14He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
17Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.
16 For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
17 Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
KJVKing James Version
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
14 And He said: 'My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.'
15 And he said unto Him: 'If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? is it not in that Thou goest with us, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?'
17 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.'
Matthew 11:28(v14)“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
Joshua 1:5(v14)No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor…
Joshua 21:44(v14)Yahweh gave them rest all around, according to all that he swore to their fathers. Not a man of all their enemies stood before them. Yahweh…
Isaiah 63:9(v14)In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. He bore…
Hebrews 4:8-9(v14)For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people…
Show all 36 cross-references
Joshua 22:4(v14)Now Yahweh your God has given rest to your brothers, as he spoke to them. Therefore now return and go to your tents, to the land of your…
Psalms 95:11(v14)Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They won’t enter into my rest.”
Matthew 28:20(v14)teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Exodus 13:21(v14)Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that…
Exodus 34:9(v15)He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us, even though this is a stiff-necked people; pardon…
Jeremiah 6:16(v14)Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for…
Joshua 23:1(v14)After many days, when Yahweh had given rest to Israel from their enemies all around, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years,
Deuteronomy 3:20(v14)until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also possess the land which Yahweh your God gives them beyond the Jordan.…
Deuteronomy 4:7(v16)For what great nation is there that has a god so near to them as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him?
Psalms 4:6(v15)Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
Isaiah 65:24(v17)It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Exodus 33:3(v15)Go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”
Numbers 14:14(v16)They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you Yahweh are among this people; for you Yahweh are seen face to…
1 John 5:14-15(v17)This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he…
1 Kings 8:53(v16)For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your inheritance, as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you…
Matthew 1:23(v16)“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted,…
Exodus 33:12(v17)Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have…
Exodus 34:10(v16)He said, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any…
Genesis 19:21(v17)He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have…
Exodus 8:22(v16)I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know…
Exodus 19:5-6(v16)Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all…
2 Samuel 7:23(v16)What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a…
2 Corinthians 6:17(v16)Therefore “ ‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.
Genesis 6:8(v17)But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.
John 16:23(v17)“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
James 5:16(v17)Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is…
Genesis 18:32(v17)He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it…
Genesis 19:19(v17)See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my…
Numbers 23:9(v16)For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be listed among…
Deuteronomy 4:34(v16)Or has God tried to go and take a nation for himself from among another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand,…
Psalms 147:20(v16)He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise Yah!
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn v14Signifying that the Israelites should excel through God’s favor…
Signifying that the Israelites should excel through God’s favor all other people, verse 16.
Hebrew, face.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv14–17Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go…
Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest.
Ver. 14. I will give thee rest.] Full content of mind, in the sense of my presence and light of my countenance.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv14–16My presence, Heb. my face, i.e. I myself, by…
My presence, Heb. my face, i.e. I myself, by comparing this with 2Sa 17:11. The Angel of my presence, Isa 63:9; the pledge of my presence, the cloudy pillar; and I will not turn thee over to an angel, as I threatened, Exo 34:2. See Deu 4:34.
I will give thee rest; not only rest from thy present anguish and perplexity of mind for thy people, but in due time I will bring them to their resting-place and settled habitation; for it is evident from Exo 34:15,16, that Moses’s care and prayer was more for the people than for himself.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv14–17And he said,.... In answer to his request:
And he said,.... In answer to his request:
my presence shall go with thee; or before thee, both with Moses and before the people; meaning the Angel of his presence he had before promised, the eternal Word and Son of God, who saved them, redeemed them, bore and carried them all the days of old: or "my faces shall go" (y); all the three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; there was Jehovah the Father, whose the Angel of his presence was; and there was Jehovah the Son, Christ, whom they tempted in the wilderness; and there was Jehovah the Holy Spirit, whom they vexed, see Isa 63:9.
