Introduction: God commands Israel to depart from Mount Sinai and go to the land that He had promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exod. 33:1). After almost a year’s stay at Sinai (Exod. 19:1, Num. 10:11), the Israelites need to go forward and continue their journey to the Promised Land. During their stay at Sinai, God made a covenant with them and desired to bring them to Himself. He gave them the Decalogue and many additional instructions on how to be a wise, just, kind, disciplined, and well-organized nation (Deut. 4:5–10). It is now time to move ahead. However, God declares: “ ‘I will not go with you’ ” (Exod. 33:3, NIV). This pronouncement was because of Israel’s golden calf apostasy. God’s holy presence in the midst of Israel was incompatible with the people’s stubborn disobedience and would cause their destruction.
When the people heard this devastating news, they mourned and “stripped off their ornaments” (Exod. 33:6, NIV). Some translations render this verse correctly, showing that the removal of their ornaments was not something done only upon that occasion but was now permanent: “Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward” (Exod. 33:6, ESV; see also NASB or NLT). Once again, Moses pleaded with the Lord, beseeching Him to be with them, to guide them, to go with them. And furthermore: “ ‘if your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here’ ” (Exod. 33:15, NIV). God responded and assured Moses that He would lead them: “ ‘I will do the very thing you have asked’ ” (Exod. 33:17, NIV).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
The self-revelation of God’s character to Moses is the theological heart of the book of Exodus (Exod. 34:6, 7). It is situated at the apex of Moses’ climb up the mountain of God to meet with Him in a special way. God revealed His character to Moses upon his last climb recorded in the Pentateuch, which was at least his seventh climb. This last climb was also the third time that Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights with his Lord. Moses was growing in his relationship with the Lord; so, God was able to give him a fuller revelation about Himself and who He was. Besides these climbs, Moses interacted with the Lord in the “tent of meeting,” which was located outside of the camp of Israel (this tent is not the tabernacle, which will be built later and put in the center of the camp). The biblical text underlines that, during this time, a friendship developed between the Lord and Moses and that the Lord communicated directly with him “face to face” (Exod. 33:11).
The expression “face to face” does not mean that Moses literally saw the face of God (Exod. 33:20) but that they were very dear friends. This phrase is an idiomatic expression that means intimate closeness. This meaning is clear from the situation described in Deuteronomy 5:4, wherein Moses, in his sermon, reminds the Israelites that the Lord spoke directly to them in near proximity: “ ‘The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire’ ” (Deut. 5:4, NKJV). In spite of God’s closeness to them, the people, unfortunately, stayed at a relational distance from their Lord.
God’s Glory
God’s Glory
Four themes are of utmost importance in the book of Exodus: (1) God’s presence; (2) God’s salvation/deliverance; (3) God’s guidance; and (4) God’s glory. The last theme is particularly developed in Exodus 33 and Exodus 34.
On one occasion, Moses realized that he did not know the Lord as he should, so he asked Him: “ ‘If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you’ ” (Exod. 33:13, NIV). He humbly desired to know God better; so, he boldly requested: “ ‘Show me your glory’ ” (Exod. 33:18, NIV). God kindly responded to Moses that He would show him His goodness (Exod. 33:19). This divine response reveals that God’s glory is His goodness. Later we learn that when Moses is with the Lord on Mount Sinai, God reveals to him His character (Exod. 34:6, 7). In other words, God’s glory is His character, and the Lord’s goodness is a summary of God’s character.
The phrase “found favor/pleased” (literally, “finding grace”) is a key expression in this passage (Exod. 33:12–17). It appears here five times (Exod. 33:12, 13, twice; Exod. 33:16, 17; and also in Exod. 34:9). The previous use in Exodus of the term “favor/grace” was that the Israelites would find “favor” with the Egyptians because the Lord would “give” them “favor in the sight of the Egyptians” by giving them gold, silver, and clothing at the time of their departure from Egypt (Exod. 3:21, Exod. 11:3, Exod. 12:36, NKJV). The use of our passage is theological, especially in view of Exodus 34:6, in which it is explained that God is “gracious” (i.e., giving grace, or favor one does not deserve). Moses is humbly asking for God’s grace, a favorable response.
