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Moses' Special Relationship with God The Faces of God And he said, My presence
[faces] shall go Richard E. Evans The King James Version of this text has added words
not supported by the Hebrew manuscripts, words that distort the meaning of the
text. But before addressing the text itself, it is first necessary to consider
the context. Without an appreciation of the events that preceded this dialogue
between God and Moses, it is difficult to grasp its significance. The Context God through Moses delivered the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. As they departed, a visible sign of God’s guidance out of Egypt and through the dangers of the wilderness was a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night (Exodus 13:21). After a three-month march during which there were times of murmuring by the people and awe-inspiring works by God, they arrived at Mount Sinai. There God set forth his purpose for Israel as recorded in Exodus 19 and instructed Moses to bring the people to the foot of the mountain: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. ... And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. ... And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God [‘elohiym, #430]; and they stood at the nether part of the mount” (Exodus 19:4-17). God called Moses to the top of the mount and he was given vocally (no tablets at this time) a summary of the divine instruction. Moses returned to the people, put God’s words in a book, and read it to all gathered there. They answered with one voice, “all the words which the LORD hath said will we do” (Exodus 24:3,7). Thus, the covenant between God and Israel was mediated by Moses (Galatians 3:19) and ratified by the sprinkling of the blood of bulls and goats (Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:16-20, Emphatic Diaglott). Afterward, Moses returned to the mountain: “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. ... and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods [‘elohiym, #430] of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods [‘elohiym] of gold” (Exodus 20:18,21-23). Therefore, at the onset of his relationship with the people of Israel, God made clear they were not to make physical entities to be worshipped as gods. Later, while Moses was again on the mountain (receiving the tablets of law), the people became impatient with Moses’ absence. In spite of God’s recent instruction, they demanded Aaron form a calf of gold. What followed is recorded in Exodus 32. “And when Aaron saw it [the golden calf], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they [the people of Israel] rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods [‘elohiym], O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath [countenance, ‘aph, #639] may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I [God] will make of thee [Moses] a great nation.”—Exodus 32:5-10 God’s description of the people as “thy” and “stiffnecked” reflected the divine reaction to what occurred at the foot of the mountain. Though he threatened severe punishment, he conditioned it with “let me alone ... that I may consume them.” God left the door open for intercession by Moses. He would allow himself to be otherwise persuaded. The personal promise to Moses to make of him a “great nation” picked up the identical words of God’s prior promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:2). Moses’ reaction to this proposed course of action provides wonderful insight into his character. He used it as his strongest argument for saving not “his,” but “God’s” people: “And Moses besought the LORD his God [‘elohiym], and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath [countenance, ‘aph, #639] wax hot against thy [not Moses’ but God’s] people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath [countenance, ‘aph, #639], and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever [an age, owlam, #5769, “the age to come,” Mark 10:30]. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”—Exodus 32:11-14 Though God allowed Moses to dissuade him from casting off the people of Israel, there was a proviso. After going down the mountain and destroying the golden calf Moses returned to God to address that consequence: “And Moses ... said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods [‘elohiym] of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them” (Exodus 32:31-34). As recorded in Exodus 33, Moses and Israel were not happy with God’s concession: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast 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: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned” (Exodus 33:1-4). No longer would God be in their midst. Instead of the LORD going before (Exodus 13:21) an angel would be leading them. Tent of Meeting To provide a meeting place with God when they departed Mount Sinai, Moses set up a “Tent of Meeting” situated “without the camp.” This was a temporary arrangement, to be replaced by the tabernacle when completed. To understand the location “without the camp” it is necessary to have an appreciation of the Israelite camp layout (Numbers 2:1-34; 3:23-38). Only with the Tent of Meeting in the center of the camp would it be possible for all of the Israelites to watch from their tent door: “And Moses took the tabernacle [tent, ‘ohel, #168], and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle [tent] of the congregation [meeting, mow’ed, #4150; i.e., where God would meet with man]. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle [tent] of the congregation [meeting], which was without the camp. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle [tent], that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent [‘ohel, #168] door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle [tent]. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle [tent], the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle [tent], and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle [tent] door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [faces to faces, paniym, #6440, plural], 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 [tent].”—Exodus 33:7-11 Unlike the tabernacle that
was soon to be built, the Tent of Meeting did not have a priesthood to serve in
it. Apparently it had only Joshua (Exodus 33:11). The Text In the Tent of Meeting Moses addressed the proviso by God that he would no longer be in the midst of Israel (Exodus 33:3). “And Moses said unto the LORD, See [consider, ra’ah, #7200], 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. 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 [ra’ah, #7200] that this nation is thy people” (Exodus 33:12,13). The intensity of Moses’ plea is lost in the KJV by poor translation in verses 12 and 13, and by the addition of words not supported by the Hebrew in verses 14 and 15. Moses was not content with knowing only that an angel would be with them. Which angel? And what about God? Moses still harbored concern for the people of Israel and pressed God: “Consider this ... consider that.” God’s response to Moses’ appeal was not the answer desired because it was focused on Moses personally: “And he [God] said, My presence [faces, paniym, #6440, plural] shall go with thee, and I will give thee [Moses] rest” (Exodus 33:14). Again, the response was focused on Moses himself (the second person pronoun is masculine singular and refers to Moses). This friend of God (Exodus 33:11), however, was not to be denied. He pressed God to include the people: “And he [Moses] said unto him [God], If thy presence [faces] go not with me, carry us [the people of Israel] 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.”—Exodus 33:15,16 Moses’ persistence was rewarded. He secured from God a promise for his continued favor and for Israel’s full restoration: “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” (Exodus 33:17). Listen carefully to those words! They say much about the open and dynamic relationship God has with his creation. An Open God God, who is love, respects the integrity of his intelligent creatures and relates dynamically with them in working out his purpose. As shown by his continued interaction with Israel, God not only acts but also reacts: “It may be that the house of Judah [the two tribe kingdom] will hear all the evil which I [God] purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (Jeremiah 36:3). God not only influences events but is also willingly influenced by them: “How shall I give thee up, Ephraim [the ten tribe kingdom]? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man” (Hosea 11:8,9). God not only plans, but is flexible enough to adapt to decisions made and to actions taken by his creation. That is the lesson of Moses’ dialogue with God in Exodus 33. God spoke of this dynamic relationship with his creation in a very direct way through the prophet Jeremiah: “O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.” —Jeremiah 18:6-10 Above all, as the apostle John made manifest, God is love (1 John 4:8,16). Accordingly, he expresses his power through freedom. He does not control like a despot. The heart of the biblical message is not the existence of God, or his eternity, or his power. Its essence is that God is love and through that love he is open to his creation. Understanding this divine openness, Moses appealed to his God and changed the course of history! |