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and I will give thee rest; not ease, and peace and tranquillity of mind, or a freedom from the fear of enemies, and all dangers by them, much less rest in the grave, before Israel should be brought into Canaan's land; but rather the promised land itself, which was "the rest" that was promised, and would be given, and was typical of that eternal rest which remains for the people of God in heaven, and is a pure gift; for this promise is not personal and peculiar to Moses, but belonged to all the people, to whom God would give the typical rest, see Deu 12:9.
(y) "facies meae ibunt", Montanus, Vatablus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv15–17And he said, If thy presence go not with…
And he said, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence - He speaks as one that dreaded the thought of going forward without God's presence.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv14–17Verse 14. My presence shall go with thee] פני…
Verse 14. My presence shall go with thee] פני ילכו panai yelechu, my faces shall go. I shall give thee manifestations of my grace and goodness through the whole of thy journey. I shall vary my appearances for thee, as thy necessities shall require.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv14, 15, 17Exo 33:14. My presence shall go with thee —…
Exo 33:14. My presence shall go with thee — Hebrew, My face, I myself, my own person, as the same phrase is translated 2Sa 17:11. Or, the angel of my presence, Isa 63:9. The meaning is, I will conduct you myself, as I have done hitherto, by my glorious presence in the tabernacle. So that this is a revocation of the sentence pronounced Exo 33:3. And will give thee rest — Not only thee, Moses, from thy present perplexity, but in due time will bring thy people to their rest and settlement in the promised land. For it is evident that Moses’s care and prayer were more for the people than for himself.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv14, 16, 17Rest - This was the common expression for the…
Rest - This was the common expression for the possession of the promised land. Deu 3:20; Jos 1:13, Jos 1:15; compare Heb 4:8.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv14–15Face. Arabic, "light." Syriac, "walk in my presence," and…
Face. Arabic, "light." Syriac, "walk in my presence," and fear not. The Messias is called the angel of his face, Isaias lxiii. 9. --- Rest. I will grant thy request. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv14, 1614. My presence shall go — Behold how Moses’s…
14. My presence shall go — Behold how Moses’s intercession prevails! In Exo_33:3 the Lord had said, “I will not go up in the midst of thee;” but after the penitence of the people, and repeated seeking unto Jehovah in the tent of the congregation, and especially this earnest plea of Moses, the God of Israel is moved to compassion, and promises his presence. The shallow sceptic would fain see in such a representation a changeableness and weakness in the God of Israel unworthy the nature of deity. But the believer sees here an illustration of that wonderful condescension and mercy with which God compassionates the penitent sinner. The mode of illustration, in accord with all these earlier revelations, is anthropomorphic, but the lesson taught is the same as when, in Isa_54:7-8, Jehovah says: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.” Some writers have proposed an interrogative rendering for this verse: Shall my presence go, and shall I give them rest? But there appears no sufficient reason for this method of translation.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv14–1714. Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with…
14. Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with Moses (as the representative of His people), and that He will give him—and with him the people—rest. The words do not however seem very suitable as an answer to v. 13; and Di.’s suggestion is a plausible one, that vv. 14–16 are misplaced, and should follow Exo_34:9 (so also McNeile, p. xxxvi), where, it may be noticed, Moses is still praying for what, if Exo_33:14 is in its right place, has been already granted (cf. p. 367).
presence] lit. face, i.e. the person himself (2Sa_17:11), in so far as he is present (LXX. αὐτὸς προπορεύσομαι): cf., of God, Deu_4:37 (‘brought thee out with his presence’ [LXX. αὐτός]), Isa_63:9 (‘the angel of his presence saved them,’ i.e. the angel in whom His presence was manifest, cf. Exo_23:21; but LXX. ‘No messenger or angel, (but) his presence (αὐτὸς) saved them’). The expression can hardly, however, have been intended to denote Jehovah’s entire Being: it must rather (DB. v. 639b) have denoted His Being either as manifested in an angel more fully than in the ordinary ‘angel of Jehovah’ (Bä.), or as others think (Lagrange, Rev. Bibl. 1903, p. 215; Kennedy, Samuel, p. 323 f.), as attaching to the Ark (cf. p. 280).
