Sunday, October 28, 2007

Exodus 34

A New Copy of the Covenant


   The sheer fact that Exodus 34 exists
is proof that God is a God of mercy. This is the second
time God has met Moses on the mountain to make a covenant
with the people of Israel. When Moses came down from
the mountain the first time, the people had fallen
in love with the works of their own hands. They were
worshipping a golden calf. - THE LORD, A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS- John Piper: www.soundofgrace.com/piper84/100784m.htm


(1) Then the Lord
told Moses, “Chisel out two *stone tablets
like the first ones. I will write on them the same
words that were on the tablets you smashed.


Deuteronomy 10:1-4: At that
time the Lord said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone
tablets like the first ones. Also make a **wooden
Ark—a sacred chest to store them in.
Come up to me on the mountain, and I will
write on the tablets the same words that were on the
ones you smashed. Then place the tablets
in the Ark.’ “So I made an Ark of acacia
wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two.
Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my
hand. Once again the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments
on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the
same words the Lord had spoken to you from the heart
of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot
of the mountain.


*stone tablets: See notes at end about 2 Corinthians 3 where Paul refers to this verse.


**wooden
Ark: The Ark in a synagogue is generally a receptacle, or ornamental closet, which contains each synagogue's Torah scrolls. In most cases, when possible, the Ark is located on the wall of the synagogue closest to Jerusalem. Most Arks feature a curtain. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, this an artificial representation of the Holy of Holies with the Ark containing the "Ten Words".


Jeremiah 31:31-34: “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”


(2) Be ready in the
morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present
yourself to me on the top of the mountain.


(3) No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.”


(4) So Moses chiseled
out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early
in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord
had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets
in his hands.


   The first time Moses went up he was empty-handed;
when he came down he smashed the tablets because of
the Israelites’ sin. Now the people would see
him go up with empty tablets and be uncertain whether
he would come back with the tablets inscribed again


(5) Then the Lord
came down in a cloud and stood there with
him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh.


   The cloud mentioned was no doubt
the cloud of Shekinah glory. This was the same cloud
that:



  • Covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16)

  • Went with Israel by day (Exodus 13:21-22)

  • Went to the tent of Moses (Exodus 33:9-10)

  • Filled the temple with glory (2 Chronicles
    7:2)

  • Overshadowed Mary at the conception of Jesus
    (Luke 1:35)

  • Was present at the transfiguration of Jesus
    (Luke 9:34-35)

  • Will be present at the return of Jesus (Revelation
    1:7)


(6) The Lord passed
in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.


   Now, the language of passing by,
you will recall from Genesis 15 when the smoking oven
and the flaming torch passed through the slaughtered
animals. That’s language of a covenant making
ceremony, and you see the same language in Jeremiah
34. Now you might say, “Well, those are a long
way away. Is that really what’s on Moses’
mind?” Well, turn back to Exodus 33:19,22, in
the immediate context of Exodus 34, and look at the
language there. God says to Moses, in verse 19, “I
Myself will make My goodness pass before you.”
And then again in verse 22, “And it shall come
about while My glory is passing by, I will put you
in the cleft of the rock.” Moses is using that
language there. It’s covenant-making language.
It’s the language of God coming and again binding
Himself in commitment to His people. So, we see again
the context of a covenant being renewed
in this passage. - Exodus - First Presbyterian
Church of Jackson: www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/


   This means that God revealed His
character to Moses. The specific aspects of His character
are mentioned in this passage, yet this was far more
than a lecture on the nature of God. Moses experienced
the character of God in a dramatic way.


(7) I lavish unfailing love to a *thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”


*thousand generations: Hebrew
for thousands.


   As in the ten commandments (20:5-6),
this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment
will continue in the family if left unchecked. This
does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands
versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited
to those who hate God.


   Ezekiel 18:19 says, “‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live.
In other words, he won't die for
his father's sins because he is not following in his
father's footsteps. But the parallel to Exodus 34:7
in Exodus 20:5 God says I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
In other words, the children share in the father's
punishment because they share in the father's sins.
So Ezekiel teaches that any child that turns from
the sinful ways of his father and obeys God will not
be punished for the sins of his father. And Exodus
teaches that any child that goes on sinning like his
father will share the father's punishment. When God
visits the sins of the fathers on the children he
doesn't punish sinless children for the sins of their
fathers. He simply lets the effects of the fathers'
sins take their natural course, infecting and corrupting
the hearts of the children. For parents who love their
children this is one of the most sobering texts in
all the Bible. The more we let sin get the upper hand
in our own lives, the more our children will suffer
for it. Sin is like a contagious disease. My children
don't suffer because I have it. They catch it from
me and, then suffer because they have it. - THE
LORD, A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS: www.soundofgrace.com/piper84/100784m.htm


   This should be a sobering verse for us fathers. Why is that crime is so prevalent in some parts of the city? - Poor or absent fathering! In giving us the gift of children, God has also given us a responsibility. We are to raise our children to love the Lord. We are to help them develop hearts for Him.
We are the ones responsible for teaching our children God’s Word. Every child needs a set of principles to live by. They need to learn respect, integrity, honesty, and discipline. These attributes can only be learned if we, as parents, are teaching them God’s Word.
Many of the problems in our world today can be traced back to parents who failed to teach their children God’s Word. Many times parents avoid teaching their children the Bible because they do not know it themselves! It is our responsibility to teach God’s Word to our children. Our world is not teaching them about God and how to live a moral life - certainly not our school systems. As we teach them to hide His Word in their hearts, they will be better prepared to face the devil and his temptations. It isn’t the job of the church, Sunday school, or even the Christian school to teach your children of God! It is your job as the parent.


