Exodus 33 Devotional Bible Study by Steve Wilson

Exodus 33

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ² I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ³ Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

⁴ When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. ⁵ For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” ⁶ So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.

The Tent of Meeting

⁷ Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. ⁸ And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹ As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. ¹¹ The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Moses and the Glory of the Lord

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

 

Humbling Ourselves Before the Lord

Exodus 33:4-6

When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.

Why did God tell the people to take off the ornaments? It was an act of humility. It was to show they were in mourning for their sin and the damaged relationship with God. They had to take off their outer ornaments to show their inner repentance.

What if we did this? What if when we sinned, we deprived ourselves of some luxury to show our repentance? What if we canceled our Netflix, or dressed plainly, or ate plain food, or something to humble ourselves?

When you did something wrong as a child, your parents would punish you to help you remember the lesson. Humbling ourselves by “stripping off our ornaments” is a way to help us remember not to sin in the same way again.

 

Meeting Privately with the Lord

Exodus 33:7

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.

Worshiping the Lord in a group of believers and sitting under someone’s teaching is good and right. But it’s also helpful to get alone with the Lord, away from everyone else. That’s why Moses had a special tent set up outside the camp for to inquire privately of the Lord.

When you meet with the Lord like this, you can meditate on Scripture, but you can also pray and listen for the Lord’s response. You can ask the Lord direct questions about what you should do and have Him answer you. He communicates with us in different ways. Some things He will say to you when you’re in the group, but He also knows that some things are easier for you to hear when it’s just you and Him.

Get alone with the Lord today and see what happens.

 

Expectation

Exodus 33:7-11

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

I love how the people would stand and watch Moses go to the tent. They were expecting something to happen, weren’t they? They were expecting God to speak with Moses and for Moses to then come out and give them a new revelation from the Lord.

Do we come to our meetings with the Lord with the same expectation? Do we anticipate that He will speak to us if we are faithful to meet with Him?

The Lord wants to communicate to each one of us, though it will be in different ways. The way the Lord speaks to me may be different from the way He speaks to you. Still, He will communicate if we give Him our attention.

Quiet your thoughts now and invite Him to speak to you. Know that He wants to communicate with you, and expect that He will.

 

Did Not Leave the Tent

Exodus 33:7-11

Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

Why did Joshua not leave the tent when Moses did? Joshua was going to be God’s chosen leader after Moses died. He would have the big job of leading the people into the Promised Land, waging war against the Canaanites, and dividing the land among the tribes of Israel. How did the Lord prepare him for his calling?

He had Joshua stay with Him in the tent.

If we want to be used by the Lord, if we want to minister to others, the best preparation is lingering with the Lord. Take in as much of His Presence as you can. Spend as much time with Him as you can so that you get to know His voice and His heart. When you know the Lord, you’ll be ready to share Him with those around you.

 

“Teach Me”

Exodus 33:13

“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”

This is part of Moses’ prayer to the Lord. Is it your prayer today? Do you want the Lord to teach you? He always wants to take us deeper into Him. If we stay at the same place in our Christian walk, He is not pleased. He wants us to continue growing. Pray every day and ask Him to teach you His ways so that you may know Him and continue to find favor with Him.

 

What Makes Us Different?

Exodus 33:14-16

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

The only thing that makes us different from “all the other people on the face of the earth” is God’s Presence with us, God’s Spirit within us. We can change the way we talk, the bad habits we have, maybe be a little nicer to people, but that’s all outward. It doesn’t change who we are on the inside. It doesn’t change who we are as people, or how we feel about ourselves, about others, and about life in general.

The only thing that can truly change us is allowing God to be near us and letting His Spirit change us from the inside out. Rather than working so hard to change ourselves, we rest in Him. We surrender to Him and let Him do His work in us.

What do you need to change today? Ask God to help you. It’s the only way to be truly successful.

 

Why Can’t We See God?

Exodus 33:17-20

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Even Moses couldn’t see God fully, or else he would die. Why is that? It’s because God is like the sun. Just like we can’t look directly into the sun, because it’s too bright for us, so we can’t see God in His fullness now, because He’s too much for us. In our sinful, mortal state, God’s holiness and glory would destroy us. It’s only once we’ve been transformed both in spirit and body that we’ll be able to behold the Lord.

But… God was gracious to Moses, and He’s gracious to us. Even in this life, He shows us His goodness. He proclaims the greatness of His name to those who will listen. He shows us goodness and compassion every day.

Pray now for the Lord to show you His goodness and the greatness of His name, the Lord.