The Command to Leave Sinai
33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” 6 Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Moses’ Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (ESV)
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
This was shocking news for the Israelites. They wanted success in the land, and He was willing to give it to them, but He could no longer go with them as long as they continued on in their sin. in the same way, those of us who call ourselves Christians but are living lives of habitual sin are playing with fire, and will eventually get burned. Romans 1:28 and the surrounding passage show us that if we continue to want sin more than Christ, that He will eventually give us what we want. Pastor Mike refers to it as the fish-bowl illustration; if we as the fish continue to jump out of the bowl, eventually God will give us the “freedom” that we want – and it comes with dire consequences (death). If we have a true desire to obey God and a fear of His wrath and judgement, then we will strive to live lives that are blameless and above reproach, not giving into sin but putting it to death in our lives!
Good morning True North! It was great to see so many comments yesterday: 75! Let’s keep posting and encourage one of your friends to come on here today! Maybe we’ll see some first time SOTD’ers on here!
In Exodus we have seen some terrifying pictures of God. Even yesterday as he sends the Levites to kill their friends and family. He sends a plague on the people because of their sin!
But today we have perhaps one of the most beautiful glimpses of God in all of the Bible:
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
God speaking to Moses like a friend! What a relationship Moses had with God! I want to have this kind of intimacy with the Almighty! We get a clue as to why they were so close later in the chapter:
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
Moses wanted to see God for who he really is! Do we want this too? Or do we just want to know God for what he gives to us? This is something to think about today. Do you just take the gifts from God or do you really want to get to know the Giver? We talked about this passage in our High School Musical sermon a few weeks ago: http://www.compasschurch.org/hs/sermons/high-school-musical/audio That would be a great sermon to listen to today if you want to think more about who God is!
I am praying that God will raise us up at True North to seek his face and to be passionate about pursuing our relationship with him today!
Thanks Pastor Bobby, it’s great to know that God loved Moses. But what about us?
Ex 33:19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
God chooses! And He let’s all His enemies (that’s everyone) know Him by paying our death sentence through His perfect Son’s self-sacrifice on the cross. God is truly the definition of love! Has He called you? And, have you responded?
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
The Israelites didn’t want to hear this. Nobody does. Going anywhere without the favor of the Lord is dangerous – you’re swimming in dark, unknown waters without any protection. It’s a lesson we all need to learn; draw near to the Lord instead of pushing him away. The further away from the Lord you are, the darker your life becomes, and it shows.
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Moses was eager and confident in presenting this before the Lord and He says this incredible response. Moses understood that without God’s presence nothing would set himself apart from every other man and nothing would be different about the Israelites than all other people. Being a man and nation known and loved by the living God was an awesome reality that we can know today in being the saved children of God. I definitely want the Lord to be pleased with me, an important motivation to be getting rid of sin in my life and pursuing Him in all His holiness and glory. Praise the Lord I can do that today!
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
I like how Moses isn’t asking for treasure or earthly riches but asking to know the Lord better. Isn’t that the greatest reward of all? He wants to please his God. We should strive to please God with everything we do.
P.S. Guys (and Gals) i totally think we could hit 100 so text, call, facebook, whatever just hit up everyone from church (and people not from church too!) and get them to comment. Lets hit the triple digits!
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
Christians who sin face the consequence of causing a distance between themselves and God. God is not the one who moves away from us, we move away from Him. God is faithful, but so often we are unfaithful. Even though our sins have been forgiven and our names are written in the Book of Life, our day to day sins, if they go unconfessed, can turn God’s ear away from us. Consider Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” If you are feeling that God is not listening or that He is far away, be sure to search your heart for any unconfessed sin. Just because we are Saved does not mean that we can do whatever we want and still have a close relationship with God…the Israelites in this chapter are a perfect example of that truth.
