Lesson #40

EXODUS 33
Lesson #40
THE NATURE OF A VERY CLOSE, PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

• Memory verse: 2Corinthians 3:2

• In chapter 32 we considered Israel’s great sin of the worship of the golden calf. We saw Moses’ wonderful prayer of intercession on behalf of his people and Moses’ efforts to rectify the situation of a broken covenant.
• In this chapter of Exodus, we see the healing and reconciliation necessary before the people could move forward.

• Read Exo 33:1-6
• God’s decision: (1-3)
• God restated His promise to bring them into the promised land based on the promise He made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
• God promised to send the Angel of the Lord before them to fight for them.
• The angel of the Lord is a reference to the second member of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ.
• God said He would not go in the midst of His people because they were so stubborn.
• The people’s reaction: (4-6)
• The people considered God’s decision was bad news.
• What they heard was that God would not go in their midst and that God considered them as stubborn stiff-necked people.
• The good news on which the people did not focus was that Jesus Christ would still go before them, and Jesus Christ would still honor His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• Because of their sorrow and fear of God, the people removed all their golden earrings that represented pagan idolatry.

• Read Exo 33:7-11 Moses and the tabernacle
• The location of the tabernacle:
• God’s plan was that the tabernacle be constructed in the center of the camp.
• This location served two purposes:
• The people would be constantly aware of God’s presence in the center of the camp where the cloud dwelt over the Holy of Holies.
• When the cloud moved away from the tabernacle, the people could easily see that it was time to move.
• Because of this great sin, Moses puts the tabernacle outside the camp. Why?
• Sin separates man from God. In order to physically emphasize this spiritual principle, God’s presence is over the tabernacle outside of the camp.
• There needed to be an atonement for sin before the relationship between God and man could be fully healed.
• Moses interceded for mercy and forgiveness on behalf of His people. (Exo 32)
• God’s judgment had fallen when those who were unrepentant were killed. (Exo 32)
• The name of the tabernacle:
• At a time when the people were at their greatest distance from God spiritually, Moses called the tabernacle, “the tabernacle of the congregation, Why?
• The people needed to know that this place of worship was accessible to them if they wanted to come to God in the way He had prescribed. (7)
• Why did the people watch Moses so intently as he went into the Tabernacle? (8)
• The people were intently interested in what was going to happen to them and to Moses after this great sin. Was God going to hold Moses responsible for the broken covenant by blotting out Moses’ life as Moses had suggested?
• However, God was still speaking to Moses as an intimate friend, face to face. The people watched until Moses came out of the tabernacle.
• Notice that scripture tells us that Joshua stayed in the tabernacle for a longer period of time.
• God was preparing Joshua to be the next leader.

• Read Exo 33:12-23
• Moses’ intimate relationship with God
• We are able to see the very close relationship that Moses had with God in verses 12 and 13.
• He speaks confidently to God because he is honestly searching out the heart of God.
• God knows Moses by name.
• God knows all those by name who receive Jesus Christ into their hearts for they are part of God’s family.
• Their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Rev 21:27)
• Those God does not know in this personal way will be judged. (Psa 1:6)
• Moses’ petitions to God and God’s answers:
• Moses had interceded for the people of Israel after the event of the golden calf,.
• Moses knew he had found grace in God’s sight.
• However, at this point, there were some things still not clear to him.
• =1= Moses asked God to show him the way.
• God said His presence would be with Moses and God would give him rest. (14)
• The word, “presence”, literally means = “my face”, and it relates to the angel of the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.
• The word, “rest”, as we have examined from the book of Hebrews refers to the presence, protection, and blessings of God. (Heb 3:11-4:10 Deu 3:20 Deu 12:10)
• =2= Moses wanted a more complete assurance that he was doing exactly what God wanted.
• He was concerned with the wrath of God when he saw so many killed because of the worship of the golden calf.(15-16)
• God repeated His promise of His presence, His promise to lead them to the promised land, and His knowledge that He knew Moses by name.
• =3= Moses wanted to see the glory of God. (18)
• This request is something no one had experienced in their relationship with God before.
• In the Old Testament times we see few people who really had a very close personal relationship with God, certainly Enoch, Abraham, and David are a few.
• This request reflects Moses’ personal relationship and confidence in God.
• This request is a personal affirmation of God’s personal presence in Moses’ life apart from the affirmation that God still wanted Moses to lead the people to the promised land.
• God answered this request by giving Moses a special revelation of God’s presence.
• It is not clear exactly what Moses saw of God’s presence for God is a spirit and human eyes cannot see a spirit.
• It is believed that the apostle Paul also had a special revelation of God’s presence.
• Read 2Cor 12:3-5
• This kind of personal revelation of the glorious presence of almighty God is rare, but it is the evidence of a very close, personal relationship with God.
• How did Moses and the people know that God would fulfill the promises He made to His people?

