Preacherwin’s Weblog

“And Yahweh said, ‘Behold, there is a place beside me and you will stand upon the rock.  And while my glory passes over, I will set you in the crevice of the rock and I will hold protectively my hand over you until I pass by.  Then I will turn aside my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.’”

(Exodus 33:21-23)

Once again, God covers his people.  We need to be reminded of this over and over as we struggle with doubt and sin.  God protects them even from eternally falling away and he protects them even from the things that are too wonderful to know!  One may not see the face of God and live—though that might be the heart of Moses, it would be too much for Moses’ eyes to handle.  Thus, God covers him.  Oftentimes we want to know more of God’s plan or more of God’s glory than is good for us to know.  We sometimes get frustrated that God does not give us a crystal ball to see our futures.  Where will I go beyond seminary, what will my son grow up to be, what effect will my ministry have…  These are things that would likely harm us were we to know them.  Thus we must recognize that sometimes God closes our eyes to some of these truths for our own protection. 

At the same time, here is Moses in the presence of the transcendent God of creation.  That prospect, in itself, ought to cause us to cringe!  Who are we, oh sinful man, to approach such a God.  Yet, Moses did in faith, and God preserved him with his hand.  Sometimes I think that we take the prospect of coming before the transcendent God a little too lightly.  Admittedly we do not stand on Mount Sinai in the presence of God, surrounded by his glory-cloud, but we do go before his throne in prayer and in worship.  While we ought to revel in the privilege, we also ought to see it as the awesome privilege it is and to recognize that it is God’s Son that is protecting us from being consumed by the wrath of a Holy God as we come before him in all of our fallen-ness.  Oh, dear Christian, what a God we have.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me;

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,

Where rivers of pleasure I see.

With numberless blessings each moment he crowns,

And filled with a fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture, O glory to God

For such a Redeemer as mine!

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

That shadows a dry, thirsty land;

He hideth my life in the depths of his love,

And covers me there with his hand,

And covers me there with his hand.

-Fanny Crosby

“And Yahweh said, ‘Behold, there is a place beside me and you will stand upon the rock.  And while my glory passes over, I will set you in the crevice of the rock and I will hold protectively my hand over you until I pass by.  Then I will turn aside my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.’”

(Exodus 33:21-23)

This rock that God stands Moses upon is most likely the same rock as which Elijah found shelter in when he experienced the passing over of God’s presence (1 Kings 19).  In the Elijah encounter, the cleft in the rock carries with it a definite article, suggesting that this cleft was a well known cleft to God’s people; hence it is likely reference to this passage in Exodus.   Note the connection, then, between Elijah and Moses.  Elijah is the prophet that God raised up to prepare God’s people to go into exile—Moses had been the prophet that God used to bring God’s people into the land in the first place.  Of course, God would later raise up a third great prophet—the greatest prophet (the one prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18)—indeed, the great divine prophet, the Son of God himself, Jesus Christ.  Moses had led the people into the land as a nation, Elijah would prepare the people to leave the land and to cease being a nation, and Jesus would unite his people once again as a nation, but not one whose boarders are here on earth, but a nation of priests, whose citizenships are in heaven.   How it should not surprise us that when Jesus’ glory is being revealed to Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration, that it is Moses and Elijah that join Jesus for a conversation about God’s redemptive work (Luke 9:30-31).

While there are some who suggest that this rock upon which Moses is placed is Christ, I think that they are in error.  While it is indeed correct that one may not see the Father without being “held upon the rock of the Son,” to say that this rock is Christ would be to enter into speculation and allegory.  We are told by Paul (1 Corinthians 10:4) that the rock which was struck by Moses to bring water to the people (Exodus 17:6) is Christ, but these two rocks are not the same rocks.  Accordingly, we should speak of this rock in terms of refuge, not salvation.

The verb that is used in this passage for the “covering” that God does with his hand is the verb %k;f’ (sakak), which is a derivative of the verb %k;s’ (sakak), “to cover.”  Most often, though, this term is used to reflect a protective covering that is placed over something.  The idea, then, that is being expressed is the idea of God personally placing his hand over Moses as a protective covering, to prevent Moses from seeing his face as he passed by.  Jesus would pick up on this same language when he spoke of believers being held protectively not only in his hand, but in the hand of the Father as well (John 10:28-30).

