"A Covenant Request" Exodus 33:17-23

Introduction:

Last Sunday we were talking about some of the ways in which Moses is typology of Christ. As The Lord had foretold that one like Moses would arise and His people are to listen to Him and follow Him as we saw from Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

Moses is in the role of a deliverer for the people and a mediator for them before God. In this way Moses is reflecting what the Messiah of God would do on behalf of the covenant people of God.

In our text this morning Moses has been maintaining his intercession as a mediator between the people and God. The Lord has commanded Moses to lead the people away from Sinai towards the promise land.

But the Lord tells Moses that He will not be in their midst. And He tells Moses the reason that He will not be going with them. It is because they are a stiff-necked people. And the Lord says that if He went with them He would end up consuming them on the journey.

Imagine that for just a second. The Lord will not journey with His people for their own safety. They are so wicked in their nature and actions that for their own safety He will not be in their midst for the journey.

But Moses make another appeal before the Lord on the basis of the Lord’s own favor with Him. And he declares that he is unwilling to leave Sinai unless the Lord goes with Him. Moses is unwilling to go unless the Lord goes with him. Moses argues before the Lord that the presence of the Lord with His covenant people is what distinguishes them in their identity from every other people group on the face of the earth.

Our text picks up then with the Lord agreeing to go with His people. But the request of Moses doesn’t stop there. Most then makes another request of the Lord in verses 17-18. Look backs at your text as we see Moses making a request in relation to the glory of God in verses 17-18:

I. The Request (17-18).

Moses wants to see the glory of God. And no, this is not Moses asking the Lord for another miracle on par with the parting of the Red Sea. Nor is it an appeal for another supernatural sign of a power display to confirm the reality of the Lord’s presence with him.

Moses is wanting to see the glory of God without any filtered protection.

Back in the days when I was a boilermaker and I did a lot of welding in the type of construction we did, you always would have to wear a welding hood with a dark lens to protect your eyes.

If you ever tried to weld without your hood you could really do some serious damage to your eyes. I remember that I was once exposed to the arch of someone welding for just a few seconds and I got my first welding flash. I woke up in the night and it felt like I had sand in my eyes because my eyes were burnt.

Similar to trying to stare into the Sun from planet earth. Could you imagine being face to face with the radiance of the Sun face to face in all its radiance.

Moses request is similar. Lord I want to see the glory of your being without the protective gear. I want to see the radiance of the fullness of the glory of your being.

Notice how the Lord responds to the request of Moses in accommodation to his request in verses 19-23. First we will see in verse 19 that the Lord will manifest His goodness before Moses. Look back at your text to verse 19.

II. The Response (19-23).

A. The Goodness of God (19).

The Lord consents to Moses request to display before him the glory of His name and the goodness of His character as it relates to all that He does for His glory on behalf of His covenant people. The root term here in Hebrew is the same used in the creation account of Genesis 1-2 where it affirms the works and provisions of God on behalf of man as being good.

The Lord specifically references His goodness in how He sovereignly determines to be merciful and gracious to those whom He chooses. This is quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:15. Paul quotes this in order to argue for the justice of God in election. If God did not choose people to be gracious and merciful to no one would get grace and mercy because God is under no obligation to be gracious and merciful He simply just chooses to be so as a manifestation of His covenant goodness.

I can just imagine what Moses is probably thinking: “That’s great but I am actually requesting much more than that. Something more directly associated with the nature and being of your presence. Something more than your covenant blessing I want to see you! To look on the glory of your radiance.”

Like a child who is wanting something greater from a loving parent that the parent knows wouldn’t be healthy for them, Moses doesn’t have to say a thing. The Lord knows fully what Moses wants. The Lord is not confused concerning Moses’ request but He make a provision for Moses. Look at verses 20-23:

B. The Provision of God (20-23).

First He simply tells Moses no. You can’t see the glory of my face and live. The glory of my radiance as a Holy God would kill you in your fallen state. You can’t look at me without a filter and live. Forget about burning your eyes it will require your life. You can’t stare into the Sun this close without the radiance of the Sun reducing you to particles of ash.

God is not being a cosmic kill joy, He is actually graciously and mercifully sparring the life of Moses. This is why a mere man could never represent us before the throne of God in the presence of the radiance of His glory. A mere man could never intercede for us before the throne of God above. Every last single mere man ever born is tainted with the nature of sin.

Imagine being transported from earth to be on the surface of the Sun. You would be vaporized in a split second. For a being to exist in the intensity of such heat it would have to be a being that is just as hot as the surface of the Sun.

Now use that as an analogy to illustrate the radiance of the glory of God. The Sun emanates heat as God emanates the radiance of His glory.

The radiance of the glory of the mediator must match the radiance of the glory of God. If not He could never stand in the presence of God on our behalf.

But such is not the case for Jesus Christ. We have no such dilemma for Hebrews 1:3 tells us: “3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Moses may be a type of the mediator to come but He is not a suitable mediator to fully reconcile God and His covenant people.

Theologians do not refer to John 17 as the High Priestly prayer of our Lord for no reason. Look at John 17:1–5 “1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

The Lord makes concession for Moses though in our text Exodus 33: 21-23: Behold there is a place by me where you shall stand in the Rock. I will cover you with my hand while I pass by in my glory. And once I pass by I will remove my hand and I will let you watch my after-burn but you can’t see my face.

God’s shield was not a cosmic welding hood but His own hand covering Moses. Moses was in the place of God’s provision.

Moses was hid in the Rock of his salvation with the hand of God covering him. Christian when the Bible tells us that believers are in Christ it is talking about the place of our salvation.

The very substance and being of God wrapped in humanity. Only Christ could be our mediator. As we saw last Sunday from Colossians 2:9: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily”

Conclusion:

This is why the old hymn got it right when it said:

“My faith has found a resting place, from guilt my soul is freed; I trust the ever living one, His wounds for me shall plead”

Refrain: “I need no other argument , I need no other plea, it is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me”

Christian your faith is not just wishful thinking but it is the certainty of all that God has done for you in Christ and all that is coming because of Him.

Remember, “3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

And Christian He is making intercession for you at this very moment. Come to boldly to the throne of His grace, the Lord will not refuse you. Confess your sin and rest in Him.

Unbeliever you will never be able to stand in the presence of the glory of God without condemnation unless you have a mediator.

1 Timothy 2:5-“5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

Put your faith today in the Mediator of God for your salvation. Let’s Pray!