Deuteronomy 4:9: Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.


Proverbs 4:1-4: My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.


Proverbs 22: 6: Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.


Ephesians 6:4: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.


2 Timothy 1:5, 14-17: I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.


(8) Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped.


   What is "worship"?



Romans 12:1: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.


John 4:23-24: But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”


(9) And he said,
“O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with
you, then please travel with us. Yes,
this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please
forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us
as your own special possession.”


Deuteronomy 7:6,14:2: For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.


1 Peter 2:9: But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.


(10) The Lord replied,
“Listen, I am making a covenant with you in
the presence of all your people. I will perform
miracles that have never been performed anywhere in
all the earth or in any nation. And all the people
around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome
power I will display for you.


   Notice that the covenant is between
the Lord and Moses!


(11) But listen carefully
to everything I command you today. Then I
will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites,
Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


(12) “Be very careful
never to make a treaty with the people who
live in the land where you are going. If you do, you
will follow their evil ways and be trapped.


Judges 2:1-3: The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”


   In Joshua chapter 9, we learn that Joshua signed a treaty with the people of Gibeon when they tricked him by pretending to be from far away. Verses 14-15: So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.


(13) Instead, you
must break down their pagan altars,
smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their
*Asherah poles.


*Asherah poles: These were wooden
poles that stood by Baal's altar (Judges 6:25). Used
to worship the goddess who was the wife of Baal. She
represented fertility and good luck in agriculture.
These are phallic images. Many believe they've come down to us in the form of the "Christmas" tree and the "May pole". Asherah was the "Queen of Heaven" (see Jeremiah chapters 7 & 44) - sound familiar?


Asherah was the name of a
sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine
of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of
a tree deprived of its branches, and rudely shaped into
an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious
symbols ("groves") are frequently mentioned in Scripture. These images were also
sometimes made of silver or of carved stone.

The symbol
made for Asherah by his mother was "cut down"
by Asa (1 Kings 15:13). So, too, we hear of Asherim
or symbols of the goddess being set up on the high
places under the shade of a green tree (Jeremiah 17:2;
see 2 Kings 17:10). Manasseh introduced one into the
temple at Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:3-7).


Deuteronomy 16:21-22: “You
must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside
the altar you build for the Lord your God.
And never set up sacred pillars for worship,
for the Lord your God hates them.


1 Kings 16:30-33: But Ahab son
of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,
even more than any of the kings before him. And as
though it were not enough to follow the example of
Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King
Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow
down in worship of Baal. First Ahab built
a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. Then
he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to
provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel,
than any of the other kings of Israel before him.


Judges 6:22-32: When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord,
he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” “It is all right,” the
Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which
means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.That night the Lord said to Gideon,
“Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down
the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice
the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord
had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. Early the next
morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had
been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed. The people said to each other,
“Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.“Bring out your
son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole. But Joash shouted
to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If
Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!” From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means
“Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.


2 Kings 23:6-7: The king (Josiah) removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and threw the dust over the graves of the people. He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.


(14) You must
worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose
very name is *Jealous, is a God who is jealous about
his relationship with you.


*Jealous: God’s relationship with Israel is often spoken of in the imagery of a marriage. The basis of that relationship is love, and "jealously" is a way to describe the love that a husband has for a wife who is unfaithful and works as a prostitute. Sadly, during the period of the divided kingdom, both Israel and Judah were guilty of “playing the harlot” (Jeremiah 3:6-10). God called Israel’s idolatrous practice “adultery,”


(15) “You must not
make a treaty of any kind with the people living in
the land. They *lust after their gods, offering
sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them
in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.


*lust: The verb zanah means
“to play the prostitute; to commit whoredom;
to be a harlot” or something similar. It is
used here and elsewhere in the Bible for departing
from pure religion and engaging in pagan religion.
The use of the word in this figurative sense is fitting,
because the relationship between God and his people
is pictured as a marriage, and to be unfaithful to
it was a sin. This is also why God is described as
a “jealous” or “impassioned”
God. There actually was sexual immorality at the Canaanite
altars and poles.


(16) Then you will
accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods,
as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your
sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other
gods.


   Just what Solomon did!


(17) You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.


(18) “You must celebrate
the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days the bread you eat must be made without
yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival
annually at the appointed time in early spring, in
the *month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of
your departure from Egypt.


*month of Abib: Hebrew appointed
time in the month of Abib (Nisan). This first month of the
ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within
the months of March and April. This was a feast speaking of their
purity before God, when all leaven - a symbol of sin
- was put away and Israel walked in a symbolic purity. Passover was one day in length on the 14th of Nisan (Numbers 28:16, Leviticus 23:5) while Unleavened Bread lasted seven days from the 15th to the 21st of Nisan.


