Sermon on Exodus 33:1-23.

Let's turn now to Exodus chapter thirty-three that we might continue our study through the Word of God.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up from here, you and the people which you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it (Ex 33:1):

Now at this point Moses and the Lord are having an argument on who these people really are. Neither of them want to claim them. When God was speaking with Moses there on Mount Sinai in the previous chapter, "The Lord said unto Moses", verse seven, "get thee down for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves"(Ex 32:7).

Then in verse eleven as Moses responds, "Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people which you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt? (Ex 32:11)"

So neither one wishing to claim them at this point. No wonder. They are forsaking the law and the ways of God. They had made the golden calf; they were worshiping it, they were violating the commandments of God. So God had more or less disowned them and said, "They are your people." Moses disowned them and said, "God, they're Your people. You're the One that brought them out of Egypt." and all.

So the Lord in the beginning of chapter thirty-three, this little thing continues with Moses and the Lord. "The Lord said unto Moses, Depart and go up from here, thou and the people which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt." So God's handing them back to Moses at this place. "And unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:"

And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land that is flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up from the midst of thee (Ex 33:2-3);

God said, "All right, now you take the people and you go, and I'm gonna send an angel because I'm not gonna go up in the midst of thee." Now in reality, people misunderstand God. So often they read this as a harshness on God's part, as God being very hard on Moses and on the people, but in reality it's a sign of God's grace, as we read the reason for God not going up, or not desiring to go up.

for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way (Ex 33:3). In other words, because of the fact that they are so stiffnecked, because of the fact that they are so rebellious and so prone towards sin, God said, "I'm not gonna go up in the midst of thee", lest actually by that very holiness of God the people be consumed for their sinfulness. So rather than being a thing of judgment on God's part, it was a thing of grace.

And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man put on his ornaments. [They left their jewelry off. They were mourning before God.] For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, You are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. And Moses took the tabernacle (Ex 33:3-7),

Now this is not the tabernacle that was to be built, this is prior to the actual building of the tabernacle. So the word means, "the place of meeting", and it was that place where they met God prior to the building of the tabernacle, which we'll find in a few chapters. and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp (Ex 33:7).

So they took the place of meeting, the place where the people met God and from the midst. Now the people were before this, sort of all circled around this place of the meeting of God, the tribes in each order all around it. Now they remove it, and they put it completely outside of the camp; meaning, that the people have to now come outside of the camp in order to meet God.

Now there is an interesting spiritual sequel in this, in that Jesus crucified outside of the city of Jerusalem, people have to come out of Judaism to meet with God through Jesus Christ. They can no longer meet with God through the system of Judaism, but outside of Judaism. Now a new covenant that God established, the covenant that was established with Israel, being disannulled because of the people's failure to abide by that covenant. So having abolished the old covenant, God has now established a new covenant, which is outside of the Judaism itself. So to meet with God it is necessary to come out. For the Jew it is necessary for him to come out from Judaism and to meet God outside of a national kind of a relationship.

Now the relationship to God is available to every man. There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We must all come to God now through Jesus Christ, and that is outside of the camp, really, of Israel itself.

And so it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked at Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar standing at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle (Ex 33:8-11).

So Moses pitched the tabernacle outside of the camp. God said, "I'll not dwell in the midst of you, lest I consume you." So he took the place of meeting outside of the camp. Moses went outside and entered into this tabernacle, and when he did, the people standing in their tent doors and watching saw this pillar, that had been leading them, descend to the door of that tabernacle; the presence of God, symbolic really of God's presence with him. As they saw this phenomena, they all began to worship God there in their own tent doors. Now of course, Moses was there making intercession once again for the people.

And Moses said unto the Lord, See, that thou sayest unto me (Ex 33:12),

"Oh, let's deal with this thing" and he talks to the Lord face to face. Don't want to jump over that, because we read down just a little bit further, as Moses said,

I beseech thee, show me thy glory (Ex 33:18),

Verse eighteen. And He said,

I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy upon whom I will show mercy. And He said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live (Ex 33:19-20).

So when Moses talked to God "face to face" it doesn't mean he was looking at God face to face, but there was just such a complete and total communication between God and Moses. It was just like a dialogue rather than a monologue. I mean, he would talk to God, God would speak right back to him, but he did not actually see the face of God.

In the New Testament Jesus tells us that, "No man hath seen God at any time. But the Only Begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He has manifested Him"(John 1:18). So in comparing scripture with scripture, we realize that Moses did not actually look upon the face of God because here in the very chapter, it says, "No man can see God's face and live."

It is interesting that in every vision that men had of God, the brilliance of God was such that it was like looking at a sun. So in looking at the brightness of that outshining glory of God, there could not actually be any form that could be described or drawn. Just in seeing God, there was just that brightness of His glory that's all they could see, no form at all. But Moses had such communication with God that it was just a conversation with the Lord.