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give thee rest] viz. in the assured possession of Canaan: cf. Deu_3:20; Deu_12:10, Jos_22:4.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv14, 17(14) My presence shall go with thee.—There is no…
(14) My presence shall go with thee.—There is no “with thee” in the original, and consequently the phrase is ambiguous. Moses could not tell whether it was a personal promise to himself, or a renewal of the old engagement to go with the people. He consequently requires something more explicit. Will God go, not merely with him, but with the people? (Exo_33:15-16).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv14–17My presence shall go with thee. Literally," My presence…
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 Deu_3:20; Heb_4:8)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv14–15My presence shall go with thee, and I will…
Exo_33:14
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
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Gods presence giving rest
This is a word in season to every one who is weary.
I. In what sense has God said, My presence shall go with thee? He is present to the believer as a Friend whose love has been accepted, and whose conversation is understood with all the intelligence of a kindred nature.
II. In what sense does the presence of God give rest?
1. It tends to give rest from the terror incident to a state of condemnation.
2. It gives rest from the anguish which springs from a discordant nature.
3. It gives rest from the cravings of an unsatisfied spirit.
4. It gives rest from the distraction felt amidst uncongenial scenes and associations.
5. It gives rest from the disquietude which results from want of human sympathy.
6. It gives rest from apprehensions regarding the future.
7. The presence of God with us now is the pledge of perfect rest in the next life. (C. Stanford, D. D.)
The pilgrimage of a true life
I. The path of a true life.
1. From captivity to freedom.
2. From scarcity to plenty.
II. The companion of a true life. Gods guiding, succouring, and protecting superintendence.
III. The destiny of a true life. Rest. Not inactivity. Harmonious activity is the destiny of the good; activity in harmony with all our powers, with the order of the universe, and with the will of God. (Homilist.)
A gracious promise
I. My presence shall go with thee.
1. By the presence of God, we are sometimes to understand His essential presence or ubiquity, which pervades all matter and space, and without which nothing could exist.
2. There is also the providential presence of God, by which He sees the wants, and provides for the necessities of His numerous family.
3. By the presence of God here is meant His gracious presence which He mercifully condescends to manifest in His house, and to reveal to His people.
4. The gracious presence of God is essentially necessary to His people, in order to show them the right way and enable them to walk therein.
5. The gracious presence of God is indispensable to His people to purify them, and make them ready for the heavenly Canaan. If ever we be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, it must be through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth.
II. I will give thee rest.
1. The rest here mentioned has, undoubtedly, a primary reference to the land of Canaan, in which the people of Israel rested, after the toils, dangers, and fatigue of the wilderness. But then, there is something more implied in the word than this.
2. The people of God enjoy a comparative rest in this present world, inasmuch as they are delivered from the power and pollution of sin, and possess that kingdom of grace which consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
3. But there still remaineth a rest for them beyond the confines of the grave, in the participation of that felicity which is at the right hand of the Most High. (B. Bailey.)
Gods presence and rest
I. The journey. The people were in a journeying condition.
1. They had come from Egypt. A land of toil and oppression and misery.
2. They were journeying in the wilderness. A land of drought, sterility, and dangers. They had many trials and enemies. A true picture of the world through which believers are travelling.
3. They were travelling to Canaan. A land promised to their fathers; a land of freedom and rest, of plenty and happiness.
II. The presence. My presence shall go with thee. This presence was--
1. Divine.
2. Visible. Pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
3. Efficient. Not merely Divine recognition and observation, but with them to do all for them they required.
4. Continued. When flesh and heart fail, etc. This God is our God for ever and ever, etc.
III. The rest. And I will give thee rest.
1. The rest of triumph after the conflicts of life.
2. A rest from the toils of wilderness journeyings.
3. A rest from the fears and dangers of the way.
4. A rest from the sufferings and afflictions of life.
5. A rest of eternal and heavenly glory. (J. Burns, D. D.)
Gods gracious presence with His people
I. The nature of the presence. Gods gracious presence with His people is more than His natural attribute of omnipresence.
II. While, however, God is constantly present with His own people, there are certain times in which His presence is specially manifest.
III. The mental states which precede the gift of Gods presence.
1. Earnest prayer.
2. The spirit of mourning and humiliation. (D. Macaulay, M. A.)
Gods presence promised
I. The need of refuge in God from the lives of others. Even in human society at its best the heart has no safe refuge.
II. The prayer of Moses suggests the need of one worn by well-doing. That well-doing brings exhaustion and despondency and so specially needs Gods aid is a fact which we sometimes forget.
III. The prayer of Moses expressed the need of one weighted by the sense of responsibility. He had a great work to do. He who feels little need of God has a low sense of personal responsibility. But he who faces all responsibility and tries to see his life as he will see it when the end of all things has come, has great need of God. To him life becomes a serious thing. For help he will often lift up his eyes unto the hills, and will take help from no lower source.
IV. This prayer of Moses received a gracious answer. It was the vision of God. (Willard G. Sperry.)
Gods special presence distinguishes His own people
I. The promised presence of God with His people will, so long as they are favoured with it, produce a wide difference and separation between them and all other men. When God comes to dwell in the soul, He imparts to it a portion, not only of His own views, but of His own feelings. He not only illuminates the understanding with His own light, but, as an apostle expresses it, sheds abroad His love in the heart.
II. That in proportion as God withdraws the manifestations of His presence from His people, this difference and separation between them and other men will diminish. God is the Sun of the soul. When He favours it with His presence and exerts upon it His influence, it is enlivened and enlightened, and made to glow with love, and hope, and joy, and gratitude. But when He withdraws and suspends His influences, spiritual darkness and coldness are the consequence. Then it is night, it is winter with the soul. In proportion as He thus withdraws from His people, they cease to view Him as a present reality; they cease to have those views, and to exercise those affections, which constitute the grand essential difference between them and other men. Nor is this all. As holy affections decline, sinful affections revive. It remains only to make a suitable improvement of the subject.
1. With this view, permit me, in the first place, to say to each individual in this assembly, Do you know experimentally the difference between the presence and the absence of God?
2. Let me improve this subject, by inquiring whether this Church now enjoys the peculiar presence of God, as it once appeared to do? (E. Payson, D. D.)
Gods presence realized
Since God is everywhere, in what sacred and peculiar sense is He present to the believing heart? Lord, how is it that Thou dost manifest Thyself to us, as Thou dost not unto the world? The principle on which He does so is illustrated by some of the common facts of life. A man is present to his friend, as he is not to a stranger, though he may be at the same moment speaking to both. The light which floods the landscape with a deluge of beauty is present to him who sees it, as it is not to the blind man walking at his side. Music, though it may ripple round the deafened ear, is only present to him who hears
2. The discourse of the naturalist on his experiments, of the scholar on his books, of the mathematician who is talking with raptures on the beauties of a theorem, will bring things into the presence of initiated listeners, which are still remote from the minds of those in the very same company who have no sympathy with the theme. So, two women may be grinding at a mill; two men may be in the field; one a believer, the other an unbeliever; and although the Great Spirit is near to them both, there is a sense in which He is present to the one as He is not to the other; for, in the case of the believer, the causes of estrangement have been taken away, a new relation exists, a new life has been born, and God is present as a Friend, whose love has been accepted, and whose conversation is understood with all the intelligence of a kindred nature. Everything we need to secure that peace which the world cannot give is secured by the promise, My presence shall go with thee, for that tranquil presence does not merely attend us, it enters the very soul, and sheds its benediction there. Plato seemed to have a glimpse of this glorious truth when he said, God is more inward to us than we are to ourselves. What was to Him a beautiful speculation is to us an inspiring reality; for we are the temples of the Holy Ghost. He dwells within us as a pitying, purifying friend, to kindle celestial light in our darkness, and by removing the cause of discord, and restoring the equilibrium of the soul, to give us peace at the very seat of life. Ignatius, from his eminent devotion, was called by his companions The Godbearer; and when Trajan said to him, Dost thou then bear the Crucified One in thy heart? his reply was, Even so; for it is written, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. This honour have all the saints, yet all do not seem to be fully conscious of it. Only let us feel it; only let us own that inward authority, and listen to that inward voice; only let us act in obedience to the suggestions of that Power that worketh within us to will and to do of His good pleasure, and we shall find that in proportion as we are actuated by the life of God within us, shall we feel His peace. (C. Stanford, D. D.)
