Exodus Chapter 33
Israel’s Path of Restored Fellowship
A. Israel’s repentance and restoration
(Exodus 33:1–3)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “To your descendants I will give it.” And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.’”
After the sin of the golden calf, the LORD instructed Moses to lead Israel onward toward the land that had been promised to the patriarchs. Despite their rebellion, God did not revoke His covenantal promise. The inheritance of the land remained secure because His word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was unconditional and eternal. The people were permitted to go forward, yet the divine tone had changed. Whereas earlier the LORD had said, “My presence will go with you,” now He declared He would send “My Angel” instead.
This angel was not the same as “the Angel of the LORD,” who bore God’s own name and represented His personal presence (Exodus 23:20–23). Rather, this angelic messenger would lead and protect them but without the same intimacy of fellowship they had previously known. Isaiah 63:9 reflects upon this saying, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them.” Thus, this new angel was not the divine manifestation of Yahweh Himself but a created being serving as an emissary.
God’s words, “I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you,” revealed both mercy and distance. His holiness could not abide their sin, and continued nearness would bring judgment rather than blessing. This statement tested the hearts of Israel and of Moses. Would they be content with the land, victory, and prosperity without the presence of God? If they accepted such an arrangement, it would expose that they loved God’s gifts rather than God Himself. But if they sought His presence above all else, it would mark true repentance and spiritual renewal.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones wisely noted, “To be given every other blessing is of no value if God is not with you. What is the value of Canaan? What is the value of milk and honey? What is the value of having possessions, if God was not with them? They saw that the realization of the presence of God, having this fellowship and company, was infinitely more important than everything else.” The first stage in their restoration began with this confrontation—a recognition that life and victory without God’s presence were hollow and meaningless.
(Exodus 33:4–6)
“And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, ‘Say to the children of Israel, “You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.”’ So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.”
When Israel heard that the LORD would no longer go among them, they responded with mourning. The text calls it “bad news,” because the withdrawal of God’s presence was understood as a grievous loss. They rightly discerned that no victory, no land, and no angelic protection could substitute for the nearness of the LORD. Their sorrow showed that they valued the relationship with God more than His blessings.
They demonstrated this repentance outwardly by removing their ornaments. Jewelry and finery symbolized joy, pride, and celebration, but now humility and contrition were appropriate. The LORD’s command, “Take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you,” called for a visible act of repentance, showing that their hearts were broken and submissive.
The term “stiff-necked” is repeated to emphasize Israel’s spiritual stubbornness. The image comes from an ox resisting its master’s yoke, refusing to turn its head in obedience. Israel had resisted God’s guidance, preferring the idols of Egypt and the desires of their own flesh. Now, stripped of adornments and broken in spirit, they began to turn back to Him.
This act of mourning was not superficial emotion but the second essential step in revival: repentance and self-denial. They no longer sought to beautify themselves externally but to humble themselves internally before God. As Lloyd-Jones explained, “The people who are concerned about revival, in a true sense, are not just out for a little bit of excitement, or interest, or some happiness, or phenomena, or coming with an attitude of ‘something marvelous is going to happen and we are going to have a great good time.’ That is not how they think about it at all.”
Later, in Exodus 35:22, we learn that these very ornaments were brought as offerings for the construction of the tabernacle. “The very ornaments that could make a golden idol in the past could now be dedicated to God for the use of His sanctuary.” In this, repentance was proven genuine: what was once used for sin was now surrendered for worship.
(Exodus 33:7)
“Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.”
After Israel’s repentance, Moses advanced another step toward renewal. He took his personal tent and deliberately placed it outside the camp, calling it the tabernacle of meeting. This was not yet the official tabernacle that God had commanded to be built (as described in Exodus 25–28), but a temporary place of communion where Moses could seek God’s presence. The people had been chastened and stripped of their ornaments, and now Moses’ act symbolized a physical and spiritual separation from their sin and defilement.
