God's Presence and Knowledge

It is a well-established fact that repetition in the Scriptures serves as an indicator of what is important, what should be grabbing our attention. In Exodus 33, two key words are repeated frequently, namely “know” and “face.” This repetition grabs our attention and focuses it on the interrelationship between God’s presence and the knowledge of God. Ultimately, this interrelationship finds its fullest expression in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose presence with us by the Spirit now anticipates the not yet realized physical presence of God with man in the new heavens and the new earth. This reflection will develop some of the significance of these leading words beyond what is addressed in the sermon.

First, let me present the biblical data. The first frequently repeated word, “know,” occurs seven times in these 23 verses: in v5, God must “decide” what to do with his stiff-necked people; four times in vv12-13 Moses appeals to his own lack of knowledge in contrast to God’s knowledge—and asks for that gap to be bridged by God; in v16, Moses asks how anyone will know that Israel is God’s people if his presence does not go with them; in v17, God affirms his knowledge of Moses and grants most of Moses’ requests. The second word, “face,” appears ten times in Exodus 33. It is used as a metonym for Israel’s presence in v2, as an image for God’s way of relating to Moses in v11, as an anthropomorphic metonym for God’s presence in vv14-15, as an anthropomorphism for the whole world in v16, twice as a metonym for Moses in v19, and twice as an anthropomorphism for God’s unmediated presence in vv20 and 23. While “before your face” and related phrases often function as idioms for indicating someone’s presence, as in Exod 33:2, 19, the use of “face” in Exodus 33 sometimes moves beyond an idiomatic expression, which indicates its significance in the meaning of this chapter. We’ll give our attention to “face” first, then.

In Exod 33:11, we read about the manner by which YHWH spoke to Moses at the temporary tent of meeting. The phrase, “face to face,” is further explained in the following words: “just as a man speaks to his friend.” This use of “face” indicates the relative intimacy of Moses’ communion with God. When we consider that YHWH is the king of Israel and that entering into the presence of any king at this time would have been a fearful and potentially dangerous proposition, this phrase, “face to face,” deepens in significance. While it remains a figure of speech, it effectively communicates the exceptional freedom that Moses had in his relationship with YHWH. This use of “face” then contrasts strongly with the other exceptional use of the word in Exod 33:20. In response to Moses’ request to see God’s glory, the Lord responds, “You cannot see my face, for humans will not see me and live.” It seems significant to me that the Lord uses the generic term for humanity, which is the source of Adam’s name in Genesis, in this general statement about the effects of seeing his face. In this verse, “face” functions as a figure for the unmediated presence of God, since, humanly speaking, to see someone’s face is to see that person without mask, veil, or other obstruction. This use of “face” thus contrasts strongly with its use in v11. While Moses does have an exceptionally close relationship with God, he is still a human, the dust of the earth, who cannot see, in the sense of “get to know,” God as he is.

To briefly connect this with the other key word, Moses expresses a kind of frustration that God knows him so well, but Moses knows next to nothing about either God or his plans at this point (v12). That is why Moses asks to see God’s glory in v18, so that he might know God better. But Moses hits the limits of his relationship with God. Only another mediator, one who is not merely human, may see God and live. And this points us to the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we see the Father—and live. Jesus is the better mediator by whom our knowledge of God is increased beyond what even Moses could experience. While Moses spoke to God face to face like a man speaks to his neighbor, we are indwelled by the Spirit himself, who testifies with our spirits that we are sons and daughters of God. Moreover, when Christ comes again, we will see him face to face and even be like him, transformed in the blink of an eye into spiritual resurrection bodies in which we may not only see but even dwell forever in the midst of God’s glory.