Now in this I am envious. I wish that I had a clear communication—well, I wish He had a clear communication with me. I think my communication with Him is fairly clear. But I oftentimes have difficulty understanding the voice of God as He speaks to me. Sometimes I think God has spoken and He hasn't. It was just something out of my own mind. It was just something that I had thought. You say, "Well, how do you know that?" Because it worked out so miserably. Then there were other times when I didn't know if it was the Lord or not that was speaking to me. Then as it turned out, I found out it was, and I wished that I had followed up on the impulse or I wish I would've said something about it. I wish I would've said, "I know what the Lord has shown me". And I wish I would've shared it with someone, so that they'd know that man, I really was tuned in for once. So many times it is only after the fact that I realize that, "Oh, that was God speaking to me."

I have never had the experience of God speaking to me in an audible voice. I have had the experience of the Lord speaking to me in such a definite, positive way that I knew immediately it was God, there was no doubt about it, and I just—I just knew it. I was aware of it, I was conscious of it; there was no question. But so many times there is sort of a question about it. I don't know. There are—there are strange things that happen and I can't explain them, impressions that you get, and you don't know the origin.

I was sitting at a Rose Bowl game a few years ago and we were down in the area of the end zone, and S.C. was down in our territory going in the other direction. I said to the friend that I was with, and of course my voice carries, my wife always tells me to talk softer because my voice does carry, and I said, "Watch this next play. Anthony Davis is going all the way in one play around left end." The next play, they gave the ball to Anthony Davis, he went around left end, and all the way for a touchdown. Everybody around me turned and looked at me, you know. Then they started saying, "Tell us something else."

Now I don't—I just—I just had an impression, I just saw it in my mind. I just had an impression and said it. How is it that it followed? I don't know. Was it just coincidence? Perhaps, because surely God wouldn't be interested in a Rose Bowl game or would He? It'd be interesting to have that kind of power and go to the racetrack. I don't advocate it, you're liable to lose everything; find out God isn't talking to you.

But God speaking with man. God has spoken with a man. "God who at sundry times, and in divers manners spake unto our fathers by the prophets"(Hebrews 1:1). Different ways, different times, God has spoken to man. It's always exciting to realize that God has spoken to us. But He has in this these last days spoken unto us by His own dear Son.

Now God has spoken to each of us by Jesus Christ. The clearest revelation that any of us can receive of God is by Jesus Christ. He has spoken unto us by His own dear Son. That is why I do not feel that God is speaking to me by an angel would be so important or really meaningful in that He has already spoken to me by His own dear Son. It is interesting that nowhere in the New Testament do I read after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that angels came to really communicate the revelation of God to man; that came to us through Jesus Christ. Now the angel did come to Paul on the ship and instructed him concerning things that were going to take place, the shipwreck and so forth, but no revelation of doctrine.

So Moses had this experience of speaking to God in a very direct way, and God answering him, a conversational way and this has been unparalleled. No other man has had this experience of being on such a conversational basis with God. God speaks of it later on as sort of an exclusive thing. With no other man had there been that conversational basis in such a complete clear way as it was with Moses.

So Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight (Ex 33:12).

Now Moses said, "Look, You said You're gonna send an angel, but You never even introduced me to him, someone I don't even know. Now You tell me that You know me by my name. You tell me that I have found grace in Your sight, now You're trying to pass off an angel on me. When I have this kind of a relationship with You, I don't want an angel." Why settle for second best? Why settle for something less than God Himself. "You say You know me by my name. You say I've found grace, than don't send the angel."

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. ["Quit trying to put them off on me."] And God said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest (Ex 33:13-14).

That which Moses was looking for, the presence of God, for he recognized the need for the presence of God. He knew what God could do; he wasn't sure what the angels could do. Knowing the power of the presence of God, he didn't want to accept any substitute.

And Moses said unto God, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not from here (Ex 33:15). In other words, "If Your presence doesn't go with me, Lord, I don't want to go. I don't want to leave here. I don't want to leave without Your presence." That is perhaps about the wisest thing that Moses could ever do is just stick right where he was unless he had God's presence going with him. You're foolish to venture anywhere apart from the presence of God. You're foolish to venture out in your own, on your own. We need the presence of God wherever we go. "If Your presence doesn't go with me, then Lord, don't send me from here."

For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that you go with us? ["How are we gonna prove that we've found grace, only in Your presence with us actually.] 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 you have found grace in my sight, and I do know you by name. And he said, I beseech thee, [Moses had things going for him, God's agreed to a couple issues, so Moses is gonna press it now, and he said, "I beseech thee",] show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But the Lord said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live (Ex 33:16-20).