Choice food for pilgrims to Canaan
I. What are the benefits of the Divine presence which is here promised?
1. The acknowledgment of the people as being peculiarly the Lords.
2. Preservation and protection.
3. Direction and guidance.
4. Real worship in the wilderness. What is bread, what is wine, and what is the table, if the King Himself be not there?
5. Communion with God. He is always ready for fellowship with His people.
II. What are the demands of this presence ?
1. That we rely upon it. Away with fear and melancholy. Treat it as a matter of fact, and be filled with rest.
2. That we use it. Exercise faith in God.
3. Do not lose it. Oh, how reverently, cautiously, jealously, and holily ought we to behave ourselves in the presence of God!
4. Glorify Him all that you possibly can. Seek out those who have lost His company, and go and cheer them.
III. What is the choice blessing which is appended to this presence. Best--both now and hereafter. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Alone: yet not alone
I cannot see that this choice of Moses, to walk in Gods way, if but assured of Gods presence, differs in anywise from the choice which that people was called on to make at that moment, and which God is ever pressing upon us all. In considering it in its broad human aspect, I observe--
I. Here are two ways on which the choice is to be exercised--two paths, which very plainly diverge. It is the old, old choice--worldliness, godliness--duty, pleasure--Gods will, self-will--the passions and appetites of the flesh or of the mind, the convictions of conscience and the Word of God.
II. The cry of the human spirit for rest. The longing of mans spirit amid all these strifes, discords, and confusions, is for rest. Nothing can eradicate mans conviction that strife and discord have no right in the universe; that they are abnormal; that the normal condition of things and beings is harmony, and that harmony is the music of rest. God must rest--rest even in working; and all that is of God and from God has the longing and the tending to rest.
III. The Divine assurance which was to Moses, and should be to us, an all-sufficient warrant to leave the world and the pleasures of sin and commit ourselves to the desert under Gods guidance, as the path to the heavenly rest. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
Two kinds of rest
There are two kinds of rest, or rather what goes by the name of rest, within reach of man. The secret of the one is, escape from trouble; the secret of the other is, entering into life. Life is the harmonious balance of conflicting forces, the calm control of all opposite powers. Escape from trouble is not permitted to man, though he thinks it is. It is a wonderful feature in mans constitution that he can find rest only in his highest, in the full culture and activity of all his powers. He tries to rest in a luxurious home, in a feverish orgy, on a wantons breast. But who shall paint the anguish of the rest of the wicked? How many a man has gone out from a scene of uproarious merriment, to blow out his brains, in blank despair! There is no rest but in God. Man rests only in the fulness of his existence, in the completeness of his life. Moses found no rest in communion with earthly natures, but there was rest for him--it bathed his soul like the dewy moonlight the flowers--when he entered into that which is within the veil, and talked of things unspeakable with God. Having faith in the Saviours power and love, the spirit rests amid the severities of discipline, yea, sleeps sometimes, as Jesus did while the storm was highest; for ever when the danger is imminent, and the foaming surges are parting to engulf their prey, the Divine presence within shines forth around, and immediately there is a great calm, and the spirit rests still. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
The Divine presence
I. Help comes when most needed. The idolatry of Israel discouraged Moses. So the trials which bring us to God in dependence and prayer, bring the Divine presence and blessing to our aid.
II. The desire of the spiritual mind is the presence of God. If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hither. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
III. God supplies this want. His name shall be called God with us. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you for ever. The experience of this presence is a joy to be sought and found only in fidelity to God. It restrains from evil and inspires to good works. It gives rest from the uncertainties suggested by unbelief and doubt. It supplies the happiness of assurance and the calmness of peace. (E. W. Warren, D. D.)
Gods presence our rest
Rest must be sought deeper down than in circumstances. It must begin at the centre of our being, and in its accord with the being of God. His presence must be welcome to us and accompany us, or rest is a vain dream.
I. The circumstances by which this assurance was called forth.
1. Moses was a very lonely man. Perhaps more lonely in the midst of the two millions of people whom he was leading as a flock than he had been amid the solitudes of the desert tending the flock of Jethro. The very contrast between his lofty enjoyment of Divine communion and the people, always set on sensual pleasure, must have lent intensity to the isolation of his spirit, which reared itself amid their sensual longings, as the peak of Susafeh above the lower ranges of Sinai. In this his loneliness he has been compared to Elijah at Cherith or on Carmel; to Paul standing aged and friendless before the tribunal of Nero; to Alfred when, in the words of the old chronicler, he lived an unquiet life in the woodlands of Somerset; to Columbus when, with his great secret locked in his heart, he still prosecuted his quest over the weary waste of waters. Jesus was the most lonely man that ever lived. He drank the cup of loneliness to its dregs. And Moses said unto the Lord, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou has not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Note that last clause, whom Thou wilt send with me. Do they not contain a sigh for a comrade, a companion, a friend in whose sympathy and judgment he might confide. In the physical world we are told that in the most solid bodies the atoms do not touch; and how often, though the crowd throngs us, we are not conscious that any one has touched us. It is to that state of mind that the assurance of the text is given.
2. In addition to this, the hosts were soon to leave the mountain region of Sinai, with which Moses had been familiar during his shepherd life, in order to take the onward road through unknown deserts, infested by daring and experienced foes. Such a summons to arise and depart is often sounding with its bugle-call in our ears. We are not like those who travel by the metal track of the railroad, on which they have been to and fro every day for years, and are able to tell exactly the names and order of the stations; but like an exploring expedition in an absolutely unknown district, and even the leader, as he leaves his hammock in the morning, does not know where it will be slung at night.
3. Still further difficulties had lately arisen in connection with the peoples transgression. From a careful study of the passage it would seem that a change was proposed by their Almighty Friend. Hitherto He had gone in the midst of them. Now He avowed His intention of substituting an angel for Himself, lest He should suddenly consume the people because of their stiff-neckedness (Exo_33:3). But now it seemed likely some sensible diminution of the evidence of the Divine presence and favour was about to take place; and the fear of this stirred the soul of the great leader to its depths. Are there not times with many of us when we have reason to fear that, in consequence of some sad failure or sin on our part, the Lord may be obliged to withdraw the conscious enjoyment of His love? Supposing He should be compelled to leave me to myself, to withdraw His tender mercies, to shut up His compassions. Supposing that I should be like a sledge abandoned in Arctic snows, or a ship abandoned by its crew in mid-ocean.