God previously explained to Moses who He was when Moses asked about the meaning of His name. Moses listened to God’s explanation of its meaning, namely, that (1) He is present; (2) He is eternal; (3) He is the God of history; and (4) He is active in behalf of His people (Exod. 3:14–16). Moses already knew God from his many interactions with Him: his time with Him in Midian, miracles performed before Pharaoh, the wonders of the ten plagues and the opening of the Red Sea, God’s care for His people in the wilderness, hearing God speak from Sinai, and so forth. Now Moses wants to understand Him better. He is ready to receive a deeper revelation of Him. God can give us insights into His character and about truth only to the extent that we are able to understand. Moses grew in His walk with God; so, God could reveal to him much more about Himself.
Early in the morning, Moses climbed the mountain. He had to take two stone tablets, which he had to personally chisel because he had broken the original tablets (Exod. 34:1). This was a slight rebuke to Moses for what he had done without God’s permission, but God graciously again wrote the Ten Promises on the new tablets. The Lord came to Moses in the cloud, which is a form of theophany. Clouds are symbols of God’s presence (Num. 11:25; Deut. 33:26, NIV; Dan. 7:13).
The Lord declared who He was in a self-disclosing way. He is the Lord, a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abundant in love and faithfulness, showing love to thousands of generations, forgiving, and just. But the last portion of this self-revelation of God puzzles many: “ ‘He does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children . . . to the third and fourth generation’ ” (Exod. 34:7b, NIV). Why would God punish people to the third and fourth generation? This verse echoes the description from the second promise of the Ten Commandments that the Lord is “ ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments’ ” (Exod. 20:5, 6, ESV).
To understand this concept, one needs to take into consideration the following facts: (1) God is using participles (i.e., continuous actions) when describing the next generation, which means they continue in the same wicked ways as their fathers (the previous generation) and have similar behavior and attitudes: they are “hating” the Lord and are thus “guilty.” On the other hand, note that God blesses those who are “loving” and “keeping” His commandments. (2) Consider the contrast of God’s mercy: punishment to the third and fourth generation of the wicked but giving love to thousands of generations. (3) Three to four generations often lived together, so within the same household, wrong attitudes were shared from one generation to the next. The prophet Ezekiel perfectly explains and corrects the misunderstanding of God’s punishments in families from one generation to another. (See Ezekiel 18.)
When Moses descended from Mount Sinai, his face radiantly reflected God’s glory. However, he did not know that his face was shining. People who are shining do not know that they are. The closer we are to the Lord, the more keenly we see our imperfection in the light of God’s holiness, and the more we want Him to transform us into His image so that we can reflect the beauty of His character.
It was not God’s presence alone that brought the change in Moses’ life. It was important for Moses to come into His presence, but, again, that was not enough. It was crucial that Moses be open to God’s love, grace, and compassion. Moses’ understanding of God’s goodness (Rom. 2:4; Rom. 12:1, 2) and his opening up to its transformative power made his face shine.
When the apostle Paul reflects on the shining face of Moses, he stresses that the glory of Jesus surpasses that of Moses. Christ with His teachings can be engraved into our character when we fix our eyes on Him. By beholding Him and by the power of the Spirit of God, we will gradually reflect His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
Part of the eternal gospel is the divine imperative to “give glory” to God (Rev. 14:7). God is glorious enough, so we cannot add anything to His glory. What does it mean to give glory to Him when we understand that His glory is His character?
Jesus told His disciples that they were “the light of the world” and encouraged them to let “your light shine” (Matt. 5:14, 16). He identifies this light with our good works for others. How do our good deeds help people glorify the heavenly Father?
We know that there is cold and warm light around us. Warm light is given to us by shining light bulbs, fire, and sunshine. What kind of light are we to people around us? How can we bring the warm light of God’s love into all our interpersonal relationships?
Moses conversed with God very openly. How can we today have candid conversations with God? How can we clearly hear what He tells us? How can we be sure, in the plethora of many voices, that it is His voice speaking to us?
Friends are people who trust each other and can share everything with each other. Their secrets will never be revealed. Friends help each other in time of need. In times of crisis, they support each other. True friends never betray each other. Jesus said to His followers: “ ‘You are My friends’ ” (John 15:14, 15, NKJV). How can we cultivate our friendship with God?
