Exodus 33)
1 And the Lord said to Moses, "Depart, and go up from this place, you and the People which you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'To your seed will I give it:'
2 And I will send an angel before you; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3 To a land flowing with milk and honey (= all kinds of good things): for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for you are a stiff-necked People:
lest I consume you in the way."
Y5 C 33:4-6. Stripping of ornaments.
D 33:7-11. Yahaveh. Removal.
D 33:12-23. Yahaveh. Manifestation.
C 34:1-4-. Making of the second Tables.
4 And when the People heard these evil tidings (this shows Moses had descended again), they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
5 For the Lord had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, 'You all are a stiff-necked People (these have to be humbled; but an afflicted people is an object of Divine favor. Cp. 2:24,25; 3:7; 4:31): I will come up into the midst of you in a moment, and consume you: therefore now put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what to do to you.' "
6 And the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
27th July to 1st of August.
7 And Moses took the tent (11 times called tent; Heb. ’ohel. Not the Tabernacle, for this was not yet made, but a different building altogether, called “the tent of the assembly”), and pitched it outside the camp (in presence of corporate failure God withdraws Himself. Typical of our own day. Those who seek Him must "go forth to Him". Cp. Heb. 13:13 ), afar off from the camp, and called it the tent of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out to the tent of the congregation, which was outside the camp.
8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the People rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tent.
9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tent, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and the Lord talked with Moses.
10 And all the People saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tent door: and all the People rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door.
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face (to emphasize the communion in the presence of corporate failure; this must ever be individual and personal), as a man speaks to his friend. And he (Moses) turned again into the camp: but his servant (= personal attendant, as in 24:13. Heb. n‘ar, rendered “servant” 2 Sam. 19:17. 2 Kings 5:20. Neh. 5:10, &c. = assistant) Joshua (see 17:9. He had not been in the camp; an when Moses went out Joshua remained in the tent), the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent.
D t¹ 12,13. Request (Positive).
u¹ 14. Answer - Presence.
t² 15,16. Request (Negative).
u² 17. Answer - Grace.
t³ 18. Request (Positive).
u³ 19-23. Answer - Goodness.
12 And Moses said to the Lord, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this People:' and You have not let me know whom You will send with me (as promised in 32:34). Yet You have said, 'I know you by name (cp. Isa. 43:1; 49:1. In the presence of corporate failure all is individual, cp. 2 Tim.2:19.In 1 Tim. we see corporate rule, in 2 Tim. we see corporate ruin. Hence, 2 Tim. is individual throughout), and you have also found grace in My sight.' (or, favor. All is of grace, cp. 34:9 &c. Noah, Gen. 6:8. Abraham, Gen. 18:3. Moses, 34:9 &c.)
13 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way (different from Your works. Cp. Ps. 103:7. "Ways" are esoteric, "acts" are exoteric; we must go "outside the camp" to learn "the ways" of Yahaveh), that I may know You, that I may find grace in Your sight: and consider that this nation is Your people."
14 And the Lord said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." (If this verse be punctuated as a question, then we can understand v.15, "shall My presence go with you, and shall I lead you into rest?" as much as to say, How can My presence go with you after this rejection of Me?)
15 And he (Moses) said to Him, "If Your presence go not with me, carry us not up from this place.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and Your People have found grace in Your sight? is it not in that You go with us? or by our being separated, I and Your People, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." (= ground)
17 And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do this thing also that you have spoken: for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."
18 And he (Moses) said, "I beseech You, show me Your glory."
19 And the Lord said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you (the glory could not have been endured; grace comes first, glory is reserved for the future), and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you (this done in 34:5-7); and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will show mercy."
20 And the Lord said, "You can not see my face (cp. 23:15 and 34:20): for there shall no man see Me, and live."
21 And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand upon the rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the hollow of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen."