer makes it quite clear that it was God the Father who was speaking to Moses. The Scriptures also make it clear that Moses was unique in this respect (see Deuteronomy 34:10 for example).

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Created: July 28, 2015
Last Revision/Update: July 28, 2015

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