Exodus 12:14-20: “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel. On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.“Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation. The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month. During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners living among you and to the native-born Israelites. During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”


Leviticus 23:5-6: The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast.


(19) “The firstborn
of every animal belongs to me, including
the firstborn males from your herds of cattle and
your flocks of sheep and goats.


(20) A firstborn
donkey may be *bought back from the Lord by presenting
a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not
buy it back, you must break its neck. However, **you
must buy back every firstborn son. No one
may appear before me without an offering.


*bought back: This is the idea of redemption. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 : Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.


**you
must buy back every firstborn son: Should remind you of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:1–19 where a ram substituted for Isaac and should remind us that Jesus was/is our substitute.


(21) “You have six
days each week for your ordinary work, but on
the seventh day you must stop working, even during
the seasons of plowing and harvest.


(22) “You must celebrate
the *Festival of Harvest with the
first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the
**Festival of the Final Harvest at
the end of the harvest season.


*Festival of Harvest: Hebrew Festival
of Weeks as in 23:16. This was later called the
Festival of Pentecost. It is celebrated today as Shavuat
(or Shabuoth). In June, fifty days after Passover,
after seven weeks after Passover, then the next day
began—seven weeks would be forty-nine days.
The next day, the fiftieth day would begin the Passover,
which was the first fruits of the winter, wheat harvest,
as they began to harvest it there in Israel in the
first part of June. Then it was sort of a Thanksgiving.


**Festival of the Final Harvest:
or Festival of Ingathering. This was later
called the Festival of Shelters or Festival of Tabernacles
(see Leviticus 23:33-36). It is celebrated today as
Sukkot (or Succoth).


(23) Three
times each year every man in Israel must appear before
the Sovereign, the Lord, the God of Israel.


   God commanded that at three feasts
each year (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles),
each Israelite man should gather before the LORD.
This was a potential major problem for the later Northern
Kingdom of Israel, since the appointed place by then was in the Temple in Jerusalem.


Deuteronomy 16:1-16: “In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored. Eat it with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in any house throughout your land for those seven days. And when you sacrifice the Passover lamb on the evening of the first day, do not let any of the meat remain until the next morning. “You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you. You must offer it only at the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Sacrifice it there in the evening as the sun goes down on the anniversary of your exodus from Egypt. Roast the lamb and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses. Then you may go back to your tents the next morning. For the next six days you may not eat any bread made with yeast. On the seventh day proclaim another holy day in honor of the Lord your God, and no work may be done on that day. “Count off seven weeks from when you first begin to cut the grain at the time of harvest. Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest to honor the Lord your God. Bring him a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings you have received from him. This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, so be careful to obey all these decrees. “You must observe the Festival of Shelters for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain has been threshed and the grapes have been pressed. This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns. For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all. “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him.



   Are we Gentile Christians to observe these feasts?

Colossians 2:16-17: So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. These verses tell us that these feasts pointed to Christ


(24) I will drive out the other nations ahead of you and expand your territory, so no one will covet and conquer your land while you appear before the Lord your God three times each year.


(25) “You must not
offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together
with any baked goods containing yeast. And none of
the meat of the Passover sacrifice may be kept over
until the next morning.


   Leaven (yeast) is often a picture
of sin in the Bible. Therefore, it was forbidden to
include any kind of leaven in a blood sacrifice.


(26) “As you harvest
your crops, bring the very best of the first
harvest to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”


(27) Then the Lord
said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions,
for they represent the terms of the covenant I am
making with you and with Israel.”


   What is the difference between
Exodus 20-23 and Exodus 34? In Exodus 20-23 the covenant
is made with Israel. In Exodus 34:27 we hear God say,
Write down all these instructions, for they represent
the terms of the covenant I am making with you and
with Israel. The first covenant is made between
God and Israel, with Moses as the mediator. The second
covenant is made between God and Moses and all Israel
with him (or in him?). This is an accurate way to
describe the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace
is made between God and the elect, with Christ as
the mediator. But it is also proper to say that the
covenant of grace is made between God and Christ,
with all the elect in him. Moses here reflects this
foreshadowing Christ. - The Covenant Renewed
- Exodus 33-34: www.michianacovenant.org/sermons/ex33.html


(28) Moses remained
there on the mountain with the Lord forty
days and forty nights. In all that time he
ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote
the terms of the covenant—*the Ten Commandments—on
the stone tablets.


*the Ten Commandments: Hebrew the
ten words.


(29) When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the* two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.


* two stone tablets inscribed with the terms
of the covenant: Hebrew the two tablets
of the Testimony.


   The time you spend in prayer, reading the Bible and meditating should have such an effect on your life that people will know that you have been with God.


(30) So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.


(31) But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them.


(32) Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.


(33) When Moses finished
speaking with them, he covered his face with
a *veil.


*veil 2 Corinthians 3:13-15: We
are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so
the people of Israel would not see the glory, even
though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s
minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the
old covenant is being read, the same veil
covers their minds so they cannot understand
the truth. And this veil can be removed only
by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when
they read Moses’ writings, their hearts
are covered with that veil, and they do not
understand.


