Exodus 33:12-23 - Rest in God’s Presence of Glory and Grace

Exodus 33:12-23

The Promise of God’s Presence

12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses wanted to know that God would go with him as he was entrusted to lead the people into the promised land to find rest and peace.  The LORD had previously told him that He knew Moses personally by name and that he had found grace in God’s sight to be chosen.  Based on these truths of God’s word, Moses asked for grace and guidance to further know the LORD and to have His leading in that grace to succeed in bringing the people of God to their promised destination.  He was assured by the LORD that He would be with him (Isaiah 41:10, Exodus 4:12, 15, Joshua 1:5-6) and give him rest just as He continues to assure us of His presence in our rest in Christ (Romans 5:1-12, Hebrews 4:9-10) until we enter the heavenly kingdom promised us in Him as Jesus leads and guides us (Psalm 31:3) for His name’s sake.  He goes before us to lead us into the kingdom to come because we have that kingdom of promise within us (Luke 17:21) already and His very presence (Ephesians 1:13-14) as our guarantee of entrance to the kingdom to come visibly and permanently to earth at last.  Like Moses, we pray and trust God’s presence to be with us or we fear we will not move to enter that promised land and we ask to see His glory, His face, to be encouraged and find strength to overcome.  We are told it is by faith in His faithfulness and hope to enter by grace and mercy until we see His face fully at last (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 1:7, 22:4); this is what motivated Moses and continues to do so for we who are in Christ now until that day.  Until then we must be as Moses who was permitted to see God dimly from behind (1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Corinthians 3:18) and not in His holy face lest he die in that glorious sight by seeing his own unworthiness and sinfulness in even the slightest comparison with Him.  We stand in this grace with patience as Moses did, watching His glory in part until we understand that the overwhelming truth of His sovereign grace to show compassion and grace only on those He has chosen (Romans 9:15-16, 18, 22-23)  that we might see Him in His Son and live forever to see His face at last!  And as Romans 10:14-15 reminds us, we are to lead others by the spiritual gifts and wisdom given us as to Moses to hear the gospel and join us in trusting God in Christ to open their eyes to His glory in the world’s wilderness of sin that they also may journey to the promised land with us by forgiveness from Him.  We are to call and lead others to find this rest and peace with God in the face of Jesus Christ, in His presence of glory and grace, that we may journey together to that heavenly country promised by that grace. This then is the account of Moses leading God’s people to Rest in God’s Presence of Glory and Grace, just as we are called to do through the proclamation of the gospel.