"God tells Moses to continue on to the Promised Land. God will make a way for them and protect them from their enemies. God will send an angel ahead of them and drive out all the people groups currently living in the Promised Land. However, God tells Moses that He will not go with the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses erects a tent outside of the main camp. He calls this tent the 'tent of meeting.' This is a place where Moses can speak with God, so he wouldn't have to go back up the mountain. Moses talks with God in the tent of meeting. He pleads with God to send His presence with the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. The Lord agrees to Moses' plea and prayer; the presence of God will go with the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Moses wants to see the face of God in the tent, but God, also known as Yahweh, tells Moses that anyone who sees the face of God will die. Instead, God intends to show Moses his back, or a partial view of his glory."
Exodus 33 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Journey Resumed
33 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 I will send an Angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land [of abundance] [a]flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard this sad word, they mourned, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people! If I should come among you for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, [penitently] take off your ornaments, so that I may know what to do with you.’” 6 So the Israelites left off all their ornaments [in repentance], from Mount Horeb (Sinai) onward.
7 Now Moses used to take his own tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the [temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at his tent door, and look at Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the doorway of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tent door, all the people would rise and worship, each at his tent door. 11 And so the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his attendant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Footnotes: Exodus 33:3 This phrase referred to the abundant fertility of the land of Canaan. Milk (typically that of goats and sheep) was associated with abundance; “honey” referred mainly to syrups made from dates or grapes and was the epitome of sweetness. Bees’ honey was very rare and was considered the choicest of foods.
- EVER FAITHFUL GOD. Despite the Israelites' unfaithfulness, God remained faithful to them. God stands true to His word, if He said and promised it, then He will do it, whatever it takes. God never changes! And He is able to fulfill every great plan and purposes He has for Israel, because one day, He will send His beloved Son Jesus to save and rescue everyone from sin and death. What an awesome God!
- HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. Sin separates man (unholy, unclean, unrighteous, sinful) from God (Holy). Because the Israelites made a grave sin before God, they might get destroyed in the holy presence of God. I believe, it's not that God wants to destroy Israel, it is actually our sins that destroys us. God is compassionate and merciful, and He will always help us to do the right thing.
- A TIME OF MOURNING. Thus, the Lord commanded the people to repent by removing their 'ornaments' which caused them to sin before (Gold Calf). "The definition of an ornament is a decoration, or a person who adds luster to society, or the process of decorating." It's also "a thing used to make something look more
attractive but usually having no practical purpose, especially a small
object such as a figurine." The Israelites seems to have learned some lesson, and they seemed fearful to God and repentant.
- PILLAR OF CLOUD. Moses had the awesome privilege and experience of speaking with God face to face (just as a man speaks to his friend), wow. I wonder what things they talked about at that time? I could only just imagine how wonderful that was. Praise God that through His Son Jesus, we could now also speak with God personally, just as a man speaks to his friend! We can be a friend of God through Jesus, because Jesus has reconciled us and He had filled the gap of our separation from God, when He defeated sin and death on the cross.
- JOSHUA WAS BEING PREPARED. At this point, I think it is the 2nd or 3rd time that young Joshua (from the Ephraim tribe) was mentioned. He was being groomed or geared for something great! He served as an attendant to old Moses, and He seems focused and into knowing God more as seen in his dedication (or desire) to not depart the tent which God visited often to speak with Moses.
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways so that I may know You [becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, recognizing and understanding Your ways more clearly] and that I may find grace and favor in Your sight. And consider also, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And the Lord said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest [by bringing you and the people into the promised land].” 15 And Moses said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with me], do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we are distinguished, Your people and I, from all the [other] people on the face of the earth?”
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked; for you have found favor (lovingkindness, mercy) in My sight and I have known you [personally] by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And God said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion (lovingkindness) on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and while My glory is passing by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and protectively cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away My hand and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
- SPIRITUAL MATURITY AND DEPENDENCE TO GOD. We hear and learn a glimpse of one of the conversations that Moses had with God, and it was very interesting! Here, I saw how Moses have been molded and grown by God as the man that God wants him to be-- a great, selfless leader, spiritually mature, had strong faith in God, interceding for other people (esp. God's firstborn, Israel), devoted to God and His plans and purposes. Moses knew he is nothing apart from God, he can do nothing apart from God-- and if God called him to lead, then he needed to depend on His presence, goodness and faithfulness. Moses walked with God, and he found favor with Him. He found so much favor that God even granted his request to see and experience His glory!
"But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):
c. I will not go up in your midst: God did say He would deny Israel His presence, or at least the near sense of His presence. We might say that God said, “I won’t stay so close to you, because I might judge you along the way – but go on and take the Promised Land.”
i. This was a challenge to Moses and the nation as a whole. God told them they could have the Promised Land, but He would not remain with them in a close, personal way. If they were satisfied with that arrangement, it would prove they only loved God’s blessings and not God Himself. If they challenged God – pleading with Him for His presence, not only His blessings – it would show a genuine heart for God Himself. This was the first step towards spiritual restoration and revival in Israel.
ii. “To be given every other blessing is of no value if God is not with you. What is the value of Canaan? What is the value of milk and honey? What is the value of having possessions, if God was not with them? They saw that the realization of the presence of God, having this fellowship and company, was infinitely more important than everything else.” (Lloyd-Jones)
i. God told Moses to make a tabernacle of meeting when Moses was on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-28). But the tabernacle wasn’t built yet. This wouldn’t stop Moses from taking extraordinary measures to seek God. He determined to make his own tent a tabernacle of meeting.
ii. This was not something that Moses organized or planned or strategized. He sought God, radically and spontaneously. When Moses did that, God touched the hearts of the people.
a. Whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose: The people watched and noticed when Moses worshipped. When Moses worshipped, they also worshipped. Moses prompted the people to draw close to God by his own example.
a. The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend: Numbers 12:8 clarifies what this meant. There God contrasted how He spoke to Moses with how He spoke to other prophets; Moses heard clearly and plainly, and other prophets heard in dreams and visions.
ii. Moses had not – and could not – see the actual face of God the Father in His glory. No one has seen the face of God the Father in glory, and this is why John wrote, No one has seen God at any time (1 John 4:12).
b. Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle: The personal revival in the life of Moses was an example to the entire nation, but it was a special example to his servant Joshua. When Moses drew close to God it also drew Joshua close to God, so much so that Joshua did not depart from the tabernacle.
b. If I have found grace in Your sight: Moses was bold in drawing near to God, but he based the boldness on the grace God had already shown to him. This was a good ground for drawing near.
c. Your sight…Your way, that I may know You…grace in Your sight…Your people: Moses was almost obsessed with God. He was still on earth, but he connected everything to God in heaven.
i. Another strong theme in this section is to know. In some form, the word is used repeatedly in these verses. In the sense of relationship, God knew Israel and Moses, and Moses wanted to know God.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-33.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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