II. The place where this assurance was given. The earlier intercourse between the servant, faithful in all his house, and Him who had appointed him seems to have been on the mountain summit. But after the outburst of the peoples sin a change was made which did not necessitate such prolonged or distant absences from the camp. Indeed, he was absent for only one other period of forty days till the time of his death, some thirty-eight years afterwards (Exo_34:28). During the prolonged interview which he had been permitted to enjoy, God had spoken to him much of the Tabernacle which was shortly to be reared. He at once saw the blessedness of this proximity of the shrine for worship and fellowship, and his ardent soul seems to have been unable to brook delay. It was no longer necessary for him to climb to the mountain summit, entrusted with errands on behalf of the people, or eager for advice in difficult problems. He was able to transact all necessary business by going out to the tent. Thus the Lord spake with Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and Moses spake to his Father, who is in secret, with the freedom of a child. And as the people beheld that wondrous sight of God stooping to commune with man, they rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. It was as if he said, Wilt Thou Thyself be my Comrade and Companion, my Referee in difficulty, my Adviser in perplexity, my Friend in solitude? Thine angels are strong and fair and good, but none of them will suffice me, nothing short of Thyself. Without Thee, it were better for me to relinquish my task and die; but with Thee, no difficulty can baffle, no fear alarm, no obstacle deter. And Gods answer came back on his spirit with music and balm, My presence shall go with time, and I will give thee rest. Nothing was said as to the people. But faith gets bolder as it mounts. Each answer to its claims makes it claim more. We may seriously question whether our faith is of the right quality if it is unable to compass more in its hand to-day than it did a year ago. And, therefore, Moses not only took the assurance of the Divine presence for himself, but asked that it be extended to include the people. Wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not that Thou goest with us, so that we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. In this respect also he was successful. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in My sight. There are moments of holy intercourse with God, rapturous, golden moments, in the lives of all His servants; when next they visit us, and we would make the most of their brief, bright, rapturous glow, let us plead, not only for ourselves, but for others, asking for them an equal blessedness.
III. The blessedness which this assurance guaranteed. There was, first, the Divine presence; and there was, secondly, the premised rest; not the rest of Canaan, for this Moses never saw, but a deeper and more blessed inheritance, which may be the portion of all faithful souls. But at their heart these two are one. The Divine presence is rest. Of course the conscious presence of God with us is only possible on three conditions. Firstly, we must walk in the light, as He is in the light, for He will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, or turn aside to go with us on any crooked path of our own choosing. Secondly, we must recognize that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son goes on cleansing us from all sin, not only that which we judge and confess, but that also which is only seen by His pure and holy eyes. Thirdly, we must claim the gracious aid of the Holy Spirit to make real that presence, which is too subtle for the eye of man, unless it be specially enlightened. And, above all, we must remember that for us, at least, that presence is localized in the man Christ Jesus. For us there is no attenuated mist of presence, though a mist of light, but a Person in whom that presence is made real and touches us.
1. Gods presence is rest from the conscience of sin. I will remember their sins no more.
2. Gods presence is rest from anxiety. The future is dim and we are apt to strain our eyes as we peer into its depths. Now we are elate with building castles of light, and again we are immured in dungeons of foreboding. We cannot rest tossed to and fro like this, but when we can look from the mist to the face of our Guide, who goes with us, such wisdom and kindness mingle there that we are at rest.
3. Gods presence gives rest to our intellect. The mind of man turns sick before the trifles and frivolities with which men, for the most part, seek to satisfy its insatiable appetite, and craves eternal truth, and this alone can be found in God.
4. Gods presence is rest to our judgment. This regal faculty is constantly being called into play to select out of one or two paths which offer themselves that which we should follow. It is left for Him to choose, and to make known His choice, whilst the soul waits, exercising careful thought indeed, but concentrating its whole power in seeking to know the Divine will.
5. Gods presence is rest to our will. The will of the self-life, which chafes like an unquiet sea, can only come to rest in the will of God, compelled by the powerful attraction of His near presence, just as we might conceive of a body passing from the earth to the sun, increasingly losing the attraction of the planet as it feels the pull of the mighty orb of day.
6. Gods presence is rest from weariness. There is in each of us a fund of natural energy, determined largely by health or temperament, or favourable circumstances. But at times this is crushed by disappointment and failure, and the sense of its inadequacy for some great task. But when God is near it falls back on Him like a tired child on a fathers strength, and is at rest.