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
Moses acknowledges that God is in control. He knows that with the Lord’s Presence the people who are living in the Promised Land will be destroyed and easily overtaken, however if the Israelites go up against these foreign nations without the Lord’s Presence they will be defeated. As I was reading this chapter this morning, I was reminder about Moses’ attitude when he first was called by God to lead the people out of Egypt. In these early chapters, Moses looked for excuses why he could not lead them and questioned God’s plan for the people (Exodus 5:22-23). Here Moses recognizes God’s complete authority and control and understands that no plan of the Lord can be thwarted. I pray that as we have been reading through Exodus together, we recognize the same growth in our lives too. As God’s power, sovereignty, and righteousness have been revealed to us, is our faith being strengthened? Let’s trust God fully, in everything; recognizing His complete control and authority!
Oh I love this chapter, there is so much in it to refine us…as many of you have noted above!
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Moses was pursuing holiness and living a life that the Lord was honored by and because of that the Lord responds to his prayers!
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Woah! If Moses were to see God’s face in all His glory he would not live!! That is how powerful the Lord is and how great His glory is; and he desires to have a relationship with us!! That truly just blows my mind.
We need to be like Moses and seek to live obedient lives for our King with an unfading hope that one day we will see our King in all his glory!
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
I agree with Christa- I want the Lord to be pleased with me too! The sin in our lives separates us from God and causes so much pain and discomfort. We need to repent and surrender to the Lord, seeking him in all we do. I pray that I do everything for him today and represent Christ in my life. I want my identity to be found in him. As we are spiritually growing, we must die to ourselves and our lives are to be identical to that of Jesus!
Great comment Mike!
5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”
God lets the people know what their true character really is; they are a stiff-necked people. What is stiff-necked? It means: stubborn, inflexible, unyielding and obstinately proud. God knows us better than we know ourselves Psalm 139:1-4 and Hebrews 4:12-13 tell us that every thought and intention of our heart is open before God, nothing is hidden. It makes you wonder what God thinks about us. Do we love God, are we seeking Him daily? Are we striving to be faithful to our creator or are we a stubborn and obstinate people as well. How often do we replace our time with God for friends or entertainment? When we are asked to participate in things like SOTD or scripture memorization do we say “I just don’t feel like obeying the direction of my pastor”? I think more often than not, we can be just like the Israelites, worshiping idols being set in are ways, unwilling to heed Gods commands. My prayer is that we would make an honest assessment of our attitudes and get right with our creator; being known as stiff-necked people is not something any of us should aspire to be.
13 “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
If we want to pursue a relationship with God, we must pursue the ways of God. This desire to be close to God and see his glory is not just about an experience, but a way of life.
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
The defining difference between Israel and the rest of the nations was that God was with Israel. The defining difference between Christians and the rest of the world is that God is with us. Without God, we are no different than anyone else. It is never anything that we do that defines us or makes us different. It is always God. Our salvation comes from God as does our sanctification.
” ‘Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.’
When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.”
If God told us that he would not be with us in what we were going to do, how would we react? Would we, like the Israelites do here, clearly see that we had sinned against him and repent? Or would we just go ahead and do what we planned on doing anyway? I pray that I’ll have the courage to take the first option.
“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”
This is really pretty amazing. Speaking with God, face to face! I know we won’t have this kind of relationship with God here on earth today, but I still hope that we would all seek to know him better!
“The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’
Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’ ”
Moses is basically saying here that if God’s not with them, they’re not going. Do we have this kind of dependence on God?
” ‘If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.’ ”
Amen.
12 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Its really cool that Moses actually got to see God, even though it was only his back. I would be amazed and awestruck if I ever got to have that experience.
Jasmine^^
i really like what u had to sayy!!!!
5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”
6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
God put a ban on jewlery, it was to suppose to be a sign of thier repentance. however it was not a permanent ban because in Exodus 35:22 people have jewlery again.
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
in the last part of this verse when Joshua is still at the tent when Moses leaves it shows that he had to guard the tent, because people in the town were curious. What i learn from this verse is they didn’t have a fear of God. like we learned on the missions trip we are to fear God not man.
