MONDAY
Now, finally, we come to the scene I’ve been driving at for this whole campaign. We have come to the climax of the story of the Exodus and the life of Moses. When we talk of mountaintop experiences in the presence of God, this is among the greatest in the Bible.
In the context, remember, the people of Israel have just created and worshipped a golden calf. They have violated the terms of the covenant. God was sending them out from Sinai, but God had just said that he would not go with them, he would only send his angel ahead of them (32:33; 33:3). This is where we pick up with Moses’ appeal to God.
Exodus 33:12–17 (NIV) Moses and the Glory of the Lord
12 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.’ 13 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.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 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?”
17 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.”
This scene is continuing the test for Moses that we began looking at a couple of weeks ago. Moses is a changed man at this point—he has been transformed in the presence of God. Note, as we saw two weeks ago, his continued insistence that Israel belongs to God (v. 13). God tested Moses by saying that the people were Moses’ people and Moses brought them up out of Egypt. Moses is simply not satisfied going with the people without the presence of God. He knows that only the presence of God will signal God’s favor of his people. He knows that nothing but the presence of God will distinguish God’s people from the rest of the people on earth.
Among the people of Israel, Moses seems to be the only one at this point who understands what the whole Exodus was about. It wasn’t just a liberation story, although it is that. It wasn’t just a display of God’s power, although it was that as well. The point of this story is to reveal God as Yahweh, the eternally existent one in whom is all life. In the revelation of God, the people are to recognize their desperate need for God—not the things God will give them, but God himself. The blessing of the Promised Land will mean nothing without God. So Moses humbly says, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Moses has ceased depending on himself or other controllable aspects of creation (pagan gods) for his life and his identity. He is fully trusting in Yahweh.
In verse 14 God says that his presence will indeed go with the people and he promises to give them rest. The significance of the concept of rest is hard to overstate in biblical theology. On the seventh day of creation, God rests from his work. The idea of the Sabbath is to stop and rest. Then in 2:15 we read:
Genesis 2:15 (NIV) 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
The word translated “put” is the same word for “rest” here in Exodus 33:14. God rested the man in the Garden of Eden. This is a picture of the promised land rest the people of Israel are heading towards. Moses, however, knows that it is not the land that will give him rest but it is the presence of God.
Fast forwarding to the New Testament we read Jesus saying:
Matthew 11:28 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
For Jesus’ audience, familiar with their Old Testament, this statement would be tantamount to a claim to be God. Jesus, like Yahweh, in the Exodus claims to be the one who will give rest. This rest is not found in any blessing that Jesus may give but in Jesus himself.
Similar to Moses we would be wise to recognize this truth and live in it. We humans are all pursuing our version of rest (i.e., the good life). True rest is only found in the presence of the one who is himself truth and life. True rest is not found in anything he may give us (health, wealth, or happiness) but in himself. You may find a shallow rest in vacations or luxurious living or the pleasures of this life, but your soul will never fully find rest apart from the presence of God. It is only when our soul finds its rest in God’s presence that we can fully enjoy the goodness of God in creation without making an idol out of it. It is only when we have tasted rest in the presence of God that we can understand that the greatest joy of the new creation will be the presence of God.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
True rest is in the presence of God.
Hebrews 4 also picks up on this theme.
Additional Content
We can trace this theme of rest throughout the biblical narrative: Eden—The Promised Land—The Kingdom of God (the Church in Jesus’ teaching)—The New Creation. The key to rest in all of these places is the presence of God.
Reflection
As we reflect on God's presence and the rest he offers:
- Make time to intentionally seek God's presence. This might mean setting aside 10 minutes of complete silence each day, going for a prayer walk, or waking up early to read Scripture before the day's distractions begin.
- Identify what "false rests" you might be pursuing. Are you seeking fulfillment in work achievements, relationships, entertainment, or possessions rather than in God's presence?
- Practice Sabbath in a meaningful way. Beyond simply not working, how can you structure a day of rest that includes delighting in God's presence?
- When making decisions (big or small), ask yourself: "Am I making this choice based on what will bring me closer to God's presence or further from it?"
Remember Moses' bold declaration: "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." What would change in your life if you approached each day with this conviction?