Ex 33:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 1. When was this land promised to Abraham?
Ex 33:2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
2. Who were these people?
The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. Gen 10:6 (NIV)
15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Gen 10:15-17 (NIV)
The Hebrews were decedents of Shem.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” 26 He also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth ; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave.” Gen 9:24-27 (NIV)
Ex 33:3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
3. What does it mean that the Lord will not go with them?
Good news included bad news! Entry into the Promised Land was not forfeited, but God’s presence on the way was withdrawn. What was a sworn covenant-promise to the patriarchs just could not be broken: what was assured—the divine presence on the way—could be set aside because of sin.
The grace of God is seen even in God’s threat to remove Himself from their midst. God’s stated purpose for keeping a distance between Himself and the Israelites as they travel on toward the promised land was that their sinfulness would require Him to destroy them. Thus, to be in their midst was to greatly endanger the Israelites, while to be distant from them was to assure their safety, unless there was some means provided to deal with Israel’s sins, and thus to appease God’s righteous anger.
God had said, “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared” Exod. 23:20,
Ex 33:4-6 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
4. What did their jewelry have to do with the situation?
These ornaments, as we have already seen, were heathen. Their earrings, for example, demonstrated the fact that they were still worshiping the gods of Egypt. The earrings were a sign of it. This is very much like the wearing of a cross, although it is meaningless today as an identification of a Christian.
Do you see why the putting off of Israel’s ornaments and jewelry was an appropriate act of repentance? Because these ornaments were similar to those which had been contributed to make the golden calf (Exod. 32:2-4). These images seemed to have an idolatrous association with the past, with pagan gods. Thus, to put off these ornaments was to show Israel’s repentance over the golden calf incident.
The Israelites, we seem to be
told, never again put on these ornaments: “So the sons of Israel
stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward” (Exod. 33:6).
I believe that it is these ornaments, which the Israelites put off
here, were later offered to God to be used for the furnishings of the
Tabernacle (Exod. 35:21-22).
As implements of idolatry, these golden ornaments were fit only for
destruction. As tokens of Israel’s repentance, these ornaments were fit
for use as tokens of God’s presence in the Tabernacle furnishings. Ex 33:7-11 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
5. What is this tent of meeting?
The first thing we must establish is that the “tent of meeting” is not the Tabernacle, which will appear later. That the “tent of meeting” and the Tabernacle are distinct entities can be seen from these lines of evidence:
(1) The “tent of meeting” was outside the camp, while the Tabernacle was within the camp.
(2) The “tent of meeting” was served by Moses
(3) The cloud of God’s presence came down to the “tent of meeting” only when Moses was there, while the cloud hovered over the Tabernacle at all times, except when Israel was to break camp and march.
tent of meeting outside the camp. Not the tabernacle, which occupied a central location within the Israelite camp, but a temporary structure where the people could consult the Lord until the more durable tabernacle was completed.
pillar of cloud would come down. Symbolizing God’s communication with Moses “as a man speaks with his friend” (v. 11). Later, a similar descent crowned the completion of the tabernacle.
The LORD would speak to Moses face to face. God communicated with him directly—but without visually showing his “face.” As the OT mediator, Moses was unique among the prophets.Joshua … did not leave the tent. Probably his task was to guard the tent against intrusion by others. The evidence all points to the fact that the “tent of meeting” described here is a unique, provisional place for God to met with Moses and the Israelites. On the one hand, it is inferior to the Tabernacle, but on the other hand, any place of meeting with God is better than none at all. The function of the “tent of meeting” and the Tabernacle was similar, in that the Tabernacle was also a “tent of meeting” (cf. Exod. 35:21), and thus superseded the mysterious “tent” of verses 7-11 of our text. Therefore, we will see references to the “tent of meeting” later on,90 but I think these are all referring to the Tabernacle.
Ex 33:12-13 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
6. What does Moses mean “teach me your ways”?
Make me know Thy ways, O LORD; Teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day. Remember, o LORD, Thy compassion and Thy lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old (Ps. 25:4-6).
Moses is seeking to know God even more intimately than he already knew Him. That he desires to know God’s character, as reflected in His way of doing things. To know God’s ways is thus to know God, and to better understand how one should live in a way that pleases God. Moses knows that taking the lands from the Canaanites was going to be huge project, comparable to dealing with the Pharaoh and going across the Red Sea, but this time the Lord would not be leading the way. So how is this going to work?
Moses petitioned God to consider the Israelites as His people. Ever since the Israelites chose to worship a golden calf rather than God, God has referred to this people as Moses’ people: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves’” (Exod. 32:7). Moses wants to reverse this. Moses wants God to view the Israelites as His chosen people. Thus, he makes this petition. God’s response to Moses’ petition is recorded in verse 14: “And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exod. 33:14).
Ex 33:14-17 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
7. How does God respond to Moses request?
God’s response to Moses’ petition is recorded in verse 14: “And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exod. 33:14)
There is tremendous
encouragement here. God assured Moses that He would be personally
present with him as he led the Israelites to Canaan. The messenger whom
God promised to send was therefore the “angel of God’s presence” (cf. Isa. 63:9).
God promised Moses the means to getting the Israelites to Canaan.
Furthermore, He promised Moses that the end, the Israelites living
safely in Canaan, would be realized. This is indicated by the term
“rest” as it is used here and elsewhere in the Old Testament: God will
be with Moses in a personal way. Moses continues want to link God back
to His people, but God refuses at this point because he knows their
hearts. 8. What does it mean My presence shall go?
My presence shall go with thee—פני ילכו panai yelechu, my faces shall go. I shall give thee
Ex 33:18-23 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
- NIVSN……………….NIV Study Notes.
- JVM ………………….J Vernon McGee,
- ACC ………………… Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- BN ……………………Barnes Notes
- WBC………….…….Wycliffe Bible Commentary
- CN ……….…………..Constables Notes
- IC……………….…….Ironside Commentary
- NET…………….…….Net Bible Study Notes.
- JFB……………………Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
- VWS………………….Vincent Word Studies
- CMM………………..Commentary on Matthew and Mark
- BDB……………..….Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
- Darby……………….John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
- Johnson……………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
- NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and Mark.
- EHS………………….Expositions of the Holy Scriptures
- CPP…………………The Complete Pulpit Commentary
- SBC…………………..Sermon Bible Commentary
- K&D…………………Keil and Deilitzsch Commentary on the OT
- EBC……………….…Expositors Bible Commentary
- CBSC……………….Cambridge Bible for Schools and College
- GC……………………Guzik Commentary
- RD…………………..Robert Deffinbaugh
- NSB …………………The Nelson Study Bible
- MHC…………………Matthew Henry Commentary
- ESVN……………..….ESV Study Bible Notes
- MSBN……………….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
- CSTTB………………..Chuck Smith Through the Bible
The above post may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, social justice, for the purpose of historical debate, and to advance the understanding of Christian conservative issues. It is believed that this constitutes a ”fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the Copyright Law. In accordance with the title 17 U.S. C. section 107, the material in this post is shown without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to make civil comment. Divergent views encouraged,