My presence shall go with thee . Literally," My presence shall go up"—my own presence, not that of an angel. That for which Moses had been so earnestly pleading is, seemingly, granted. God will go up. I will give thee rest .— i.e. "bring thee to Canaan." (Compare Deuteronomy 3:20 ; Hebrews 4:8 .) read more
And he said . Still Moses is not quite satisfied. God had said—" I will give thee rest"—not " I will give you rest." Moses must see distinctly that the people are associated with him before he desists. So he replies—"If thy presence go not up, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us?" The reply in Exodus 33:17 sets his doubt finally at rest. read more
So shall we be separated . Rather, "So shall we be distinguished ." God's presence with them would distinguish them from all the other nations of the earth—place them in a category alone and apart from all others. Angelic guidance would not have done this; for even heathen nations had their protecting angels ( Daniel 10:13 , Daniel 10:20 ; Daniel 11:1 ). read more
I will do this thing also . " I will extend my favour to thy people also, and distinguish them, as well as thee, by going up with them. I will do this for thy sake, because thou hast found grace in my sight ." Moses' petition is at last fully granted—the threat of withdrawal cancelled—the promise of Divine guidance and protection renewed I know thee by name . It is a supreme favour for God to know us by name . It marks "a specifically personal relation to God" (Keil). The... read more
Show me thy glory . The glory of God had been seen by Moses to a certain extent, when God "descended in fire" upon Mount Sinai ( Exodus 19:18 ). It had been seen with more distinctness when he was called up and "went into the midst of the cloud" ( Exodus 24:18 ). But he felt, nevertheless, that he had not as vet really beheld it. He longed for that ineffable blessing of the full "beatific vision," which is promised to us after death, if we die in the faith and fear of Christ ( 1... read more
The craving for close communion with God, may be considered— I. AS BASED ON A NATURAL INSTINCT . Man without God—without the consciousness of being sustained and upheld by an eternal omnipotent being—can have no strength or confidence in the present, no hope in the future. He is a feeble part of the vast mechanism of a great incomprehensible universe—a form which matter has assumed for a time—powerless to shape his future—the sport of circumstance. From this his better... read more
Shew me thy glory. On this incident, remark— I. THE GOOD MAN THIRSTS FOR EVER FULLER MANIFESTATIONS OF THE DIVINE GLORY . The more he knows of God, the more he would know. The nearer he gets, he presses nearer still. He "longs" to see God's power and glory" ( Psalms 63:2 ). He prays to see as much of it as may be possible to him on earth. He will only be satisfied when admitted to the full vision of it in heaven ( Psalms 16:11 ; Psalms 17:15 ; 1 John 3:2 ... read more
I will make all my goodness pass before thee . It is not quite clear what this means, or how it was fulfilled—whether the reference is to the revelation of God's goodness in Exodus 34:7 , or to the entire experience that Moses would have of God in his later life. It is against the former view, that, if we take it, we can assign to the ensuing clause no distinct and separate sense. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee . See Exodus 34:5 , Exodus 34:6 . And I will be... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 33:12-23
Intercession and its reward. I. THE INTERCESSOR 'S POWER . 1 . God, who had disowned Israel, and refused to go with them, consents to go with him:—"My presence shall go with thee , and I will give thee rest." The first step in successful intercession for others is the receiving of power to serve God among them. This is the dropping which foretells the shower. 2 . God is brought back by persistent asking into the midst of Israel:—" I will do this thing also that thou... read more