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Part I: Overview
Key Text: Exodus 34:6, 7
Study Focus: Exod. 33:1–34:35
Introduction: God commands Israel to depart from Mount Sinai and go to the land that He had promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exod. 33:1). After almost a year’s stay at Sinai (Exod. 19:1, Num. 10:11), the Israelites need to go forward and continue their journey to the Promised Land. During their stay at Sinai, God made a covenant with them and desired to bring them to Himself. He gave them the Decalogue and many additional instructions on how to be a wise, just, kind, disciplined, and well-organized nation (Deut. 4:5–10). It is now time to move ahead. However, God declares: “ ‘I will not go with you’ ” (Exod. 33:3, NIV). This pronouncement was because of Israel’s golden calf apostasy. God’s holy presence in the midst of Israel was incompatible with the people’s stubborn disobedience and would cause their destruction.
When the people heard this devastating news, they mourned and “stripped off their ornaments” (Exod. 33:6, NIV). Some translations render this verse correctly, showing that the removal of their ornaments was not something done only upon that occasion but was now permanent: “Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward” (Exod. 33:6, ESV; see also NASB or NLT). Once again, Moses pleaded with the Lord, beseeching Him to be with them, to guide them, to go with them. And furthermore: “ ‘if your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here’ ” (Exod. 33:15, NIV). God responded and assured Moses that He would lead them: “ ‘I will do the very thing you have asked’ ” (Exod. 33:17, NIV).
Part II: Commentary
Part II: Commentary
The self-revelation of God’s character to Moses is the theological heart of the book of Exodus (Exod. 34:6, 7). It is situated at the apex of Moses’ climb up the mountain of God to meet with Him in a special way. God revealed His character to Moses upon his last climb recorded in the Pentateuch, which was at least his seventh climb. This last climb was also the third time that Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights with his Lord. Moses was growing in his relationship with the Lord; so, God was able to give him a fuller revelation about Himself and who He was. Besides these climbs, Moses interacted with the Lord in the “tent of meeting,” which was located outside of the camp of Israel (this tent is not the tabernacle, which will be built later and put in the center of the camp). The biblical text underlines that, during this time, a friendship developed between the Lord and Moses and that the Lord communicated directly with him “face to face” (Exod. 33:11).
The expression “face to face” does not mean that Moses literally saw the face of God (Exod. 33:20) but that they were very dear friends. This phrase is an idiomatic expression that means intimate closeness. This meaning is clear from the situation described in Deuteronomy 5:4, wherein Moses, in his sermon, reminds the Israelites that the Lord spoke directly to them in near proximity: “ ‘The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire’ ” (Deut. 5:4, NKJV). In spite of God’s closeness to them, the people, unfortunately, stayed at a relational distance from their Lord.
God’s Glory
God’s Glory
Four themes are of utmost importance in the book of Exodus: (1) God’s presence; (2) God’s salvation/deliverance; (3) God’s guidance; and (4) God’s glory. The last theme is particularly developed in Exodus 33 and Exodus 34.
On one occasion, Moses realized that he did not know the Lord as he should, so he asked Him: “ ‘If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you’ ” (Exod. 33:13, NIV). He humbly desired to know God better; so, he boldly requested: “ ‘Show me your glory’ ” (Exod. 33:18, NIV). God kindly responded to Moses that He would show him His goodness (Exod. 33:19). This divine response reveals that God’s glory is His goodness. Later we learn that when Moses is with the Lord on Mount Sinai, God reveals to him His character (Exod. 34:6, 7). In other words, God’s glory is His character, and the Lord’s goodness is a summary of God’s character.
The phrase “found favor/pleased” (literally, “finding grace”) is a key expression in this passage (Exod. 33:12–17). It appears here five times (Exod. 33:12, 13, twice; Exod. 33:16, 17; and also in Exod. 34:9). The previous use in Exodus of the term “favor/grace” was that the Israelites would find “favor” with the Egyptians because the Lord would “give” them “favor in the sight of the Egyptians” by giving them gold, silver, and clothing at the time of their departure from Egypt (Exod. 3:21, Exod. 11:3, Exod. 12:36, NKJV). The use of our passage is theological, especially in view of Exodus 34:6, in which it is explained that God is “gracious” (i.e., giving grace, or favor one does not deserve). Moses is humbly asking for God’s grace, a favorable response.