(34) But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him,


(35) and the people
of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face.
So he would put the veil over his face until
he returned to speak with the Lord.



Matthew 5:16: Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (KJV)



   What function did the “beaming,” radiant face of Moses play here? First, I believe that it further elevated Moses, showing him to be the one who God had chosen to be the mediator of His people. It also gave great force to the words which he spoke. When Moses came from the tent of meeting after having spoken with God everybody knew that what Moses was about to convey to them was a word directly from God. When Moses’ face was aglow, the words which Moses spoke were the very words of God. The radiant face of Moses gave testimony to the divinely inspired utterances which he spoke to the people. The meaning of this periodic transfiguration of Moses is not pressed in our passage, other than to imply that Moses’ words, which were spoken with this shining face, would likely be taken very seriously by the Israelites. It is not until the New Testament that this unusual phenomenon is taken up more thoroughly.


   Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of Christ is an especially significant commentary of the transfiguration of Moses in our text:

Matthew 17:1-5: Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”


   This manifestation of the glory of our Lord, evidenced by His brilliant countenance and his glowing garments, is but a foretaste of His splendor, which will again be His when He is raised from the dead and ascends to the heavenly throne of God. John describes the radiance of the face of the glorified Christ in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation: “And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:16 KJV). It is no wonder, then, that heaven will need no light other than that of His radiance: And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:5 KJV).


   The radiance of Moses’ face has great prophetic significance, for in the Book of Deuteronomy Moses spoke of the Messiah who would come, who would be a prophet like him: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15).


   The striking similarities between these accounts in Matthew’s gospel and in the Book of Revelation and that of our text in the Book of Exodus prove that the prophet of whom Moses spoke was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the similarities between Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of our Lord and Moses’ account of his own transfiguration:


There is the “high mountain” in both accounts.

There is the beaming face of both Moses and our Lord.

There is the fact that Moses appears in both passages.

The manifestation of glory is proof of God’s favor of the one who is thus transformed.

There is the emphasis on listening carefully to what the one with the gleaming face has to say.

Thus, the transfiguration of Moses was intended to serve as a prototype, a prophecy of the Messiah to come, who was in many regards, a prophet like Moses. Just as the radiance of Moses’ face was a part of his credentials, which caused the people to listen to him carefully, so the radiant splendor of Christ was one of His credentials, instructing us to listen carefully to Him:


   When Moses radiated, it was with the glory of God, and thus men were induced to listen to his words. When our Lord was transfigured, it was with His own glory, as God, that He glowed. The writer to the Hebrews thus encourages each of us to take His words most seriously. - A New Beginning: (Exodus 34:10-35): www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=200




   So he would veil his face when
he would go out and talk with the children of Israel,
because he would have this shining on his face. When
he'd go before the Lord he'd take the veil off. Now
twice in the New Testament this veil is mentioned
there in a couple of different ways. Number one, why
the veil over the face of Moses? Because it was hard
to look at his shining face? No. In Corinthians we
are told that the reason for the veil over his face
is so that they would not see the shining go away,
fading. But the fact that the shine was fading away
from his face, was indicating the fact that the law
that God was given was to fade away when God established
the new covenant with man through Jesus Christ. So
that they would not see the fading away of the old
covenant, his face was veiled. But Paul goes on to
say, But even today their faces are still veiled
when it comes to the word of God. They can't
see the truth of God in Jesus Christ. They still have
that veil over their face as God seeks to speak to
them today, and they cannot see that Jesus Christ
is indeed the Messiah that God had promised to the
nation Israel. So the veil still over their eyes,
not being able to behold the truth of Jesus Christ.
- Blue Letter Bible - Chuck Smith Commentary
on Exodus 33-34: www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd033.html



2 Corinthians 3:6-18: He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old
way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though
it began with such glory that the people of Israel
could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his
face shone with the glory of God, even though the
brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t
we expect far greater glory under the new way, now
that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way,
which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much
more glorious is the new way, which makes us right
with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious
at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the
new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced,
was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which
remains forever! Since this new way gives us such
confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses,
who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel
would not see the glory, even though it was destined
to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened,
and to this day whenever the old covenant is being
read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot
understand the truth. And this veil can be removed
only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when
they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are
covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is
taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all
of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect
the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the
Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we
are changed into his glorious image.


   The apostle Paul reflects on this
in 2 Corinthians 3:6-11. Why does Paul call this a
ministry of death? As we have seen, it was precisely
this renewal of the covenant that brought life to
Israel! How can Paul call it a ministry of condemnation?
It all depends on your perspective: If you are looking
at Moses from the perspective of an Israelite in the
wilderness, then the Mosaic covenant is a covenant
of grace that brings life. But if you looking at Moses
from the perspective of an Israelite after the resurrection
of Christ, then the Mosaic covenant is a ministry
of condemnation that brings death.


   Paul explains this in 12-18. The
veil that Moses wore to shield the eyes of Israel
from the glory of God, was so that the Israelites
might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought
to an end. In other words, Israel was not yet ready
to see Christ, because that is what was revealed in
Moses' face. There was a glory that the law pointed
to--which Israel was not ready to see. Because only
through Christ is it taken away. And when Christ takes
the veil away from our eyes, what do we see?