By pitching the tent “far from the camp,” Moses demonstrated that fellowship with God requires consecration and holiness. Israel’s camp had been polluted by idolatry; therefore, the dwelling of divine fellowship could not remain in the midst of corruption. This distance served both as judgment and as invitation—God could still be sought, but those who truly desired His presence had to leave the comfort of the camp and seek Him in humility.
This act of Moses was not part of an organized revival campaign or religious ritual. It was spontaneous, born of holy desire and personal determination to meet with God. Moses’ heart refused complacency, and his leadership kindled a renewed longing in the people’s hearts. He refused to let the absence of the completed tabernacle hinder his pursuit of the LORD. When the official sanctuary was yet unbuilt, he made his own dwelling a sacred meeting place.
The statement “everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp” reveals a separation between the indifferent and the sincere. To go “outside the camp” required effort and a public stand of devotion. Not all would take that step. True seekers had to move away from the crowd and the comfort of their surroundings to find God’s presence.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones captured this principle beautifully: “When the Holy Spirit of God begins to deal with any one of us, there will be this separation. It will not be paraded, it will not be the Pharisees’ ‘I am holier than thou’ attitude. No, once a man begins to be burdened for the glory of God and the state of the Church, he immediately feels the call to consecration, he ‘goes out’ as it were.” Thus, Moses’ tent became a symbol of consecration, separation, and the pursuit of God’s presence above all else.
(Exodus 33:8–10)
“So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door.”
Whenever Moses went out to meet with God, the people noticed. They stood at the doors of their tents, reverently watching their leader as he walked toward the place of meeting. His devotion stirred their hearts. Leadership in worship is often best exercised by example rather than command, and Moses’ faithful communion with God moved the nation toward reverence. His visible obedience became the spark of corporate revival.
When Moses entered the tabernacle, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the doorway, signifying that the LORD had come down to meet with him. This visible manifestation of the divine presence transformed Moses’ tent into a true sanctuary, not because he named it so, but because God chose to dwell there. The pillar of cloud, previously the guide and protector of Israel, now served as the emblem of divine fellowship. It was, as some scholars note, like the banner of a king or admiral marking his presence among his people.
The descent of the cloud assured the people that God had not utterly forsaken them. Though His presence was now outside the camp, He was still near enough to be sought. The people could see the cloud standing at the door and knew that Moses spoke face to face with God. This was both a comfort and a call to renewed reverence.
The phrase “and the LORD talked with Moses” reminds us that the divine-human relationship here was deeply personal. Scripture does not record all that was spoken in those sacred conversations, but it suggests a communion filled with instruction, encouragement, and divine strengthening for the task ahead.
Seeing the pillar of cloud and witnessing Moses’ intimacy with God moved the people to worship. They rose and bowed in reverence at the entrances of their tents, acknowledging the holiness of God’s presence and the privilege of having a mediator who could speak with Him. The example of one man’s devotion brought an entire nation to renewed worship.
In these verses, Exodus 33:7–10, we see the third and fourth stages of Israel’s restoration: the separation unto holiness and the visible return of God’s manifest presence. Through Moses’ leadership and the people’s humble response, the nation began to experience the renewal of fellowship with their covenant-keeping God.
(Exodus 33:11)
“So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.”
The intimate fellowship between the LORD and Moses reached its highest expression in this verse. Scripture describes their communion as “face to face,” signifying openness, clarity, and friendship. Numbers 12:8 clarifies that this was not literal, but comparative: “I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD.” This meant that unlike other prophets who received revelation through dreams, symbols, or visions, Moses received God’s words directly and distinctly, as one man converses with another. Such immediacy of communication was unique in human history.
It is possible that God appeared to Moses in a theophany—an appearance in human form—similar to how He manifested to Abraham in Genesis 18. Yet the language “face to face” most likely expresses relational intimacy rather than physical sight. Moses experienced unbroken communion and personal conversation with the LORD, but he did not see the unveiled glory of God’s essence. As John writes, “No one has seen God at any time” (1 John 4:12). The full revelation of God’s glory would come later only through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:18).
