Outline
The Lord refuses to go with Israel. (Verse 1-6.)
The tabernacle of Moses removed without the camp. (Verse 7-11.)
Moses desires to see the glory of God. (Verse 12-23.)
1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to 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, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3 Unto a 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 man did put on him his ornaments.
5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children 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.
I will come up…and consume thee” – God actually carried this promise out in Num. 11:1; 11:33; & 16:46.
6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
effort was required of those who wanted to seek after God – namely they had to go out of the camp and out to the tabernacle. The writer of Hebrews compares this to the fact that Jesus was crucified on mount Calvary outside of the gates of Jerusalem. The tabernacle as discussed in chapters 25-27 has not yet been built; the tabernacle mentioned here must have been some type of temporary structure erected by Moses until the one God instructed was built.
8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto 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 tabernacle.
9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.
10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
face to face…Thou canst not see my face…” – at a quick glance we have what appears to be a contradiction. The student however should note that Moses had already beheld the glory of God in a sense (19:21; 16:7); Abraham, Jacob and others had already seen the “face of the Lord” in the sense of the Angel of the Lord as he appeared to men in the OT (Gen. 32:30); the elders of Israel had even seen God in this manner (24:10). Therefore, what passes by Moses is not the “Angel of the Lord” nor can it be the essence of God’s soul in the sense of I Tim. 6:16. What Moses is allowed to see was very likely Jesus Christ in his full glory in the sense of Mat. 17:1-6 and Rev. 4 – Jesus before he took on human flesh in all of his heavenly glory.
12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
[Nahum 1:7, Matt 7:23, 1st Cor 8:3, Gal 4:9, 2nd Tim 2:19, Gen 6:8, Gen 19:19, Luke 1:30, Acts 7:46]
13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew 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 shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people 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: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
[Rom 9:15]
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
[Gen 32:30, Exod 24:10, Deut 5:24, Judg 6:22, Judg 13:22, Isa 6:5]
face to face…Thou canst not see my face…” – at a quick glance we have what appears to be a contradiction. The student however should note that Moses had already beheld the glory of God in a sense (19:21; 16:7); Abraham, Jacob and others had already seen the “face of the Lord” in the sense of the Angel of the Lord as he appeared to men in the OT (Gen. 32:30); the elders of Israel had even seen God in this manner (24:10). Therefore, what passes by Moses is not the “Angel of the Lord” nor can it be the essence of God’s soul in the sense of I Tim. 6:16. What Moses is allowed to see was very likely Jesus Christ in his full glory in the sense of Mat. 17:1-6 and Rev. 4 – Jesus before he took on human flesh in all of his heavenly glory.
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.
Verse 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.
Verse 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.
Verse 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.