   What is the veil holding back?
It is preventing them from truly understanding the
Old Testament. The veil language is referring to mental
hardening that prevents people from understanding
what was written. WE, now with unveiled face, beholding
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image, from one degree of glory into another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (i.e.,
the Spirit is the presence of the risen Christ with
his Church; they work so closely together in the application
of redemption that the Lord is said to be the Spirit).


   Therefore, since we have received
the Spirit, since we have received Christ himself,
the glory revealed in Moses looks like a dull, fading
shadow! Yes, it may have brought life to Israel--temporarily.
But in the light of the glory of Christ, anyone who
seeks to go back to Moses is seeking death. And Paul
says that if you would understand Moses properly,
see how he points you to Christ. If you read Moses
apart from Christ, then you will face the ministry
of condemnation, because the people of God NEVER DID
keep covenant with God. They broke the covenant time
after time. Only in Christ does the covenant with
Moses bring us hope, because we see that final covenant--that
new covenant--where Christ, who is both faithful covenant
mediator, and faithful covenant keeper, brings eternal
life to all his people. Moses was able to bring about
a temporary stay of judgment, but he could do nothing
to ensure the future obedience of the people of God.
Therefore, it is a ministry of death and condemnation
because it cannot endure the final judgment seat of
God.


   Jesus has through his once-for-all
sacrifice forgiven your sins, and through his perfect
obedience he has ensured that this covenant will never
be broken. The final judgment has been declared in
Christ. This is why Paul calls this ministry of righteousness
"permanent" and declares that we are being
transformed into the image of Christ, from one degree
of glory into another. - The Covenant Renewed
- Exodus 33-34: www.michianacovenant.org/sermons/ex33.htm



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Sunday, October 07, 2007

Exodus 33

   Verses 1-14 divide into three parts:



  1. The first three verses are a description of the withdrawal of the blessing of the presence of God. The whole purpose of God’s instruction to Moses on the mountain, for the building of this tabernacle, was that as the children of Israel journeyed on their way into this blessed land of promise, God was going to be right smack dab in the middle of them, surrounded on every side by His people. And He was going to go up like with them into the land. But in the first three verses we learn that something drastic is going to be changed about that plan.

  2. In verses 4-6, there is the response of Israel to this announcement, and they are contrite. There is repentance here, no doubt about it. It is obvious not only from what they do, even if their taking off their ornaments was only in response to what Moses has said, for the passage seems to intimate that their action was a response to not only what Moses said but also an automatic response on their part. Certainly, from the way they treat Moses at the end of the passage, a change of heart can be seen. The same people who, just a few hours earlier, had been saying to Aaron, “This man who brought us up from Egypt,” have suddenly changed their attitude. We see contrition here. There is repentance.

  3. In verses 7-14, this favored presence, this communion, this fellowship with God has with Moses at the tent of meeting outside of the camp, and it speaks of the relationship that the people of God have lost. And it also exalts Moses in the eye of the people as God disciplines them with His distance. - I Will Not Go in Your Midst: www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/39bExo.htm


(1) The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people *you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’


*you brought up: God's handing them back to Moses at this place - they are Moses' people.


(2) And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, *Amorites, **Hittites, ***Perizzites, ***Hivites, and ****Jebusites.


*Amorites: Meaning: highlanders, or hill men. the name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan (Genesis 14:7). On the early Babylonian monuments, all of Syria, including Palestine, is known as "the land of the Amorites." The southern slopes of the mountains of Judea are called the "mount of the Amorites" (Deuteronomy 1:7, 19,20). The five kings of the Amorites were defeated in a great slaughter by Joshua (10:10). They were again defeated at the waters of Merom by Joshua, who smote them till there were none remaining (Joshua 11:8). It is mentioned as a surprising circumstance that in the days of Samuel there was peace between them and the Israelites (1 Samuel 7:14). The Amorites were warlike mountaineers. They are represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins, light hair, blue eyes, curved or hooked noses, and pointed beards. They are supposed to have been men of great stature; their king, Og, is described by Moses as the last "of the remnant of the giants" (Deuteronomy 3:11).


**Hittites: The Hittites were an ancient nation that occupied the general area of Asia Minor and Syria. Although not as well-known as other ancient empires (e.g. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Rome), at the peak of their power the Hittites challenged the Egyptians and Assyrians for control of what is now the land of Israel. They are mentioned prominently in early Bible History. After Sarah died, it was from the Hittites that Abraham bought the cave in Hebron, known today as the "Tomb of the Patriarchs," in which Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob/Israel and Leah are all buried. Two of the wives of Esau were Hittites. The incident of adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and Uriah's murder to cover it up, was one of the greatest personal failures of King David.


***Perizzites: Meaning: villagers; dwellers in the open country. They were the farmers and peasants of the time. They were to be driven out of the land by the descendants of Abraham (Genesis 15:20; Exodus 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11). They are afterwards named among the conquered tribes (Joshua 24:11). Still lingering in the land, however, they were reduced to servitude by Solomon (1 Kings 9:20).