This friendship between God and Moses reveals a profound truth about divine relationship: God desires intimate fellowship with those who walk in obedience and humility. The LORD Himself later said of Moses, “He is faithful in all My house” (Numbers 12:7). Such friendship was not casual but born of reverence, trust, and complete submission to the will of God.
After communing with the LORD, Moses would return to the camp to fulfill his duties among the people. Yet the verse notes that “his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” Joshua remained near the place of meeting, lingering where the presence of God had rested. This detail reveals the power of spiritual example. Moses’ devotion stirred Joshua’s heart to seek the LORD personally. The young man who stayed behind in prayer and solitude would later become the one chosen to lead Israel into the Promised Land.
The progression here illustrates how revival in the heart of one man can ignite devotion in others. Moses’ personal intimacy with God became the seedbed for national restoration. His fellowship inspired a generation, and his assistant, Joshua, absorbed by proximity the spirit of devotion and leadership that would prepare him for future service.
This verse beautifully captures both the personal and discipling dimensions of revival. Fellowship with God is never static or private—it multiplies, shaping others who witness it. As Moses communed face to face with the LORD, Joshua learned to dwell near His presence.
(Exodus 33:12–13)
“Then Moses said to the LORD, ‘See, You say to me, “Bring up this people.” But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.” Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.’”
Moses’ prayer here marks the next stage of spiritual restoration—a bold and intimate intercession grounded in grace. Although God had promised Israel victory through an angel (Exodus 33:2), Moses was unsatisfied with anything less than the personal presence of the LORD Himself. His concern was not only about direction or success but about relationship. The Promised Land without God’s presence was, to Moses, an empty victory.
He said, “You have not let me know whom You will send with me.” Moses longed for clarity about God’s presence and companionship. His words reveal a yearning not just for guidance but for communion—he did not want a messenger, he wanted the LORD. His concern was deeply personal: “Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name.’” Moses based his appeal on God’s own words, holding the LORD to His covenant of grace. He knew that God’s knowledge of him was intimate and relational, not merely informational.
The phrase “if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way” captures the heartbeat of true discipleship. Moses sought not merely to know God’s works but His ways—the character, purpose, and path of the divine will. Psalm 103:7 later echoes this distinction: “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Moses desired the deeper revelation of God’s nature, not just His deeds.
In his prayer, Moses also displayed humility. He recognized that God’s favor was not earned but granted by grace: “If I have found grace in Your sight.” His confidence in approaching God rested solely on that grace. Though bold, his boldness was reverent and faith-filled, grounded in the reality of divine favor already shown.
Finally, Moses interceded not only for himself but for the people: “Consider that this nation is Your people.” He appealed to God’s covenant relationship with Israel, reminding the LORD that they were still His possession despite their sin. In this intercession, we see a pastor’s heart—a man willing to stand in the gap between a holy God and a sinful nation.
As R. Alan Cole observed, “Moses is now concerned to obtain both a guarantee of that presence for his people, and also the enjoyment of a closer experience of it for himself.” His prayer was not selfish but mediatorial, the cry of a man who could not imagine leading God’s people without the assurance of His abiding presence.
(Exodus 33:14–17)
“And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then he said to Him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.’ So the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.’”
After Moses’ intercession, the LORD graciously responded with reassurance: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” The Hebrew literally reads, “My Face will go with you,” emphasizing the personal and manifest presence of God rather than an impersonal force. This statement revealed that God Himself—not merely His angel—would accompany Israel. The restoration of fellowship was now confirmed.
God’s promise of rest encompassed more than physical relief; it pointed to spiritual tranquility and divine favor. Rest in Scripture often symbolizes the peace that flows from right relationship with God. For Moses, such rest was found not in Canaan itself but in the abiding presence of the LORD.
