EXODUS 33: ISRAEL RESTORED TO GOD BY THEIR REPENTANCE
EXODUS 33
OPENS WITH...ISRAEL'S PATH OF RESTORED FELLOWSHIP BEGINS WITH REPENTANCE
Verses 1-3 tells us The people learn of God's heart towards their sin.
"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."
To your descendants I will give it...
After the sin of the golden calf, God did NOT deny the children of Israel the Promised Land. He did NOT deny them His protection, because He promised His might on their behalf.
I will not go up in your midst...
God did say He would deny Israel His presence. Essentially, God said, "I won't stay so close to you, because I might wipe you out - but go your way."
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 revival in Israel.
LLOYD JONES says it well, "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."
Verses 4-6 tells us The people REPENT AND MOURN.
"And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the children of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.'" So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb."
They mourned, and no one put on his ornaments...
This was a good response on behalf of Israel.
WHY?
They mourned the potential loss of God's close presence. They cared about their relationship with the LORD, not only what He could give them.
This was a SIGNIFICANT issue for Israel, because they could SEE the presence of the LORD in the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. If God withdrew His presence it could be clearly seen.
So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb...
The people displayed their repentance and mourning by not wearing their ornaments. They knew this was no time for decorating the flesh, but for bringing the heart right with God.
This was the SECOND STEP towards revival among Israel.
LLOYD-JONES again says it well..."The people who are concerned about revival, in a true sense, are not just out for a little bit of excitement, or interest, or some happiness, or phenomena, or coming with an attitude of 'something marvelous is going to happen and we are going to have a great good time.' That is now how they think about it at all. And if you, my dear friends, are simply thinking about meetings, and excitement, and something wonderful, you have not begun to understand this matter."
Verses 7-11 tells us Moses leads the nation in worship.
"Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle."
Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting...
After Israel's heart was turned towards God and after they humbled themselves by removing their ornaments, Moses took the NEXT STEP towards revival and restored relationship. He initiated a determined effort to seek God, making his own tent a tabernacle of meeting.
God told Moses to make a tabernacle of meeting when Moses was on Mount Sinai, remember told to us in 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.
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.
Everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp...
By making the place of worship OUTSIDE the camp, Moses clearly drew a line to see who REALLY WANTED to draw close to the LORD.
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.
The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend...
The phrase face to face means free and open fellowship. Moses had not - and could not - see the actual face of God the Father in His glory, but we KNOW MOSES was face to face with Jesus Christ.
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.
Verses 12-17 tells us Moses prays for the people.
"Then 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 grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth." So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."
But You have not let me know whom You will send with me...
For Moses, it wasn't enough to know that he and Israel would make it to the Promised Land. In his estimation, the Promised Land was NOTHING SPECIAL without the special presence of the LORD. God previously promised to send an angel with Israel (Exodus 33:2). Moses presses God on this point, wanting to know exactly whom God will send.
This was bold - almost importunate - drawing near to God. Moses was determined to have God's presence with Israel as close as possible. This was the next step towards revival and restoration of Israel's relationship with God.
My Presence will go with you...
Here God seems to answer Moses' prayer, but Moses does not rest. He continues to press God for affirmation of the promise. This shows how boldly Moses sought after God for the sake of his own relationship with God and for the benefit of the nation.
My Presence will go with you is literally "My Face will go with you." This helps us to understand what it means when it says Moses met with God face to face (Exodus 32:11). It has the sense of "in the immediate presence of God." MY FACE AND MY PRESENCE WILL GO WITH YOU...
WHO IS THE PHYSICAL, HUMAN FACE AND PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD? WE KNOW IT IS JESUS CHRIST.
For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? Moses knew that nothing the LORD could give them would truly separate them from the nations. Only the strong presence of the LORD Himself could do that.
For you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name...
God honored the BOLD intercession of Moses, and He promised to restore His relationship with Israel.
Verse 18 tells us Moses' desire to draw closer to God.
"And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
Please, show me Your glory...
Moses won a "yes" answer from God when he asked for the special presence of God to remain with Israel on the way to the Promised Land. He also won a confirmation of the promise from God and an affirmation of close relationship. Yet he was still not satisfied. He wanted MORE in his personal relationship with God.
This hunger for more of God - for more of an experience with God - is a mark of true revival and restoration of relationship. Whatever Moses had experienced with God, he now wanted MORE.
Show me Your glory...
This was an interesting request. Moses already saw something of the glory of God (Exodus 16:10 and 24:16-17), yet he wanted MORE. He sensed that he had not seen anything yet.
Verses 19-20 tells us God tells Moses what He will show him.
"Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."
I will make all My goodness pass before you...
Moses asked to see the glory of God (Exodus 33:18), and God promised to show Moses His goodness. God's glory lies in His goodness. When Moses saw the glory of God, His first understanding was that God was good. If we don't know that God is good, we don't know much about Him at all.
Often we come to the place where we are always trying to "balance" God out. We suppose there is something like a Yin and Yang to the universe, in the sense of light and dark, good and evil, law and grace. But God Himself is "unbalanced" in this sense. He is ENTIRELY good.
I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you...
In the thinking of the ancient Hebrews (and also in other ancient cultures), the name represented a person's character and nature. God promised to reveal His character to Moses, not merely a title.
BASICALLY, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY said to Moses, "I will stoop to your weakness. I will let you see something. But, much more important than that, I will cause all my goodness to pass before you. I will give you a deeper insight and understanding into myself, into my character, into what I am. That is what you really need to know."
Versese 21-23 tells us How God will protect Moses when God passes before Moses.
"And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock...
God was about to reveal Himself to Moses in a unique way. God prepared the event carefully, giving Moses a specific place to stand.
While My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock...
God's glory could not remain in front of Moses, it had to pass by him. Even with that, Moses had to be protected by the hand of God and the cleft of the rock when the glory of God passed before him.
This is a vivid and endearing image...
God made SURE that He protected Moses, both by the hand of God and hidden away in the rock of refuge He provides.
Protected by God, Moses could endure the glory of God passing before him.
REMEMBER Isaiah had a glimpse of the glory of God, and it moved him to mourn his own sin and unworthiness in Isaiah 6.
REMEMBER John experienced some of the glory of God and fell at the feet of Jesus like a dead man in Revelation 1:17.
REMEMBER Paul experienced the glory of God on the Damascus Road, but also in the experience described in 2 Corinthians 12. It was such an amazing experience that he could only barely describe it.
We also should have an earnest desire to experience God deeply.
REMEMBER Paul made it clear that we cannot fully see the glory of God - we see it as in a piece of polished metal, dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12) - but we can see something of it. Paul didn't say we see nothing of the glory of God, only that we can't fully see it or comprehend it.
I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen...
Moses could only see God's back (a unique term never used for anatomy). The idea is that Moses could only see behind God, not God Himself.
With these special protections, God rewarded the desire of Moses to see His glory as much as humanly possible.
This CHAPTER OF EXODUS demonstrates that God REWARDS the seeking heart. And as marvelous as this experience was for Moses, it still cannot compare to the revelation of God given to us in Jesus Christ.
And the Word became 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. (John 1:14)
- 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 3:18)