****Jebusites: the name of the original inhabitants of Jebus, mentioned frequently among the seven nations doomed to destruction (Genesis 10:16; 15:21; Exodus 3:8, 17; 13:5, etc.). The Jebusites were the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the hills round about. They were defeated by Joshua, and their king was slain; but they were not entirely driven out of Jebus till the time of David, who made it the capital of his kingdom instead of Hebron. The site on which the temple was afterwards built belonged to Araunah, a Jebusite, from whom it was purchased by David, who refused to accept it as a free gift (2 Samuel 24:16-25; 1 Chronicles 21:24, 25).


Exodus 3:8: So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own good and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live.


(3) Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”


   The verse is saying that because of the people’s bent to rebellion, Yahweh would not remain in their midst as he had formerly said he would do. Their lives would be at risk if he did. Notice our wall chart with the Tabernacle in their midst.


   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.


(4) When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes.


   Not wearing jewelry and "fine" clothing is part of their repentance and mourning and should not be used to say that we gentiles today are to avoid jewelry, "fine" clothing, make-up, etc. as is practiced by some Christians. The people would rather have risked divine discipline than to go without Yahweh in their midst. So they mourned, and they took off the ornaments. Such had been used in making the golden calf, and so because of their association with all of that they were to be removed as a sign of remorse. 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.


   They receive that as if God had given them a death sentence. And I want to ask you a question: If God dangled that proposition in front of you, how would you respond. “I’ll give you everything you want. I’ll give you joy in this life. I’ll give you happiness in this life. I’ll give you a good marriage. I’ll give you a good career. I’ll give you wonderful children. I’ll give you power. I’ll give you glory. I’ll give you influence. I’ll give you a lasting legacy. I’ll even give you heaven in the hereafter, but you can’t have My presence.” How many evangelicals would love that bargain today? Was it Samuel Rutherford who said, “Heaven would not be heaven, if He were not there.” Didn’t he say in another place, “Heaven would be hell, if He were not there.” The greatest blessing we have is God Himself, and one of the sublimest enjoyments we can have of Him is in the assurance of His presence and His nearness and His concern and His favor, and when God says, “I’m not going to be in your midst,” the people of God realize precisely what they’re losing. Without the presence of God, without the favor of God, without communion with God, nothing else matters. Because what is worship? It’s glorifying and enjoying god forever, and if you can’t have His presence, how can you glorify and enjoy Him?
- I Will Not Go in Your Midst: www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/39bExo.htm


(5) For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.”


(6) So from the time they left Mount *Sinai, the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.


*Sinai: Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.


(7) It was Moses’ practice to take the *Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting **outside the camp.


*Tent of Meeting: This “Tent of Meeting” is different from the Tabernacle described in chapters 26 and 36. The plans for the Tabernacle have been described, but it's not yet built!


**outside the camp: Hebrews 13:13: So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore.


   The point is that sinfulness prevents the active presence of the Lord leading his people. But then the rest of chapter 33 forms the development. In verses 7-11 there is the gracious provision: the Lord reveals through his faithful mediator. The Lord was leading his people, but now more remotely because of their sin. Then, in verses 12-17, Moses intercedes for the people, and the intercession of the mediator guarantees the Lord’s presence. The point of all of this is that God wanted the people to come to know that if He was not with them they should not go. Finally, the presence of the Lord is verified to the mediator by a special revelation (18-23). The point of the whole chapter is that by his grace the Lord renews the promise of his presence by special revelation. Now the people were before this, sort of all circled around this place of the meeting of God, the tribes in each order all around it. Now they remove it, and they put it completely outside of the camp; meaning, that the people have to now come outside of the camp in order to meet God. Now there is an interesting spiritual sequel in this, in that Jesus was crucified outside of the city of Jerusalem, people have to come out of Judaism to meet with God through Jesus Christ. They can no longer meet with God through the system of Judaism, but outside of Judaism. Now a new covenant that God established, the covenant that was established with Israel, being disannulled because of the people's failure to abide by that covenant. So having abolished the old covenant, God has now established a new covenant, which is outside of the Judaism itself. So to meet with God it is necessary to come out. For the Jew it is necessary for him to come out from Judaism and to meet God outside of a national kind of a relationship. Now the relationship to God is available to every man. There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We must all come to God now through Jesus Christ, and that is outside of the camp, really, of Israel itself. - Blue Letter Bible - Chuck Smith Commentary on Exodus 33-34: www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd033.html


   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.


(8) Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all *watch Moses until he disappeared inside.


*watch: Watch implies a casual look, while the Hebrew term is one that conveys great concern and interest. It is the term used, for example, for the “looking” of the Israelites at the bronze serpent, so that they can be healed (Numbers 21:9). Zechariah used this term to describe those who will “look upon” the Messiah, whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10).


   In chapter 32, when Moses had been gone for some time, the Israelites were not really concerned for his life or safety. They did not pray for him or send out a search party. They just concluded that he was gone and not coming back. Thus, they unofficially appointed Aaron to lead them, and to make a golden god for them to worship. The people could care less about Moses at the time of their rebellion against God. Now, however, it is a vastly different story. Whenever Moses went out to the “tent of meeting” the whole congregation stood at the entrance of his tent and intently watched Moses, until he had entered the tent.


