I was struck by a few things while reading Exodus 33:15-23. Well, to be honest, my pastor was preaching on this and I ended up with a completely different sermon than he preached. This will have to be in two posts—this one is already too long. In the next one, I’d like to hone in on the last point and soak in the story of Moses on the mount.
Here is the passage:
And he [Moses] said unto him [God], If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
This is one of the most unique Old Testament encounters of a man with God that we see recorded—whether this is the first time or the hundredth time we have read it, it warrants a moment of reflection.
The first thing I note is that God promised His presence with His leading. God never sends us somewhere He hasn't already been and won't go with us every step of the way. I've often been nervous about whether I am making a mistake going somewhere, choosing to rely on my leading instead of God's, but the times when I have been certain of God's leading, I have been able to rest peacefully in the knowledge that whatever comes, God is with me through it. The presence of God is a wonderful, marvelous thing. Full of peace and power, His Spirit not only leads us with confidence, but comforts us in sorrow.
Secondly, I see that Moses refused to move without His presence. How many times have we gone ahead without the leading of the Lord? How did it turn out? Sometimes we even move ahead with the movements God directed, but on the timeline we dictated. Speaking from personal experience, as much as I like to go ahead and get 'er done, waiting for God's timing brings its own reward.
Thirdly, I see that God's presence is what sets His people apart. I grew up in a time when “separation” was often defined by tangible things: skirt length, music beats, haircuts, and all the rest. That's not Biblical separation. The setting apart of Israel wasn't really in their peculiar customs. It was in the presence of God. When the Shekinah glory dwelt with them, when they were led by the pillar of fire, when they were ruled by judges and directed by prophets upon whom the spirit of God rested, we see Israel truly set apart from her neighbors. Our uniqueness isn't found in a dress code—other religions dress more modestly and more distinctly. It isn't found in our music—other religions have their own hymnody. It is found in God dwelling with and in His people. When you meet someone truly filled with the Holy Spirit, you know it. There is no mistaking the stamp of God on the heart of His children.
Fourthly, I find that we have found grace in God's eyes when we seek Him. He wants to be with us. He wants to reveal himself to us. He is a God that wants to be found. He doesn't go around playing hide-and-seek with us or running while we chase fruitlessly after, left with the bitter tears of disappointment and loneliness. He is a God that delights to show us His glory and invites us to partake in His wondrous Self.
Fifthly, and this is so precious to me, He knows us by name. My name was on the lips of God before time began. I struggle with loneliness. My own quirks cause me great difficulty in making and keeping true friends. My love language is being understood. The God of all the universe, omnipotent God, took time from naming the stars and laying out the planets to stop and learn my name. This knowledge is too wonderful for me. I cannot fully comprehend it. Every time I come back to this, I am overwhelmed and moved to tears. I have a God that doesn't just want to be found, He came looking for me. When He came, He didn't call “Hey, uh, you!” He called MY NAME. He looked for ME. He delights to know me. It is too wonderful for me.
Sixthly, We have an inborn desire to see God's glory. From the time we are born, we look for the higher power. We think that perhaps Mommy and Daddy are it. Soon, we find that even they are not the be-all and end-all. We begin our search for God and either abandon the quest prematurely or find God in His glory.
Seventhly, God's goodness is too great to view in its entirety. Isn't it interesting that when Moses asked to see God's glory, His response was to show him His goodness? Let that sink in for a moment. The indescribable glory of God is the manifestation of His goodness. My certainty of the goodness of God would take too long to add in here. I'll just say that I have complete trust in His goodness and lovingkindness, because I have experienced it in even the very worst circumstances. No matter what else I am unsure of, I will always know that God is good. I hope that one day, in Heaven, He'll show me all the ways He was good to me that I missed sight of.
Eighthly, God put Moses in a barren place. This makes no sense from our perspective. Moses asked, “God! Let me see you! Let me see your goodness!” God said yes, and then put Moses in a barren place. He didn't put him in Eden, where His handiwork was written in every tree. He didn't catch Him up to Heaven to glimpse His glory. He put him somewhere that seemed abandoned by the face of God. Often, when we ask for God to be revealed to us, He has to first put us someplace where we will be able to see nothing else.
Ninthly, He put Moses in a small, safe, dark place and covered Him. He didn't put Him in a broad place, as Elihu (Job 36:16) said that God would do. Instead, Moses found himself in cramped quarters. No room to move—but no danger either. As afraid of heights and small spaces and the dark as I am, I probably would have been terrified on the mountain. Moses shows no fear. He knows that when he is placed into this small place, it is safe. God's presence is represented by light. In fact, God is called light (1 John 1:5). Why then did He have to place Moses in a dark place—a cleft in a rock? Have you ever noticed that when everything else is dark, you can see the light more clearly? The light shines best in the dark. If we would truly see the wonder of God, we will have to at least glimpse what it is like when He seems to have disappeared. But then, in this cramped, cold, frightening place, where God placed Him, God covered Him. I remember one terrifying night I spent when evil was clearly present. I could feel the presence of evil just crushing down on me, but between me and this evil, I could feel the hand of God. I have never known how to describe that experience except that I could feel an almost physical presence as God cupped me in His hands and kept me safe. I knew then that no matter where I was, if God was there too, I was in the safest place in the world. I can only imagine that Moses felt similarly.
Even though Moses was being covered and kept by God, he couldn't see Him. If Moses tried to look, all he saw was darkness. The mighty, covering hand of God kept out the light of His presence. I can imagine that Moses felt alone, abandoned, and disappointed. He asked to see God. God told Him that He would grant his plea. And now, Moses is sitting alone in a cold, dark, small rocky place. God is nowhere to be seen. It was only after God went ahead of Moses and lifted His hand that Moses finally saw the back of God. He never did see the fullness of God’s glory.
How often do we find ourselves in a place like Moses did? We have begged God to show Himself to us. We leaned on the promise that He would. Then, out of nowhere, everything was gone. Everything was barren. We were alone. No light, no warmth, no comfort was left to us. We couldn't see God anywhere. Only after everything was over could we see that God had been covering us while He went ahead of us. Only after everything was over, could we finally see that God was with us all the time and He was always good.
If you find yourself in a dark place today, longing for the presence of God, take a moment and reach out. If you want His presence, it is already there. He hasn't abandoned you. He is covering you. He is walking before you. He knows your name and your prayers are already being answered.
Wait in confidence for the revealing of the glory of the Lord.