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.
5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”
My opinion, that would have to be the worst thing ever; having God call me a ‘stiff-necked person and that he may destroy me for that. I sure hope that the people asked for forgiveness from God for worshipping an idol.
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
Awesome comment Meisha Meisha!! I also liked this verse!! It really made me think about whether or not people at my school can tell that I’m a christian?? It’s a good self-check, and it made me want to rep Jesus Christ’s name more!! His love should be clearly seen by others if He lives in us! Persecution is nothing compared to what Jesus had to go through.. so let us proclaim his great and holy name together!
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
I really enjoyed these two verses. If we do whats right and what God has told us to do, he will be pleased and we will be rewarded. I also liked verse 18 because Moses had an awesome respose! I think its great how he wants to see God for who he really is, and his glory! God is so amazing and holy! We need to see The Lord for who he really is, and desire to please him more than anything.
8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.
If that were me it would feel REALY awkward, I mean how would feel if everyone was watching you to go pray and talk to God. I think that was some pretty tuff peir pressure Moses handled and he hanlded it really well. He was focased on praying to God and chilling with Him for awhile.
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
That is sooo cool to know that GOD knows all of us by name and not by popularity group or anything else but by our name, just like how He knows all the stars by name. I can’t even keep straight all the names of my friends now and that is only a little spec of the earth and God KNOWS!!!!!! everyone and what they have done, are doing, and will do. Little creepy but also really cool :]
***REMEMBER: GOD IS WATCHING(but not in a creepy sense
) AND DO GOOD IN HIS NAME***
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.
8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Pastor Bobby wasn’t kidding about these being one of the most spectacular chapters in the bible. Oh my goodness, i mean this is what pastor bobby was talking about. When Moses would speak to God face to face and the Israelites would stand there and worship the Lord. Just imagine how it went down, every time Moses went out to the tent, people ready to worship the Lord. Also, so powerful…the Lord says you can go, but I’m not going with you…and Moses said, we are not leaving you Lord of all things!!! I mean, these chapters are truly amazing. I’m praying for a new record at True North, SOTD!
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Wowww, i dont know about anybody else but the image i had in my mind when i read these verses was indescribible. And what i or what anybody else imagened does not even come close to the unfathamable sight of God.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
This is what Moses desired, to know God’s ways and find favor with Him. Is this really what we desire? We need to pray for wisdom in knowing Him. Seek to know His ways so we too can find favor with Him.
CST
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
If we are truly following Christ, we will always want to find favor with the Lord and like Ben Blakey already said, pursue the ways of the Lord. We should have desire to pursue His ways in everything we do and the way we find out His ways is by reading the Bible.
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
When I just read this, I got a sense of peace along with it. It’s almost as if He was saying it straight to me. Its comforting to know that (if your a christian) God is always by your side. He never leaves us. The LORD OF THE UNIVERSE stays with us. How awesome is that? How AWESOME is He?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
ahhh this is is such a juicy passage!!! im loving it.
first off: it really is truly amazing how great God’s glory is. it is so amazing and immense that Moses, probably one of the most solid men of God ever, has to hide in a rock and see God’s back. that is the only portion of God’s glory that he can be shown, because it is sooooo great. this should really change our attitudes and our perspectives about God, and how we think of Him. like Pastor Mike always asks, when we meet God, will our view of Him go up or down? thats a great question to ponder.
second: John 1:18 states that “no man has seen God at any time…” but wait, didn’t Moses just see God, and didn’t many see Jesus, etc? yes, however the passage in John is specifically talking about God’s immense and full glory. no man has seen the full great glory of God that lives on the earth, except Christ.
from this verse in Exodus, we see how many extra-precautionary measures are taken because God cannot let us live if we see His fully glory, despite his dispensations of grace and showings of mercy. it really goes to show how awesome and mighty the Lord we serve is.
third: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
this passage is quoted by Paul in Romans 9:15, and it really is an awesome verse on sooo many levels. first, God IS sovereign. He can do whatever He wants. Paul really lays it out very well in Romans 9:14-24. in a nutshell, Paul argues that because God is God, we as the people (He created) should not and do not have the right to criticize who He shows love.
so when the atheist complains that God is unfair for having children starving in Africa, or people dying in a plane crash piloted by terrorists, God is not wrong. because if they want justice and fairness, they get: death on earth, eternal Lake of Fire, and God’s just punishment forever because of sin. that is fairness.
