Exodus 33:23: "you will see My back"
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. 20 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. 22 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. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23, NIV)
(Context Exodus 33:12-23)
Why did Moses now ask to see God? God spoke to Moses in the burning bush. God used Moses as His spokesman to bring the plagues upon Egypt. Moses say God part the Red Sea and enclose it upon the Egyptian army. Why did Moses need assurance God was still leading the Hebrews?
God wrote the commandments on stone tablets and gave them to Moses to give to the people. But, on the mountain God threatened to destroy the Hebrews because they made and worshiped a golden calf. When Moses went down and saw the people worshiping the golden calf, in his anger he threw down the stone tablets and broke them. Now, Moses was back on the mountain. But, he had serious doubt whether God still wanted to lead the Hebrews.
How many people after returning from a mountaintop experience with God return back to their churches to see the people worshiping the golden calf? The youth returns excited from camp only to be quenched by the complacency of indifferent adults. The pastor on fire after studying God's Word convicted by His message preaches on deaf ears to the same unmoved congregation. Returning to the mountain, why will things be any different after returning to the desert? Moses needed God's assurance.
Why did God only let Moses see His back? We must admit much of this passage is a mystery to us. To some degree, we can understand our inability to see God's face because of His holiness. But, why allow Moses to see His back? What God's back looked like is a total mystery. It's not the kind of passage a moviemaker likes to dramatize. But, what was God telling Moses by showing His back.
In Romans 9:15, Paul quotes from this context, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Exodus 33:19b, NIV) The context of Romans 9 is God's part in the lives of people; in particular, in the lives of the Jews who didn't follow Christ. This implies God was telling Moses something about His interaction with people.
If by showing His back God made a symbolic gesture, it makes sense this way. Our finite minds cannot understand the infinite God. We don't understand what He plans in the future or what He's doing in the present other than the limited extent of His revelation to us in Scriptures. We understand enough to know what God wants us to do? But, where we see God best is what He has done in the past, His backside. Similarly, God told Moses:
"I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." (Exodus 3:12, NIV)
It's difficult to have confidence in God when we don't know what today or tomorrow will bring. What strengthens our faith is when we can remember God's response when we relied on Him in the pass.
©2001 Perry Vernon Webb. You may quote this page in part or the whole as long as you do not alter the wording and reference this Internet page as the source of the quote.
How to receive a new life in Christ.
next to Bible references to open Logos Bible Software Series X directly to the passage.Learn more about linking directly to Logos and find other web sites that support integrated Bible study.
Email: [email protected]