Yet Moses, unwilling to take God’s grace lightly, pressed even further. “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” This was a statement of holy dependence. The Promised Land without God’s presence would have been nothing more than a barren victory. Moses desired not merely the blessings of God, but God Himself. His passion reveals the true essence of leadership in the faith: a refusal to settle for anything less than the fullness of divine communion.
Moses continued, “For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?” He understood that what set Israel apart from all nations was not their land, their laws, or their victories, but the presence of Yahweh among them. Without God, Israel would be indistinguishable from the pagan nations surrounding them. The world needed to see that the living God dwelt uniquely with His covenant people.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones paraphrased Moses’ heart well: “Now, I am asking for something that will make it absolutely clear that we are not just one of the nations of the world, but that we are thy people, that we are separate, unique, altogether apart.” The visible and spiritual presence of God was to be the mark of distinction for His chosen nation.
In verse 17, the LORD graciously affirmed, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” God’s response shows the power of intercessory prayer offered in humility and boldness. Moses’ deep friendship and obedience opened the way for divine favor not only for himself but for the entire nation. The LORD’s words, “I know you by name,” express intimate relationship and covenant affection. The people had sinned grievously, but through the mediator’s prayer, fellowship was restored.
Thus, this passage represents the climax of God’s renewed assurance: His presence restored, His favor reaffirmed, and His servant strengthened for the journey ahead.
(Exodus 33:18)
“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’”
Moses had already received remarkable confirmations—God’s promise of presence, rest, and grace—yet he yearned for more. This request was not born of doubt but of holy desire. Having experienced fellowship with God, Moses longed for a deeper revelation of His majesty. His cry, “Please, show me Your glory,” expressed the insatiable hunger of a heart awakened to divine reality.
This was not the prayer of an unconverted man seeking proof of God’s existence, but of a friend of God longing to know Him more fully. Revival always begins here—with those who already know God desiring to know Him more intimately. Moses had seen glimpses of divine glory before (Exodus 16:10; Exodus 24:16–17), yet he sensed there was still a greater manifestation to behold.
Charles Spurgeon suggested that Moses’ request may have been similar to Peter’s words on the Mount of Transfiguration—sincere yet beyond his full comprehension. It was a daring request, but one that pleased God, for it revealed a heart yearning for deeper fellowship.
Matthew Henry observed that “the more a man knows of God, the more desirous he is to know Him.” That truth is echoed here. True revival is never content with past experiences of grace. The believer’s heart cries out continually, “Lord, take me closer; reveal more of Yourself.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones distinguished between ordinary blessing and true revival, saying, “In other words, by revival we do not mean the Church being blessed by God, and conscious of his presence, and enabled to do his work… Revival goes beyond all that.” Moses sought more than success in ministry—he sought the unveiled glory of God Himself.
In Hebrew, the term for “glory” is kabod, meaning “weight” or “substance.” Moses desired to see the fullness—the “weight”—of God’s revealed majesty. He wanted not just the tokens of God’s presence, but the very manifestation of His being. Such longing is the hallmark of those who walk closely with the LORD: the nearer they come, the more they desire.
(Exodus 33:19–20)
“Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’”
When Moses asked to see God’s glory, the LORD answered with an astonishing revelation: “I will make all My goodness pass before you.” In response to Moses’ desire for visible majesty, God promised instead a moral revelation—His goodness, grace, and mercy. This shows that the true glory of God lies not merely in His radiant splendor but in His moral perfection and character. When Moses would behold the glory of the LORD, he would first understand that God is good. To see the goodness of God is to see the essence of His glory, for every attribute of God—His justice, holiness, and power—flows from His perfect goodness.
The LORD did not reveal His wrath, nor His destructive power, though both are real aspects of His nature. Instead, He revealed what defines Him most deeply: His gracious character. Human philosophy often tries to “balance” God—as if He were divided between light and darkness, mercy and justice, love and wrath, in an equal tension like yin and yang. But God is not divided; He is perfectly unified in goodness. Even His justice and judgment are expressions of His goodness, for He cannot deny His own nature.