Oh, loved ones, we have a God who preserves us not only here and there, but he preserves us for all eternity.  As a born again believer, he has called you and separated you from this world for himself—trust him to complete that work and bring you effectually to glory.  Oh, the promise of God as revealed by Paul in Romans 8:29-30: “Those who he chose ahead of time, he also predestined to share in the likeness of the image of his son so that he should become the firstborn of many brothers.  And those who he predestined he also called, and those he called he justified, and those who he justified he also glorified.”  The Puritan, William Perkins, called this the golden chain—not one link can be broken for this chain was wrought and cast by God and it binds his elect wonderfully to himself.  Beloved, though you may go through times where it seems the world is falling down around your ears, never forget these words, for God will preserve you to glory and he will stand beside you in all of your darkest times—even to the point of death—and beyond for all eternity!

“And He said, ‘You will not be able to see my face, for no man can see me and live.’”

(Exodus 33:20)

The language of not being able to see the face of God and live is language that will be picked up later in the New Testament by both John (John 1:1 and Paul (1 Timothy 6:16).  God is infinite and incomprehensible to a finite mind.  This prohibition is not meant to keep us from knowing God (indeed, he has given us his Son and his Word so that we might know him), but it is meant to spare us from destruction.  To gaze upon his face would be like gazing upon the Sun; it is beautiful beyond comprehension and would sear our eyes forever.  So too, is God too wonderful for fallen man to set his eyes upon–yet, God has given us his Son, so that our finite eyes might gaze upon the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and we might see the glory of the Father revealed in the Son.

Oh, what a wonderful theme to reflect on for a time—seeing the face of God.  Sin has separated us from that blessing and redemption through Christ makes seeing his face something that we will experience once again in heaven.  In the face of God are glory, truth, and all beauty; there is radiance and joy for the believer and wrath and judgment for the unbeliever.  Redemption, hope, and peace can all be found when God’s face shines upon us.  Believer, let the hope of seeing God’s face fully revealed permeate into your very being; let it color the way you live, behave, and interact with the world.  It is a great promise that we have been given in Christ and this promise will sustain us through even the darkest of days.  Let the things of God become part of the very fabric of your soul that you may never be separated from them and that they will clothe you with hope even when it seems that all hope is gone.  Trust and hope in these promises, loved ones, and share them with your children and grandchildren, for these promises are for all who would trust in Christ for their salvation.

“And He said, I will cause all of my goodness to pass over your face.  And I will invoke my name in your presence, that is, I will show favor upon those who I will show favor to and I will show compassion upon those to whom I will show compassion.’”

(Exodus 33:19)

Literally, the text reads, “And I will call in the name of Yahweh in your presence.”  Many have taken this to be a sermon that God is preaching on his divine name.  While that is a perfectly legitimate translation of the text, I don’t think that it captures the full meaning of what God is promising to do.  The language of “calling in the name of Yahweh” appears 8 times in the Old Testament (Genesis 4:26, 12:8, 26:25; Exodus 33:19, 34:5; 1 Kings 18:24; 2 Kings 5:11; and Joel 2:32).  In each instance apart from these two debated instances in Exodus, the language is used to reflect an invocation of God’s name, not a sermon.  Thus, my suggestion is that we should understand these two debated uses as an invocation as well.  Thus, Yahweh is not preaching a sermon on the divine name, but invoking his own name to give force to what it is that he speaks next.

And what does come next? Some suggest that Yahweh us making an idem per idem statement.  In other words, this is meant to be a reflection of his divine character and name: “I am who I am.”  Here, they suggest, God is expanding on what his name means–specifically in terms of God’s sovereignty.  Yet, the Apostle Paul connects this statement with God’s election (Romans 9:15), and though God’s election does flow out of his sovereign character, it certainly is only a single aspect of God’s divine nature. 

We can find clarification on this statement in Exodus 34:6-7, when God does invoke his own name.  God speaks of both his compassion and his judgment; all of these things flow from his absolute divine nature.  To those who would question God’s ultimate autonomy in creation, I would cite God’s response to Job’s questions in Job 38-39:  “Who are you, oh man? …”  And to those who would assert their own autonomy in matters of personal salvation, I say, “repent and put away your fallen pride!”