God can show some of the things He created mercy and reveal some of His glory, or He can poor out His wrath on others to show His might and power. as Pastor Mike puts it, it is like your foot-rest getting mad at you for using it as a place for your feet, while you use the couch for relaxing on. in the same way, we are stupid for questioning God’s choices.
we need to understand that when God decides to stop showing us His abundance in mercy and grace, IT IS NOT UNFAIR, NOR IS IT UNJUST. Pastor Mike did an awesome job explaining this concept in last week’s sermon, and when he exegetes Romans 9 it will be amazing.
I wounder why they could not see God’s face. I gess he is to great to show his face.
5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”
This verse shows how sometimes when God backs off, it is for the best for us. God shows his grace in many ways, and here he gave the sinful people a period of grace so they could turn from their sins. Similarly, we are in a period of grace now as God is waiting for more people to become Christians before the rapture happens.
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
What an awesome chapter!!! This is so cool! Moses knows that them doing anything without God’s Prescence is meaningless because they won’t be set apart from all the others living in the world. He knows nothing is done without God! God is pleased with Moses here! How awesome is that, I want God to be pleased with me, and like Christa said, that is a great motivation to get rid of the sin in my life and to glorify Him!!
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
what an awesome verse this is!! As Christians, we should want to pursue God and find favor in Him.
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
This would be the best thing ever!! Could you imagine seeing God’s mighty glory because of how pleased he is with you? That would be so awesome!! It would be the best present ever just to see his BACK!! Ahh!! I can’t wait till heaven when i get to see his face (:
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
I love this verse! The only thing that can make us different from the world and distinguished from it is the Lord. By living for him, we are apart from the world. We died to the sin of this world and were born again in righteousness with Jesus Christ. We should pray to God that he will be with us and we would be distinguished from worldly things.
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
I like these verses a lot.God is so loving and thoughtful even after the Israelites rebel, he still shows unconditional love and mercy.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Whenever I hear this it always blows my mind. No one not even Moses could see God because He is so holy and so perfect that no one can compare to Him. His holiness abounds. If anyone saw God face to face He will die right there and then because we sin so much and do not come close to God.
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.
This was cool that all the Israelites worshipped together and Moses talked to God face to face but I’m amazed at their cycle of sin and worshipping. They are a warning to us to avoid their sinful ways. Be sure not to fall into their pattern of sin.
Haha I laughed when I read verse 3. I can’t come with you because I might destroy you. That would be some bad news. The good news is that he is sending them to the land that he had promised and is sending down an Angel to drive out the other people. The Lord is doing the hard work for them and they get to go to a promise land. A little scary to know that he might destroy them, but yet it is exciting to get to go to the promise land.
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
This is what I should pray about, for God to show me His glory. What have I been thinking? I think should be everyone prayers!
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
I think this is awesome in a way. Not awesome because I cannot see God, I have to wait like 60 more years probably Lord willing, hopefully sooner. It does happen that someone dies because they saw God’s face while doing a sacrifice, I think it talks about that in Leviticus. I think it was Aaron sons, I’m not to sure.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
That is intense! No one can even look at Him without dying! That’s how amazing God is. He’s not just “the man upstairs” or “your homeboy”, He’s the God of the universe and the Creator of all things. He can’t be in the presence of sin. Since we are sinful, we can’t even see His face because He’s too holy. And then when Moses comes down the mountain, his face glows because he was in the presence of God. That is amazing. God is amazing.