God previously explained to Moses who He was when Moses asked about the meaning of His name. Moses listened to God’s explanation of its meaning, namely, that (1) He is present; (2) He is eternal; (3) He is the God of history; and (4) He is active in behalf of His people (Exod. 3:14–16). Moses already knew God from his many interactions with Him: his time with Him in Midian, miracles performed before Pharaoh, the wonders of the ten plagues and the opening of the Red Sea, God’s care for His people in the wilderness, hearing God speak from Sinai, and so forth. Now Moses wants to understand Him better. He is ready to receive a deeper revelation of Him. God can give us insights into His character and about truth only to the extent that we are able to understand. Moses grew in His walk with God; so, God could reveal to him much more about Himself.
Early in the morning, Moses climbed the mountain. He had to take two stone tablets, which he had to personally chisel because he had broken the original tablets (Exod. 34:1). This was a slight rebuke to Moses for what he had done without God’s permission, but God graciously again wrote the Ten Promises on the new tablets. The Lord came to Moses in the cloud, which is a form of theophany. Clouds are symbols of God’s presence (Num. 11:25; Deut. 33:26, NIV; Dan. 7:13).
The Lord declared who He was in a self-disclosing way. He is the Lord, a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abundant in love and faithfulness, showing love to thousands of generations, forgiving, and just. But the last portion of this self-revelation of God puzzles many: “ ‘He does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children . . . to the third and fourth generation’ ” (Exod. 34:7b, NIV). Why would God punish people to the third and fourth generation? This verse echoes the description from the second promise of the Ten Commandments that the Lord is “ ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments’ ” (Exod. 20:5, 6, ESV).
To understand this concept, one needs to take into consideration the following facts: (1) God is using participles (i.e., continuous actions) when describing the next generation, which means they continue in the same wicked ways as their fathers (the previous generation) and have similar behavior and attitudes: they are “hating” the Lord and are thus “guilty.” On the other hand, note that God blesses those who are “loving” and “keeping” His commandments. (2) Consider the contrast of God’s mercy: punishment to the third and fourth generation of the wicked but giving love to thousands of generations. (3) Three to four generations often lived together, so within the same household, wrong attitudes were shared from one generation to the next. The prophet Ezekiel perfectly explains and corrects the misunderstanding of God’s punishments in families from one generation to another. (See Ezekiel 18.)
When Moses descended from Mount Sinai, his face radiantly reflected God’s glory. However, he did not know that his face was shining. People who are shining do not know that they are. The closer we are to the Lord, the more keenly we see our imperfection in the light of God’s holiness, and the more we want Him to transform us into His image so that we can reflect the beauty of His character.
It was not God’s presence alone that brought the change in Moses’ life. It was important for Moses to come into His presence, but, again, that was not enough. It was crucial that Moses be open to God’s love, grace, and compassion. Moses’ understanding of God’s goodness (Rom. 2:4; Rom. 12:1, 2) and his opening up to its transformative power made his face shine.
When the apostle Paul reflects on the shining face of Moses, he stresses that the glory of Jesus surpasses that of Moses. Christ with His teachings can be engraved into our character when we fix our eyes on Him. By beholding Him and by the power of the Spirit of God, we will gradually reflect His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
Part III: Life Application
Part III: Life Application
Part of the eternal gospel is the divine imperative to “give glory” to God (Rev. 14:7). God is glorious enough, so we cannot add anything to His glory. What does it mean to give glory to Him when we understand that His glory is His character?
Jesus told His disciples that they were “the light of the world” and encouraged them to let “your light shine” (Matt. 5:14, 16). He identifies this light with our good works for others. How do our good deeds help people glorify the heavenly Father?
We know that there is cold and warm light around us. Warm light is given to us by shining light bulbs, fire, and sunshine. What kind of light are we to people around us? How can we bring the warm light of God’s love into all our interpersonal relationships?
Moses conversed with God very openly. How can we today have candid conversations with God? How can we clearly hear what He tells us? How can we be sure, in the plethora of many voices, that it is His voice speaking to us?
Friends are people who trust each other and can share everything with each other. Their secrets will never be revealed. Friends help each other in time of need. In times of crisis, they support each other. True friends never betray each other. Jesus said to His followers: “ ‘You are My friends’ ” (John 15:14, 15, NKJV). How can we cultivate our friendship with God?