In a sense, then, we can suggest that God, as he approaches Moses on the mountain, did preach a sermon, but it is not as much a sermon on his divine name as it is a sermon on his divine sovereignty in judgment and redemption.  What primacy God himself places upon preaching that he would do so himself!  It does the heart of a believer good to hear the character of Yahweh faithfully preached.  Though sometimes people in the pews complain about their preacher’s sermons not being “fresh enough” or “contemporary enough,” for the believer, God’s character, his blessings, and all that is contained in his word should always be fresh and rich and refreshing to hear.  What a blessing that God gave to Moses on that mountain!

So why the themes of judgment and redemption?  The Bible itself is the story of God’s redemption of a people for himself.  Everything that God reveals to us in scripture is for the purpose of this separation—a separation between the elect and the non-elect, between God’s children and the children of the serpent.  And, of course, all redemption and judgment has its climax in the person, work, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the center of the scriptures and of redemptive history.  Redemption and judgment are the story of the scriptures.

One pitfall that preachers often fall into is that they like to preach about redemption but shy away from preaching judgment.  They like to preach that God is love (indeed he is) but neglect to preach that God is holy and righteous and brings judgment upon his enemies.  The big problem with this is that redemption (or judgment) are rendered meaningless if they are not kept together.  There can be no redemption if there is no judgment and speaking of judgment serves no purpose unless there is a hope of redemption.  They are flip sides of the same coin and are inseparable if you want to present the scriptures in a meaningful way.   Thus, when God proclaims these words before Moses, both judgment and redemption are held high as a pronouncement of his goodness.

Beloved, our culture, in only speaking of God as some sort of all-loving, sappy, celestial blessing-giver has tried to sell us a picture of God that is emasculated and impotent.  They present God as just wanting good things for mankind and not having the power to stop evil from going on.  Friends, reject that language with the strongest terms!  This language (as one preacher is fond of saying) is from the very pits of hell and smells like smoke!  Flee from it and flee from those who would preach it for it is not the truth.  It is poison, spoiled food, and rotting flesh from a diseased animal.  It is simply not suitable for consumption by the people of God.  Beloved, flee to the truth of Christ in both redemption and judgment; this is what God pronounces with force—in his name.

“And He said, I will cause all of my goodness to pass over your face.  And I will invoke my name in your presence, that is, I will show favor upon those who I will show favor to and I will show compassion upon those to whom I will show compassion.’”

(Exodus 33:19)

Note the response of God.  Moses asks to see the glory of God, yet God offers to pass all his goodness over Moses.  While there are some who would equate God’s glory with his goodness, God’s glory is far more comprehensive that that.  Indeed, God is glorified in the goodness that he demonstrates to all the earth as well as the goodness that he demonstrates to his people.  Yet, God is also glorified in his wrath and judgment of his enemies.  God is glorified in the discipline that he gives to his people, and God is glorified in his electing people for grace and passing over others for condemnation.  Oh, how so many of God’s people have developed an anemic vision of the glory of God!  Oh, that we might put spiritual meat on our bones and rejoice in all of the activities of our God, even when we have difficulty coming to terms with what good can come about from them.

So why is it that God chooses to show his glory to Moses by passing his goodness by?  Could not have God revealed the fullness of his glory?  The answer is twofold.  First, the human mind, finite as it is, is simply not capable of taking in and understanding the full glory of God—it is a simple impossibility.  The full glory of God would overwhelm us—I might even suggest that we might die as a result.  Thus God is gracious in controlling how we are shown his glory so that we can comprehend what it is that he is showing us.

And secondly, it is God’s goodness that is promised to God’s people; the wrath of God is reserved for his enemies.  God’s presence here is not meant to intimidate (as in other cases), but it is meant to bless.  Thus, God blesses Moses with a revelation of his goodness in such a way that God’s glory is revealed in an edifying way rather than in a way which would break him.

Beloved, let us rest in the revelation of God’s glory.  Ultimately, he has revealed his glory in his Son, Jesus Christ, and he has given us his word that we might know him deeply and intimately.  Here is a God who is just and righteous and holy, yet he meets us where we are, not only meeting our needs, but blessing us beyond our ability to comprehend.  Oh, dear saint, enjoy the revelation of God; immerse yourself in it—his word is life and he has made it available to you and me.  Take and drink.

“And he said, ‘Show me your glory!’”