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
I think that this verse can also apply to our prayer relationship with God. We need to talk to God when we pray, instead of just speaking empty words. We need to treat God like one of our best friends. God cares about everything we say, do, and think. He want’s us to admit our failures to him so he can tell us how to live our lives according his word, the Bible. We need to be still and listen for Gods answers to our prayers. If we don’t take time out of our “busy day” we will never get the chance to hear God speak to us.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Wow, it is so amazing to think about the glory of the Lord. Honestly it is something I can’t even picture or really understand (how could a sinner understand glory?). Not even Moses who has a closer relationship with God than any other man at this time cannot look into the face of God because it is so incredible that it would kill him. This makes me feel so underserving that our amazing God who we can’t even look at without dying would have mercy on us as sinners. Honestly, God can’t even be described with our languages, words can’t sum up His glory.
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
This passage is amazing! It is mind blowing to think that God’s glory is so great that not even Moses could see it! He actualy had to hide behind a rock and God let his glory pass by him. No one could see his face and not die. This is something that we definitely should be praying about all the time, seeing God’s glory.
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.
How amazing it must have been for Moses to speak directly to God. I can’t wait for te day that I can do the same!!
What an interesting chapter, but this verse just jumped off the screen at me when I read it!
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
Specifically what phrase that stunned me was, “But I will not go with you” I cannot imagine that I would want to go somewhere, for example say Moody… If the Lord said, “But I will not go with you” to me, this would strike me with amazing fear, and of course I would not want to go where the Lord wouldn’t be with me, I couldn’t imagine God uttering those words, this scares me! But Moses had the right response in verse 15, he will not go and neither would i!
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
I agree fully with Christa and Jasmine! I think this verse is so encouraging and it makes me want to strive to please God in everything! If we please God, its the best thing we can please! no one is greater then he is. and another thing is he knows us by name. each of us. and he knows more about us then we do ourselves! i think its crazy to think someone could know me better then myself! but that also shows how great prayer is, and that when we feel like we cant express what we need to God knows what we are going through and our every thoughts
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
Moses wants to learn all about God and his glory. He is constantly trying find find more ways to please God even though he is already favored by Him. We need to be pleasing God in everything we do.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen
God is SO HOLY that His face cannot be seen! Hardcore stuff! Moses is only allowed to see his backside! I can wait to see what happens next!
45?! lets see if we can get more comments on here!!!!
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
It’s how we are identified in our everyday lives. Since we are Christians, God is evident in our lives and the way we live is completely different from the way others live, but none of it is our doing. God changes us from the inside, out. People may label us as the “religious group” or the “hard-core Christians” but God labels us as one of His own and that is something to praise God for everyday!
He is what separates us from the rest of the world, and it’s all because of Him and His mighty works that we are saved! 
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
I thought that this was really weird/ crazy. God has a back?!? It’s also amazing how much power He has that Moses has to hide behind a rock and God’s hand to even live
AHHH EVERYTHING IS SO GOOD IN THIS CHAPTER!!
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Okay first… i wish i was Moses!! and Second, how cool would this be!! To talk to God, face to face and act like its completely normal ahhhh so jealous.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
I really feel that this should be evryones prayer!
16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
I just really like this verse because it makes me think, “How will people know that i am a christian compared to everyone else, how will i stand out?” And we all really need to think about this and examine our lives.
God i pray that you can reveal your Glory soon!
Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
These verses show how we are sinners and therefore God cannot be around us. When I was reading verse 3 it reminded me of what a loving God we have to still love us through our sin. Verse 3 also showed me how powerful God is, he could destroy anyone but is perfect and therefore does not hurt anyone. What an amazing God we have.
