MOSES BOLD REQUEST TO SEE GOD’S GLORY
Part 22
Exo. 33:11-23
Morning Meditation 11/23/16
Verses 11-23 say, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”
This is probably one of the most outstanding events in Moses life. God and Moses are in conversation together. Verse 11 says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend . . .” This is a unique experience and one that many have desired since. The fact is that this is what prayer is for the people of God today. We can enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19). This is the ground of Moses friendship with God. It was the blood of the Passover Lamb that put Moses on a friendship basis with God. Rom. 5:10 says, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Col 1:21 says, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.” Reconciliation between man and God is from God’s side. He is the One that made it possible for us to be on a friendly basis with Himself. And it took the death of Jesus for this reconciliation to take place.
This friendship between Moses and God is grounded in grace. The word grace is found five times in this chapter. Five is the number of grace. Grace makes us friends with God and allows us to have fellowship with Him.
Moses says, “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in this sight, shew me now thy way . . .” The word “way” means “road, manner, direction or course of life.” Moses recognizes the awesome responsibility of leading God’s people. He realizes that he is just the human instrument of God’s leading. So for Moses to lead God’s people in the way God wants them to go, Moses needs to know the way. This is a reasonable request and one that God grants. God leads in two ways. He gives us the general direction (His Word) and then fine tunes it to particular occasions.
Moses says in verse 15, “ . . . If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses recognizes the need for God’s presence. He says, “LORD, if you are going to send us, you must go with us. We must have your presence.” When Jesus sent the church into all the world to preach the gospel He said, “. . . and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). So we, like Moses, have the promise of His presence.
Moses says that the thing that makes us different from the nations around us is YOUR PRESENCE. Verse 16 says, “For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? SO SHALL WE BE SEPARATED, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.” (Caps mine). Israel was the only nation that had the true God. All the other nations had many God’s. But Israel came along and said there is but one God and He is the Creator of the universe. They also claimed that that God had given them His laws and has a destiny planned for them. How will Israel’s claim make them any different if God is not in their midst? God is the One who makes the difference in a claim.
Verse 17 says, “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” The grace of God is the cause of God’s response to Moses request. It is only by grace that one can know the LORD personally. The LORD said, “ . . . I know thee by name.” We talk about people knowing the Lord Jesus as their Personal Saviour. This is what grace does for the sinner. It brings him into a personal relationship with God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Salvation is a personal thing. I’m not necessarily talking about a private thing. I am talking about a personal relationship between the believer and Jesus. He know His sheep by name. He deals with them on a personal basis.
Then Moses makes this awesome request: “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.” Moses had no idea what he was asking. So God explains it to him. The LORD told him, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” This statement must be qualified. We know it does not contradict other statements in the Word of God. Verse 11 says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.” Seeing God’s face in verse 11 is not the same thing that God is talking about in verse 20. Genesis 32:30 says, “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Jacob did not see God’s face in the sense that the LORD is talking about in our text.
Moses hungers to see God and to know Him intimately. God recognizes Moses desire and grants his request. God explains to Moses how this will take place. Verses 21-23 say, “And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” Moses saw the glory of God. There is no doubt in my mind that this encounter with God is the one that Moses would talk about more than any other experience that he ever had. He saw the God of justice and judgment on Mount Sinai. He saw the God of grace in the cleft of the rock.
John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The glory of God was veiled in the humanity of Jesus. Those who know Christ will one day see the glory of God, not from the cleft of a rock, but face to face in the New Jerusalem. There we will dwell forever more.
Israel had a leader who knew God in a way no other man on earth knew Him. They could safely follow him. Men who lead God’s people need to know God. Not just about Him. An unsaved man can memorize Scripture and know theology. We need to know Him intimately so that there is glory manifest in our ministry and leadership.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