(Exodus 33:1

I think that it is impossible to read this verse without feeling the excitement that Moses was feeling.  God had promised to walk with his people and to lead them from this mountain.  Here, Moses verbalizes the glorious hope of every believer:  to see God’s glory.  There are very few that the Bible records being given such a privilege:  Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the three Apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, John in his final Revelation, etc…  While there are others, the response of believers to God’s presence is always one of awe, fear, and an overwhelming sense of unworthiness.  It would do the church well to learn from these past believers, for one of the great problems we have is that we often enter into God’s presence all too casually.  We are bid to enter in with joy and thanksgiving, but doing so ought to give us goose-bumps.  Here is the transcendent creator of the universe kneeling down in the muck and the mire of our sinful existence to have a relationship with us. 

Oh, what a God we have been called to serve!  And oh, what a bold request that Moses makes upon this mountain!  When we see the Apostle Peter awaiting his own martyrdom, likely about 35 years after the resurrection of Christ, we can see from his own words that he is still reflecting on the transfiguration of Christ, which he was blessed to witness (2 Peter 1:17-18).  How much more must the experience of Moses on the mountain sustained him through the difficulties of leading God’s people through the wilderness over the following years?

I would suggest that this should be the heart’s desire of every Christian—that we might see the glory of the Lord, not only in part as we look upon the faces of believers, but in full as we anticipate seeing the glory with our own eyes when we see him face to face in heaven.  The hope of seeing this glory should be a powerful motivation for the believer to live faithfully and to persevere through this life, lest we fall away and be separated from him forever (note that I am not denying the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, but scripture also seems to describe those who have had an experience that looks like a conversion, but who then later fall away—showing that the experience that they had was not true regeneration—thus believers are often bid in scripture to walk in faith towards the goal).

Beloved, do you long to see the glory of God revealed with your own eyes?  Certainly, you can get a taste of it in the Scriptures, but we look forward to a time when our eyes will be finally opened and we will see our King, our Lord, our Savior, our Prophet, and our High Priest riding triumphantly on a great white steed in the clouds returning to bring final judgment on his enemies and to remake the world to be as it was before the fall.  That day is coming, loved ones, hope in it; dare to dream of it; and pray to God that your life would be one that leads others to see it as well—not as one condemned, but as one rejoicing in the return of their king.

“And Yahweh said to Moses, ‘I will indeed do this thing that I have promised, for you have found favor in my eyes, and I have known you with a name.’”

(Exodus 33:17)

God confirms that he will fulfill his promise to Moses and to the people of Israel.  This promise is the same promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and is the promise that Moses reminds him of in defending Israel against God’s righteous wrath (Exodus 32: 13).  Yet, beloved, this is the same promise that God makes to those who trust in his Son, Jesus Christ, for their salvation.  God’s presence will be with us.

Notice how patient God is with his promises of reassurance.  It is not that God likes being redundant, but it is that God recognizes our weakness and need to be reassured of his continued blessing.  How often, when we are facing difficulties or when we fall into sin, do we think of God having left us—I don’t feel his presence, people often say.  Yet, beloved, God has promised to stand with you through all of the mountains and valleys of life if you are a believer—you are his and he will not allow you to slip through his fingers.  Just because you cannot “feel” him does not mean that he is not there, ordering and shaping your life to bring you back into conformity to the image of his Son.  God has repeated this promise over and over in scripture—it is not going away.  So beloved, stake a claim on these promises—stand on them.  They are trustworthy and true and will never fail you even when you fail to trust and rely on them.  Why are these promises so stout and true?  Because God stands behind them and who is more worthy of trust than him who spoke creation into being?

“And he said, ‘If your face is not going, do not lead us from this place.  And in what way will it be known, then, that I have found favor in your eyes―I and your people?  Is it not in your going with us and that we have been treated specially―I and your people―from all the people who are on the face of the earth?’”

(Exodus 33:15-16)

Moses also clarifies the motive behind his request for God’s presence (as we discussed above).  When God’s threatened to destroy the nation of Israel because of their idolatry, part of Moses’ defense of God’s people was based on what the pagan world would say about God’s activity (Exodus 32:12)—Moses’ concern was that the righteous name not be besmirched in the eyes of the surrounding pagan nations.  Here that theme surfaces once again.  Moses poses the rhetorical question of how the world will know that God has favored Moses and the Israelites.  And here is the answer to Moses’ rhetorical question.  It is in God’s presence and in his favor that the world will know that the nation of Israel is favored by God (see Psalm 117, 1 Chronicles 16:31). 

