Exodus 33
This chapter picks up right after the golden calf disaster (which I ironically reflected on back in April). God is not too fond of the Israelites BUT reassures them he will stand by his covenant commitments by still giving them the Promised Land and protecting them through the time of their restoration. He was, however, so angry with them due to their stubborn disobedience that he was forced to back away to not destroy them. After He expressed his anger with self-control, the people underwent a heart-wrenching self-examination. They saw the truth, confessed their sins, and repented before God. They went as far as to strip themselves of their jewelry and fancy clothes and go into a kind of public grief. It makes me think of throwing my Apple watch and cell phone to the ground in embarrassment of how much I rely on those things so much in my day-to-day life. This truly highlights that even when we fail miserably, we can be assure that God’s promises of reconciliation will stand. All we need to do is go to God openly with our sins, seeking his help to find a new way of life.
Then Moses sets up a ‘meeting tent’ outside of the camp. This is where he would talk to God ‘face to face, as a man speaks to a friend’. This private time allows him to kind of push back at God. Moses questions Him. He favors Moses so much, then why wouldn’t He personally follow them on their journey instead of sending an angel instead. It pays off for Moses and his people. God comes back around but when Moses asks to see His face, God says no human can see His face and live, so he offers a compromise instead. He’ll put Moses in a rock crevice, cover him with his hand, and let Moses see his back as he passes by.
This chapter is about broken trust being rebuilt through honest confrontation, not just glossed-over forgiveness. Moses doesn’t accept a watered-down version of the relationship (an angel instead of God). He holds out for the real thing and gets it. This ‘see my back, not my face’ moment is often read as – you can experience the effects/aftermath of the divine but not grasp the whole of it directly. It is important for all of us to have a clear vision of God. As we see him more clearly, we better understand who we are. All of us should seek to know God better and to experience his presence in our lives.
When I read out of the Old Testament, I often put myself not only in the shoes of someone like Moses, but more importantly the people that were following him. For better or worse, at least Moses was able to speak with God quite a bit. But the people weren’t. They put their faith and trust in Moses which in turn was put in God. It is not the same, but on Sundays I certainly put my faith and trust in the pastor each Sunday morning, but that isn’t the answer either. I am comforted to know that I have a direct line to the Father at any given moment I want it. Although I am very much guilty of not ringing His number as much as He or I would prefer. I pray that we all take at least a few more moments of our ‘busy’ days to do 2 things.
- Continue to ask him for forgiveness for anything and everything that we still aren’t holding a candle to.
- Ask God, “How can I be a better follower to You?”