Exodus 33:12-23

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

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.”

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.”

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.”

– Exodus 33:12-23

Devotion

Throughout Exodus, chapter 33, we learn a lot about Moses’ passion for a close relationship with God. Verse 11 records the shocking statement that in the Tabernacle, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” God revealed Himself to Moses in several new and awe-inspiring ways that no one had experienced before, yet Moses wanted to have an even deeper experience and to know God more. He asked God to directly show him His glory.

The Big Question

What are you learning about your relationship with God through this example of Moses? Do you ask God to reveal Himself to you more fully? To what degree to you desire to experience God more deeply? Do you pray for yourself and for other people to come to know God better like the Apostle Paul did in Ephesians 1:17?

Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.