There is some disparity in how translations render Wnylep.nIw> (weniphleynu)—“we have been treated specially.” Most major translations (ESV, NASB, NIV, KJV, RSV) translate this word with respect to God distinguishing or making his people separate from the rest of the earth—“so that we are distinct” reads the ESV.  Yet, hl;P’ (palah), which is the verbal root that Wnylep.nIw> (weniphleynu) is derived from, speaks of a distinguishing that comes as a result of special or preferential treatment.  Thus, in the context of this passage, the distinguishing from the peoples of the earth is a result of both God’s presence and the blessing that comes as a result of God’s presence.

Though God’s people are set apart from the rest of the earth as a result of God’s presence and blessing, the glory of the Gospel is that we are to take the good news of Jesus Christ to all the world!  Though we are set apart by God’s blessings, people from all over the world can enter into those blessings through faith in Jesus Christ.  But notice that the receiving of such blessings comes as a result of entering into the body of God’s people—this is not a universalistic promise, but one only given to those who belong to Christ.  Beloved, what a joy it is to watch someone partake of such blessings for the first time; so why is it that we don’t share the gospel with more people?  Oh, what blessings we so often withhold from our friends, neighbors, and loved ones because we are often timid when it comes to inviting people to come and join our fellowship with the great King of all creation—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms;

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

-Elisha Hoffman

“And he said, ‘If your face is not going, do not lead us from this place.  And in what way will it be known, then, that I have found favor in your eyes―I and your people?  Is it not in your going with us and that we have been treated specially―I and your people―from all the people who are on the face of the earth?’”

(Exodus 33:15-16)

Moses now reiterates his plea that God be with them as they leave Sinai, but now he adds reasons for the request.  When God’s people stray from God’s presence, there is nothing but grief and trouble for those people.  And oh, this world has enough troubles in it as a result of sin–even when we walk in God’s presence–how is it that so often the church thinks that they can go on alone.  Moses rightly understands, though, that what makes Israel separate, blessed, and unique from all the other people of the earth is the presence of God with them.  Without God’s presence, there can be no true blessings.  Solomon sought to explore this idea further in the book entitled Ecclesiastes.  His conclusion is that anything done or gained apart from God is empty and vain.  This statement of Moses’ is a statement that should be found upon the wall of every pastor’s office and should be part of the prayer of every leadership meeting that Christ’s church has.  Oh, how often we stray from this truth.

          It is also worth noting that some of the last words of Pharaoh to Moses were that the next time Moses saw the face of Pharaoh, he would die.  Yet, Moses understands clearly that it is not the presence of Pharaoh that insures peace, but the presence of Yahweh alone.  The sad thing is that so many Christians seek to find their “place” in this world on their own strengths rather than seeking their place in Christ.  We chase after fame and we chase after recognition, but what do these things gain us in the eyes of an almighty God?  No, loved ones, let us seek our place in Christ—all else is vanity.

“And He said, ‘My face will go with you and I will secure rest for you.’”

(Exodus 33:14)

God promises to provide x;Wn (nuach), or rest, for his people.  While there are a variety of uses of this verb in the Old Testament, in the context of this passage, the rest that is spoken of is rest from trial and from one’s enemies.  God is speaking of his presence with his people, and it is only when we rest in his presence that we find peace–even in the midst of worldly challenges.  The problem that God’s people so often run into is that they fail to rest in God and seek satisfaction in the temptations of the world.  God is promising rest for his people, but it is in the context of his presence and it is in the context of them following his ways (see verse 13). 

This is the promise that Jesus offers the church when he says “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened; I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.  For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matthew 11:28-29).  Oh, how we may learn to rest in Christ, for this rest can be found even in the most chaotic days of our life.  Let us rest and find our pleasure in him and in him alone.

At the same time, let us always remember that this promise of rest carries with it conditions.  Just as the rest that was promised to the Israelites was rest based on their remaining in God’s presence and upon their remaining in God’s “ways” (or their obedience to him), so it is the same with the church today.  Too many people take the freedoms that we have been given in Christ as a license for worldly behavior.  The apostle Paul responds to this attitude with the strongest language in Romans 6:15-18, reminding us that we serve one master or another, either sin and death or God and life—take your pick.  Yet, beloved, if you want it, if you desire to have this peace and rest in the midst of life’s storms, it is yours for the asking; just seek that peace and rest in Christ.

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear,

Falling on my ear; the Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

-C.A.M.