When the LORD said, “I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you,” He declared that He would reveal His own character. In Hebrew thought, a name was not merely a label but a revelation of identity. To proclaim the name of the LORD was to unveil His divine nature and moral attributes. God would allow Moses not merely to see something external but to know something internal—His heart and essence.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones captured the significance of this moment: “I will stoop to your weakness. I will let you see something. But, much more important than that, I will cause all my goodness to pass before you. I will give you a deeper insight and understanding into myself, into my character, into what I am. That is what you really need to know.” Moses asked to see God’s glory, but God, in His wisdom, showed him His nature.
Finally, God explained the limits of this revelation: “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” The “face” of God represents the unveiled fullness of His glory—His direct and unmediated essence. No mortal man could survive such an encounter. This clarifies the earlier statement that Moses spoke to God “face to face” (Exodus 33:11). That phrase was a figure of speech for direct and intimate communication, not a literal vision of the divine essence. Adam Clarke observed, “He assures him that he could not see his face—the fulness of his perfections and the grandeur of his designs—and live.” The holiness of God’s glory is such that no human in a fallen state could behold it without perishing.
(Exodus 33:21–23)
“And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’”
The LORD graciously arranged this revelation with care. He provided Moses with a safe vantage point: “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.” This was not an accidental detail but a deliberate preparation for divine encounter. The rock served as a place of stability and protection—a symbol of Christ, our Rock of refuge and safety in the presence of divine glory. Some scholars even suggest that Elijah later experienced his encounter with God in this same place (1 Kings 19:8–18).
When God said, “I will put you in the cleft of the rock,” He illustrated that His glory cannot be endured apart from His protection. Moses could not stand in the full brilliance of God’s majesty, so the LORD shielded him with His hand and hid him within the rock. This image inspired Augustus Toplady’s timeless hymn Rock of Ages:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
Even though Moses was God’s friend, he still needed divine covering to survive the revelation of glory. This perfectly portrays our position in Christ: we are hidden in Him, shielded from judgment by His righteousness and mercy. Only in Christ can man behold the glory of God without destruction.
Isaiah, John, and Paul each experienced something similar. When Isaiah saw the LORD high and lifted up, he cried, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5). John, seeing the glorified Christ, “fell at His feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17). Paul, when caught up into paradise, could scarcely describe the experience, saying he heard things unlawful to utter (2 Corinthians 12:2–4). These encounters show that glimpses of divine glory always humble the soul, bringing both awe and brokenness before God.
Lloyd-Jones recounted other servants of God who experienced faint reflections of such glory—Jonathan Edwards praying in the forest with such intensity that time disappeared; David Brainerd sweating through his clothes as he knelt in the snow for hours, pleading for the salvation of souls; D. L. Moody crying out for God to stay His hand because the experience of divine love nearly overwhelmed him. These accounts remind us that the genuine presence of God carries weight—what Scripture calls kabod, meaning “glory” or “heaviness.”
The LORD concluded, “Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” The word translated “back” can mean the afterglow or after-effects of His passing glory. Moses could not see God directly but could behold the radiant trail of His presence. As Matthew Poole wrote, “Thou shalt see a shadow or obscure delineation of my glory, as much as thou canst bear, though not as much as thou dost desire.”
Lloyd-Jones insightfully observed that in this single moment, four divine actions occur together: revealing and concealing, blessing and protecting. God shows Himself, yet shields the beholder; He blesses with revelation, yet guards with mercy. These paradoxes define how the holy God communes with finite man.
Ultimately, Moses’ encounter anticipates the greater revelation found in Christ:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Through Jesus Christ, believers experience what Moses longed to see—the full manifestation of God’s goodness, grace, and truth. While Moses was shielded in the cleft of a rock, we are hidden in Christ Himself, the true Rock of Ages.