CST
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
God is SOO POWERFUL!!!! We could not even look into his eyes, He is so glorious. God says that no one can look at him without dying. For God to be able to seen by Moses, Moses’ eyes have to be turned by God so Moses will not see God’s glory. God doesnt’t refer to Himself using Me or My or I, but He says when my glory passes. Seeing God wouldn’t be a big deal if He wasn’t all-powerful and so glorious, no one could describe it. But to see God who is those things would be frightening. It must have been a true blessing yet frightening moment in Moses’ life.
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your was so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is tour people.
We are so fortunate to have so many resources to learn from God’s word now days, we have Bible’s as a book, and have then on iPod’s, computers, and phones. Whenever we need help in a certain area of our lives we can go to the concordance in our Bible’s or just look it up on the internet. We have everything we could ever want to learn from God right in from of us. We need to take advantage of the opportunity of learning from our Bible’s and applying it to our lives. So let’s also keep going on SOTD!!!!!
20But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
This verse is such a great reminder of how much power God has.No one else could ever say “no one may see me and live.”
I’m confused on the part where it says that God spoke to Moses face to face because right after that it said that no one could see God’s face and live. Was the face to face thing just an expression to help us understand the relationship between God and Moses? Could someone please explain this to me? Aside from that, I thought that it was interesting to see how close their relationship was. It would be amazing to talk to God like a friend talks to a friend. It is so great that we can come to talk to God any time we want through prayer.
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
i liked this verse.. i think that its cool that moses is really obedient to god and he knows that nothing is done with out the lord. i agree with haley that god is pleases with moses and i would love god to be pleased by me! that would be awsome
This chapter is just so WOW. Incredible. We have a lot to look forward to in Heaven being in God’s presence all the time!
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
God will ALWAYS be with us, no matter what. He can refresh us and give us peace at any time. This verse reminds me of “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and God’s omnipresence is mentioned in the Bible other times as well. He gives strength to the weary and rest to those who are faint (another Bible verse!). He really is there for you, even if you feel completely alone. He’s always there to listen and to comfort you as well as just to be a Spiritual presence in your life. :]
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
wow this is incredible. Because Moses found favor with the Lord, he was able to be in the presence of the Lord!! Because he was persistant, and obeyed the Lord’s commands, HE listened to Moses when he asked “show me your glory.” That to me is incredible. There is nothing i would rather see than God’s glory!!
(:
THANK YOU LORD FOR MY SALVATION!!!
The distance between God and humans is so great due to the fall and his holiness. Yet we see him dwelling among the people here and later sending Jesus. Praise him for his love and faithfulness. I look forward to the day when we can see him face to face and not die.
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.
This is a great chapter! I remember these verses from one of Bobby’s sermons. Its cool how the Israelites really wanted God to come with them. They would rather not get everything they wanted than be separated from God. Being separated form God is NOT a good thing.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
This is so crazy. I can not even start to think of what this would have been like. How close must have Moses been to God for God to let him see Him. This is so cool. I have no idea what that would have looked like. But also in this verse we see the magnificience of God in verse 20 we can not even look at Gods face without dying!!! That is so amazing we have such a powerful God!!!!!
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Ok this reminded me of two things the first is when some scares you and you say “Hey! you gave me a heart attack!!!” Seeing God’s true glory is a killer. So essentially seeing God for who he really is is so AWWW you can’t live. That is so so so amazing just how Holy God truly is his glory is unlike any other glory!!!!
the second thing I was reminded of was Isaiah 6:5. This is when Isaiah sees this vision of God being worshiped and he just is destroyed with greif because he is exposed for the sinner he is by a holy God!!! We sinful men cannot phathom how holy God truly is.
There’s SO much amazing things in this chapter!!
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.
Wow! The people began to mourn! This reminds me of how we need to respond to our sin, especially as it displeases God so much. God tells them that He will not go with them, or associate Himself with them– they are separated. That’s what sin does to us: it separates us from our Heavenly Father. Whenever we feel separted from Jesus, we need to evaluate our hearts and MOURN about our sin, and get right with Jesus!