So Moses' desire, his prayer, "Show me Thy glory." Oh, that that would be the prayer of our own hearts. "Oh God show me Thy glory" that we might really get a glimpse of the glory of God. We get so earthbound, we get so bound in the things of man, the things of man's creation, the work of our own hands; oh, that we might see the glory of God. "Lord, show me Thy glory."

Paul got a glimpse of the glory of God, the glory of God's dwelling place, as did John. Paul's glimpse revolutionized his life, changed him completely. It created a continual dissatisfaction with earthly things from then on. How could you be happy in this mess when God has such a glorious place prepared for us? "Lord, just let me see Your glory."

I pray for each one of you that God will somehow allow you to see His glory, that it will create that dissatisfaction with earthly things, that I can never settle down in the old routine again. I can never be happy again with just the old mundane material world around me, but there'll be that longing to enter into that glory, and the presence of God. "Oh Lord, show me Your glory. Demonstrate Your glory before Your people." Interesting prayer. I wonder why people don't pray it more. Why don't we just really seek to see the glory of God? "Lord, show us Thy glory."

So God promised that first of all He would let His goodness pass before him. Then God said, "And I will proclaim the name". Now this name God is gonna proclaim it to Moses; it is a name that was highly revered by the Jews, so highly revered but that they would not even attempt to pronounce it. So the name of God became non-pronounceable.

When the scribes would come to the name of God in their text, before they would write the consonants, they would not put in the vowels, only the consonants, Y-H-V-H. Now try and pronounce Y-H-V-H, unpronounceable, can't pronounce just the consonants, you need the vowels for pronunciation. We don't know what the vowels are. That is why we don't know if the name of God is Yahweh, or Jehovah, pronounced with a "Y" not sure how to spell it. We don't know what it is. We guess at what the vowels might be, but we don't know because the name of God was not pronounced by them.

God said, "I'm going to proclaim my name before thee." But the scribes when they would come to these consonants, before they would write them in the text, they would go in and take a bath, put on fresh clothes, wash their pen completely, dip it in fresh ink, and then write the consonants. Now can you imagine how many baths you'd have to take in some of these passages where the Lord's name is mentioned several times? Yet that is the kind of reverence in which they held the name of God, feeling that it was such a holy name that it should never pass the lips of man. Thus it was never to be pronounced by man.

So in reading the text, when the readers would come to the name, rather than attempting to pronounce the name, they would bow their head in reverence and they would just whisper the name. It was an unpronounceable name. They'd just say the name, but they held that name in such high respect. Now there was probably nothing that was held in higher respect than the name of God. Yet God declared, "I will honor My Word above My name." So the honor that God places upon His Word. Now when God places such honor upon His Word, believe me I don't want to tamper with it. I can't understand men who tamper with the Word of God. I would be absolutely frightened to tamper with the Word of God, when God holds His Word in such high honor. "I will honor My Word above My name." I can't understand tampering with it.

I know a lot of you that are in love with the Living Bible, and I love the way he has translated many passages, and yet there's a passage in Zechariah that he has translated in, I feel, in a blasphemous way. That is in the—what is it? Fourteenth chapter where they say unto Him, "What are the meaning of the wounds in Your hands?" He said, "These are the wounds that I received in the house of my friends." Chapter thirteen, verse six. Living Bible translates that something like this, "What are the meaning of those marks on Your back?"

"These are what I got in a brawl in My friends' house." Because he said the context is not speaking of Christ. But what does he mean? Read on the next verse, "Awake O sword against My shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of Hosts. Smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered." In the New Testament that passage is quoted. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Eden—I mean the garden of Gethsemane, and the disciples fled from Him it said, "that the scripture might be fulfilled, smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered". So the context does refer to the Messiah, and for the author of the Living Bible to take such liberty to translate that thing that way.

I wouldn't have the nerve to tamper with God's Word, because God honors His Word above His name. Yet God said, "I'm gonna pronounce My name before you." They say that the only one who really knew how to pronounce the name of God was the High Priest. He would only pronounce it once a year on the Day of Atonement, which incidentally started at sundown. We are now in Yom Kippur. On the Day of Atonement when all the trumpets were blaring, and people were shouting their praises to God because the word had come back that the goat had disappeared in the wilderness. During that moment of high celebration with all of the shouts of the people rising, the priests amongst the shouts of the people would pronounce the name. But there was so much shouting nobody could hear him. So nobody knows how to pronounce the name.

God declared, "I'll proclaim my name." God gives great honor to His name, but even greater honor to His Word. Then the Lord declares His graciousness and His mercy unto Moses.

And so 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 passes by, ["Lord show me Thy glory" while my glory passes by"] that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts [Or actually sort of the afterglow, the hinder part, just that glow that is left from having passed by.] but my face shall not be seen (Ex 33:21-23).

Moses' prayer, "Show me Thy glory", and God promises to pass by His glory, past Moses that he might see just the afterglow of it.

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