(9) As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses.


(10) When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents.


   The idea is that the people would get up (rise) when the cloud was there and then worship, meaning in part bow down. When the cloud was not there, there was access to seek God. Moses went outside and entered into this tent, and when he did, the people standing in their tent doors and watching saw this pillar, that had been leading them, descend to the door of that tabernacle; the presence of God, symbolic really of God's presence with him. As they saw this phenomena, they all began to worship God there in their own tent doors. Now of course, Moses was there making intercession once again for the people. The cloud descending at these times, and at none others, was a full proof that it was miraculous, and a pledge of the Divine presence. It was beyond the power of human art to counterfeit such an appearance and let it be observed that all the people saw this.


John 4:24: For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”


   Worship, which is our response to God, is what we give in our devoted service. The worship of God involves the totality of life, therefore it cannot be confined to a particular location. Earlier, Jesus says, "Neither in Samaria, nor in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem." He means that God is not confined to any one place, nor is the worship of Him confined to any one place. Likewise, it cannot be confined to just an hour or two on a particular day because in a biblical sense the worship of God is our response to Him in all of life. So He cannot even be isolated to an hour or two on the Sabbath. We have to respond to Him in our home: in the way we speak, act towards one another, rear our children, conduct our homemaking practices. Worship has to do with the way we work, with the way we drive our cars, with the way we dress, with the way we use our eyes, ears, nose, mouth—everything! It involves the totality of life, because religion is a way of life. Christianity is a way of life that impacts on every area of our being. The second commandment deals with how we worship God. The focus of our worship is to be on imitating Him. We are to use no material aids in doing this because no man can capture God in a work of art, a statue, a picture, or a symbol. God wants us to concentrate on what He is and not on what He looks like. Except within the context of a passage, the Bible never clearly defines worship, yet understanding what it is is critical. God is even now measuring His Temple and its altar to see who worships there in truth (Revelation 11:1-2). We are the temple of God, so we are being measured to see if we are truly worshipping God or not. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "worship" is shachah, defined as "to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God)." This word is also translated in the Authorized Version as "bow down, crouch, fall down, humbly beseech, do obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship." Worship, then, is reverencing God, adoring, honoring, and bowing down before Him. But a deeper study of worship shows that it is more a thing of the heart and mind than a physical action or position. Jesus says worshippers worship Him in vain when "their heart is far from Me" (Matthew 15:8). Perhaps we can say worship means having a bowed-down head and heart as we adore and revere our Maker! It is an attitude of totally and unconditionally surrendering to the One we call our Master, our Lord, our God. Worshipping thus becomes a relationship with our holy God, characterized by a bowed-down heart in total surrender. It reflects one poor in spirit and one who mourns as he recognizes his abject spiritual bankruptcy. As we bow our hearts and heads to God in worship, crying out for mercy and to be filled with God's attitudes, we are comforted and filled. Worship, then, is a constant attitude of yieldedness and humility before God, but there are certain times and occasions when we worship pointedly and in earnest. - bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/26181/eVerseID/26181


(11) Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses *face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would **remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.


*face to face: God's goal for our relationship with Him! Of course, God has no "face". This should be our goal in our relationship with Him. It was just like a dialogue rather than a monologue. I mean, he would talk to God, God would speak right back to him, but he did not actually see the face of God.


**remain: Joshua remained to guard the Tent of Meeting. Moses did not live in the tent. But Joshua remained there most of the time to guard the tent lest any of the people approach it out of curiosity.


Moses Sees the Lord’s Glory


(12) One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’


   God previously promised to send an angel with Israel in verse 2. Moses presses God on this point, wanting to know exactly whom God will send.


(13) If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”


   Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter. Of all the things that Moses could have prayed for, why does he pray for intimacy with the Lord? This is the key to leadership, ministry, and all of life, for that matter: relationship with the Lord. Why is relationship with the Lord so important? Because it enables us to face up to the pressure. The pressure creates fear of failure, fear of failing people, perhaps hundreds of people. But intimacy with the Lord teaches us that failure, amazingly enough, doesn't matter. If we know the Lord intimately, we know of his goodness, his faithfulness, his sovereignty -- his ability to turn failures into victories. Growing intimacy with the Lord, then, is the one thing we need most as we move forward in our relationship with Christ. This should ever be my prayer and yours!


(14) The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”


   This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people. The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people. The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. 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."

(15) Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.


   In other words, "If Your presence doesn't go with me, Lord, I don't want to go. I don't want to leave here. I don't want to leave without Your presence." That is perhaps about the wisest thing that Moses could ever do is just stick right where he was unless he had God's presence going with him. You're foolish to venture anywhere apart from the presence of God. You're foolish to venture out in your own, on your own. We need the presence of God wherever we go. "If Your presence doesn't go with me, then Lord, don't send me from here."