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
When we are obediant to Christ’s commands, there is always a reward. Here, Moses is asking the Lord to teach him His ways, and that how he leads the Israelites may be pleasing to Jesus. The Lord replies by saying that His presence is ALWAYS with us when we do this, and He will give us REST! That is SO comforting! Also, we need to be echoing the same thing that Moses is saying in verse 13: “teach me your ways so I may know you and find favor in you.” Wow! That’s so powerful. We need to constantly be in God’s Word, seeking Him, and making sure that our lives are pleasing to Him so that He may find favor in us!
I loved this chapter!
Also, I have a question, Pastor Bobby:
My Bible is a red-letter Bible, so it shows the words of Jesus in red. Why aren’t the words of God here in the OT in red also?
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
God’s sovereignty is absolutely amazing, and while at some times it is hard to justify Him being merciful to some and not others, if we put it in perspective, it should just makes us value His mercy and compassion even more. this verse reminded me of what pastor mike spoke on last weekend. God’s gift of mercy and grace cannot be viewed as something we have earned, or that we were better qualified than the next guy, but purely as something that was undeserved and freely given to us, eliminating all ‘spiritual’ pride we might have.
8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.
The absolute reverence the Isrealites had for the Lord can be shown no more clearly than it is here. Simply knowing that their leader was speaking with the Lord, they worshiped Him. I pray that we have that kind of reverence for God at True North!
17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
If were obeident to God then he is pleased with us; and more likely to answer our prayers, if we stay close and intiment with him. God’s glory is shown in many ways through miracles throughout the bible. Wow, God gave Moses the privledge to see His backside! Just imagine how amazing to be this close to the Almighty and Powerful God!! Im looking forward to what happens next!!:D
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
God’s grace is truly an amazing and glorious thing. Fully undeserved he lavishes it upon the dreadful people of this earth throughout the generations. In this sentence God reveals his true right to “have mercy, on whom he will have mercy, and he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion”, in other words he will be generous with his grace to whoever and whatever he wants, because it is his. Those who have been saved by God’s compassion can truly understand (or at least attempt to know) the amazing thing of unmerited grace. Praise the Lord!
8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.
9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses.
10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent.
Its cool how much the Israelites valued their relationship with God. They knew that they had sinned, and God had said He would not send their presence with them. They were very distressed that their sin had worsened their relationship with God. Because of this, they eagerly wait with respect as Moses enters and leaves the tent to ask God’s presence to be with them. We should be like the Israelites, having the same passion to want to know God more and have a deeper relationship with Him as we wait patiently and constantly worship Him. This is more than just wanting to get things from Him; we should be wanting to know Him personally because He is our God and has called us to Him.
Exodus 33
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
I like Chaper because it help us to meditate on how awesome our Lord is. It is so important to meditate on Gods attributes through reading scripture so that we can have a proper perspective of His truly unperceivable perfection. Our brains are incapable of even coming close to understanding God’s being. I am humbled by the majesty and power of our Heavenly Father. Although Moses did not see God face to face in a literal way he was in the immediate presence of the Lord. No one has ever seen Gods face as described in 1Tim 6:16
1 Tim. 6:16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.
I hope that we will to the work necessary to gain a proper perspective and a high view of God as He deserves!
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
God is just so awesome; so holy, not one word can completely descride how awsome he is. we are so small compared to God~we are a tiny, amoeba sized speck compared to his glory. he is soo holy, we are going to die if we even see him in person~especially his face~unless he grants us permission to look at him and live.
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Just as Pastor Bobby mentioned, what a beautiful relationship between Moses and God yet, Moses still could not lay eyes on him. God is still to holy to be seen by the human eye. This makes me think of the lack of respect that so many people have today for God. I hear comments about “the big guy upstairs” or “God’s my buddy”. Huh, we should have a lot more respect for God
3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
Wow talk about scary. We always need to remember the LORD’s power.