Exodus 33

1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart and go up from here, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt unto the land which I swore unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it.

2 (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.)

3 Unto the 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.

4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and no one put on their ornaments.

5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye 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.

6 Then the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb on.

7 And Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it outside the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of the testimony. And it came to pass that every one who sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the testimony, which was outside the camp.

8 And it came to pass when Moses would go out unto the tabernacle, that all the people would rise up and stand each one at the door of their tent, with their gaze following Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle.

9 And when Moses would enter into the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD would talk with Moses.

10 And when all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door, all the people would rise up, each one in the door of their tent, and worship.

11 And the LORD would speak unto Moses face to face, as anyone would speak unto their friend. And he would turn again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart out of the tabernacle.

12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring this people out, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou saith, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show 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.

14 And he said, My presence {Heb. faces} shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And he said unto him, If thy presence {Heb. faces} is not to go before us, do not bring us out of here.

16 For in what shall it be known here that I have found grace in thy sight, I and thy people, but in that thou goest with us, and I and thy people will be separated from all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth?

17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken because thou hast found grace in my sight, and I have known thee by name.

18 Then he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

19 And he replied, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name that I AM before thee; and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and will show clemency on whom I will show clemency.

20 He further said, Thou canst not see my face; for no man shall see me and live.

21 And the LORD continued saying, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock;

22 and it shall come to pass while my glory passes by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by.

23 Then I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts, but my face {Heb. faces} shall not be seen.

Exodus 33 Commentary

Chapter 33

The Lord refuses to go with Israel. (1-6) The tabernacle of Moses removed without the camp. (7-11) Moses desires to see the glory of God. (12-23)

Verses 1-6 Those whom God pardons, must be made to know what their sin deserved. "Let them go forward as they are;" this was very expressive of God's displeasure. Though he promises to make good his covenant with Abraham, in giving them Canaan, yet he denies them the tokens of his presence they had been blessed with. The people mourned for their sin. Of all the bitter fruits and consequences of sin, true penitents most lament, and dread most, God's departure from them. Canaan itself would be no pleasant land without the Lord's presence. Those who parted with ornaments to maintain sin, could do no less than lay aside ornaments, in token of sorrow and shame for it.

Verses 7-11 Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp. This seems to have been a temporary building, set up for worship, and at which he judged disputes among the people. The people looked after him; they were very desirous to be at peace with God, and concerned to know what would come to pass. The cloudy pillar which had withdrawn from the camp when it was polluted with idolatry, now returned. If our hearts go forth toward God to meet him, he will graciously come to meet us.

Verses 12-23 Moses is very earnest with God. Thus, by the intercession of Christ, we are not only saved from ruin, but become entitled to everlasting happiness. Observe here how he pleads. We find grace in God's sight, if we find grace in our hearts to guide and quicken us in the way of our duty. Moses speaks as one who dreaded the thought of going forward without the Lord's presence. God's gracious promises, and mercy towards us, should not only encourage our faith, but also excite our fervency in prayer. Observe how he speeds. See, in a type, Christ's intercession, which he ever lives to make for all that come to God by him; and that it is not by any thing in those for whom he intercedes. Moses then entreats a sight of God's glory, and is heard in that also. A full discovery of the glory of God, would overwhelm even Moses himself. Man is mean, and unworthy of it; weak, and could not bear it; guilty, and could not but dread it. The merciful display which is made in Christ Jesus, alone can be borne by us. The Lord granted that which would abundantly satisfy. God's goodness is his glory; and he will have us to know him by the glory of his mercy, more than by the glory of his majesty. Upon the rock there was a fit place for Moses to view the goodness and glory of God. The rock in Horeb was typical of Christ the Rock; the Rock of refuge, salvation, and strength. Happy are they who stand upon this Rock. The cleft may be an emblem of Christ, as smitten, crucified, wounded, and slain. What follows, denotes the imperfect knowledge of God in the present state, even as revealed in Christ; for this, when compared with the heavenly sight of him. is but like seeing a man that is gone by, whose back only is to be seen. God in Christ, as he is, even the fullest and brightest displays of his glory, grace, and goodness, are reserved to another state.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 33

This chapter informs us, that the Lord refusing to go with the people, only sending an angel with them, they are filled with concern, and troubled, Ex 33:1-6. Moses upon this pitched the tabernacle without the camp, where everyone that sought the Lord went; Moses entered into it himself, and the Lord talked to him in a friendly manner in the cloudy pillar that stood at the door of it, and the people worshipped, every man at his own tent door; all which foreboded good, and tended to reconciliation, Ex 33:7-11. Moses improved the opportunity, and entreats the presence of God to go with them, which was granted, Ex 33:12-17 and that he might have a sight of the glory of God; and this is promised to pass before him, he being put into the cleft of the rock, Ex 33:18-23.