(16) How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”


(17) The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”


(18) Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”


   Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. Paul got a glimpse of the glory of God, the glory of God's dwelling place, as did John. Paul's glimpse revolutionized his life, changed him completely. It created a continual dissatisfaction with earthly things from then on. How could you be happy in this mess when God has such a glorious place prepared for us? "Lord, just let me see Your glory. 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. What Moses evidently has in mind is a full-blown exposure to all of who the Lord is. He's seen the glory cloud, and he even walked into the middle of the Lord's presence on Mount Sinai (24:18). Moses has known the Lord; the Lord grants his request for further knowledge; now Moses seeks further knowledge, perhaps ultimate knowledge. Moses is saying, "Lord, I want all of you." Intimacy with the Lord breeds the desire for more intimacy with the Lord.


   Later, after Moses’ request to see the glory of God, the glory of God would fill the newly constructed tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35). On various occasions during Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness, God’s glory would be manifested to the people. On a number of these occasions, the glory of the Lord appeared to stop the people from sinning. For example, in Numbers 14:10 the glory of the Lord appeared, stopping the Israelites from stoning Moses and Aaron. On the other hand, the glory of God also appeared in response to Israel’s sacrifices. After describing the sacrifices which God required of the people, Moses said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” (Leviticus 9:6). A little later in this account, after these sacrifices were offered, we are told in Leviticus 9:22-24, After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.


   Moses craved an assurance of God's love. In a time of crisis we often feel deserted. Moses saw 23,000 of his people die from a plague. He watched as brothers killed brothers. Moses saw things that were forever embedded in his mind. Moses sought God. He worshipped God. But he still needed more.


(19) The Lord replied, “I will make all my *goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, **Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.


*goodness: The granting of Moses’ petition would include God’s causing of all His goodness to pass before Moses. As the term goodness is employed in the Old Testament, this meant that God’s benevolence, God’s graciousness and generosity would be seen by His servant Moses. This term, rendered “goodness,” is used in Genesis 24:10 of the “good things” which Abraham sent with his servant, as a present to the family of the future bride of his son. It is used of the “good things” which Pharaoh provided for Jacob and his family, as they traveled to Egypt from Canaan (Genesis 45:18, 20, 23). It also refers to the “good things” which the Israelites will enjoy in the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 6:11). Especially in the Book of Psalms, the goodness of God is emphasized. Here, the emphasis of “goodness” falls not on the things which God gives, but on the goodness and generosity of God as the giver of good things.


**Yahweh: In addition to having all His goodness pass before Moses, God also promised to proclaim His name, the “name of the LORD,” before Moses. The specific name which God will proclaim is the name YAHWEH. This is the name by which God identified Himself to Moses at the burning bush, and by which God was to be known to Israel. YAHWEH was the name which spoke of God as Israel’s Savior and Deliverer. YAHWEH is the name of the God who made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Exodus 3:13-15: But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations.


Romans 9:15: For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”


   "I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose” - In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in His own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is khanan (“to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is rakham, a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent – a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why.


   The scribes, when they would come to these consonants YHWH, before they would write them in the text, they would go in and take a bath, put on fresh clothes, wash their pen completely, dip it in fresh ink, and then write the consonants. Now can you imagine how many baths you'd have to take in some of these passages where the Lord's name is mentioned several times? Yet that is the kind of reverence in which they held the name of God, feeling that it was such a holy name that it should never pass the lips of man. Thus it was never to be pronounced by man. So in reading the text, when the readers would come to the name, rather than attempting to pronounce the name, they would bow their head in reverence and they would just whisper the name. It was an unpronounceable name.


   Moses’ petition for the people was a petition for God’s grace. There was absolutely nothing Israel could do to earn God’s favor. Israel had done enough already! The bottom line was that Moses could not, by his mediation, claim that God had any obligation to be gracious to this sinful, stiff-necked people. Sovereignty and grace can never be separated. Thus, whenever grace is shown, it is done at the exercise of God’s sovereign will. The reason for this is that grace has no reason for being manifested on a person except for the graciousness of the giver. Whatever is not of grace is of merit, and no one can ever be saved on the basis of his or her personal merit before God. Surely no Israelite at this point in Israel’s history would have dared to claim that he deserved God’s favor.


(20) But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”


(21) The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock.


(22) As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and* cover you with my hand until I have passed by.


*cover you: Note the use in Exodus 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.


(23) Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”


   The meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence. While this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be.


John 1:18: No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.


John 14:8-9: Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?


1 John 4:12: No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.


2 Corinthians 3:18: So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.


1 Timothy 6:16: He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.


   Isaiah had a glimpse of the glory of God, and it moved him to mourn his own sin and unworthiness (Isaiah 6). John experienced some of the glory of God and fell at the feet of Jesus like a dead man (Revelation 1:17). Paul experienced the glory of God on the Damascus Road and 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. 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.


   Had God granted Moses all he had asked for, Moses would have been struck dead by the presence of the living God. It is only in heaven, when we are rid of all sin, that we shall behold God face to face (Revelation 22:4). Thus, God will grant Moses the privilege of seeing more of Him than he (or any other man to this point, I believe) has ever seen before. He will see part of God’s glory, but not all of it. He will see, in human terms, God’s back, but not His face.


Revelation 22:4: And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.



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