• They knew by means of 2 ways:
• =1= They knew by the repeated promises God gave them..
• =2= They knew by the personal presence of God with them.
• Application:
• How do believers today know that we have the assurance of eternal life?
• We know by the promises in the Word of God.
• Read Joh 3:15
• Read Joh 5:39
• Read Joh 6:54
• We know by the presence of God with us.
• Read Heb 13:5
• Read Joh 14:16-17

• Summary and Application:
• The people of Israel were very curious about Moses’ close relationship with God as they intently watched him go into the tabernacle and come out of it.
• The special relationship that Moses had with God required that he spend time with God in personal devotions.
• A believer who wants this kind of relationship with God cannot short-cut this personal time with God.
• We can gain further insight into Moses’ personal relationship with God by considering a New Testament passage.
• Read 2Cor 3:1-18
• The believer in Jesus Christ is God’s letter to the world.
• On Mount Sinai, God wrote His law on tables of stone.
• In this age of grace, God is writing His law on our hearts. The believer is being conformed to the image of Christ.
• When Moses came down from spending much time on Mount Sinai with God, his face shown with a glorious light. It was so bright the people complained that they could not look at Moses directly. Therefore, Moses put a veil over his face to protect the eyes of the people.
• It was not the keeping of the Law that made Moses’ face shine. It was the Spirit of God on him that made it shine. It was the result of time spent with God in that personal, face to face relationship.
• Notice that Paul says in verses 7-11 that Moses’ relationship with God cannot compare to the glorious relationship we can have through Jesus Christ. Why?
• Moses in his relationship to God experienced the glorious presence of God on him. The New Testament believer experiences the glorious presence of God in him.
• Therefore, if we really let the Holy Spirit in us shine through us as God desires, we will be a glowing letter of God’s love to all the world.
• The people of Israel did not want to see the glory of God on Moses’ face because of their stubbornness and unbelief. As a result, the veil that Moses’ wore was a prefigure to the veil God put over the eyes of the Jews so that would not see the glory of God in Christ.
• Notice that Paul says the veil is taken away in Christ. (14), however the Jews keep the veil on their hearts even today.
• When the Jews turn to Christ at His second coming, the veil will be taken away and they will see the glory of Christ.
• Paul ends the chapter with the thought that the more we look into the face of God through Christ and His Word, the more we will be changed by the Spirit of God into the glorious image He wants us to be.
• This is the beauty of Christ and His Word in our lives today.
• This is the beauty of Christ and His glory that was put into the details and significance of the tabernacle and the personal relationship Moses experienced with God.

HOMEWORK
EXODUS 34
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Exo 33
• How close is your relationship with God?
• How much time do you spend talking with Him?
• How much time do you spend in His Word?

• Preparation of Exo 34
• Read Exo 34:1-17
• What is the significance of the new set of tablets?
• What characteristics do you learn about God from this passage?
• Read Exo 34:28-35
• Read Mat 17:1-13
• What significance is Moses’ appearance on the Mt. of Transfiguration?

• Memory Verse: Exodus 34:6