7. Gods presence is rest to our heart. Who is there that does not pine for love? But to know God, to love God, to be loved by God, to delight in Gods perpetual presence--this is rest. I have a vision of a woodland glade. A group of tired, frightened children are cowering around the bole of an old tree, dropping the fragile, withered flowers from their hands and pinafores, as the first great drops of the thunder shower, which had been darkening the sky, begin to fall. They have lost their way, they sob bitterly, and crowd together. Suddenly through the wood there comes a quick step, beneath which the twigs crackle and break--father has come, and as he carries some in his strong arms through the storm on the nearest track for home, and the others run at his side, they have learnt that there is a presence which is rest. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv14, 17My own presence will go
My own presence will go
God's presence represents himself. AT: "I will go" (See: Metonymy)
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go with you ... give you
The word "you" here refers to Moses. It is singular. (See: Forms of You)
I will give you rest
"I will let you rest"
For otherwise
"For if your presence does not go with us"
how will it be known
This can be expressed with an active form. AT: how will people know" (See: Active or Passive)
how will it be known ... people?
Moses used this question in order to emphasize that if God does not go with them, no one will know that Moses had found favor in God's sight. AT: "no one will know ... people." (See: Rhetorical Question)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv14, 15, 1733:14 I will give you rest: Literally a place…
33:14 I will give you rest: Literally a place to roost, as in a place where a bird can land and be at peace. Ever since Abraham left Ur, he and his descendants had had no such place.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v14 Signifying that the Israelites should excel through God’s favor…
Signifying that the Israelites should excel through God’s favor all other people, verse 16.
Hebrew, face.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–17 Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go…
Exo 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest.
Ver. 14. I will give thee rest.] Full content of mind, in the sense of my presence and light of my countenance.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14–16 My presence, Heb. my face, i.e. I myself, by…
My presence, Heb. my face, i.e. I myself, by comparing this with 2Sa 17:11. The Angel of my presence, Isa 63:9; the pledge of my presence, the cloudy pillar; and I will not turn thee over to an angel, as I threatened, Exo 34:2. See Deu 4:34.
I will give thee rest; not only rest from thy present anguish and perplexity of mind for thy people, but in due time I will bring them to their resting-place and settled habitation; for it is evident from Exo 34:15,16, that Moses’s care and prayer was more for the people than for himself.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv14–17 And he said,.... In answer to his request:
And he said,.... In answer to his request:
my presence shall go with thee; or before thee, both with Moses and before the people; meaning the Angel of his presence he had before promised, the eternal Word and Son of God, who saved them, redeemed them, bore and carried them all the days of old: or "my faces shall go" (y); all the three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; there was Jehovah the Father, whose the Angel of his presence was; and there was Jehovah the Son, Christ, whom they tempted in the wilderness; and there was Jehovah the Holy Spirit, whom they vexed, see Isa 63:9.
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and I will give thee rest; not ease, and peace and tranquillity of mind, or a freedom from the fear of enemies, and all dangers by them, much less rest in the grave, before Israel should be brought into Canaan's land; but rather the promised land itself, which was "the rest" that was promised, and would be given, and was typical of that eternal rest which remains for the people of God in heaven, and is a pure gift; for this promise is not personal and peculiar to Moses, but belonged to all the people, to whom God would give the typical rest, see Deu 12:9.
(y) "facies meae ibunt", Montanus, Vatablus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv15–17 And he said, If thy presence go not with…
And he said, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence - He speaks as one that dreaded the thought of going forward without God's presence.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14–17 Verse 14. My presence shall go with thee] פני…
Verse 14. My presence shall go with thee] פני ילכו panai yelechu, my faces shall go. I shall give thee manifestations of my grace and goodness through the whole of thy journey. I shall vary my appearances for thee, as thy necessities shall require.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 17 Exo 33:14. My presence shall go with thee —…
Exo 33:14. My presence shall go with thee — Hebrew, My face, I myself, my own person, as the same phrase is translated 2Sa 17:11. Or, the angel of my presence, Isa 63:9. The meaning is, I will conduct you myself, as I have done hitherto, by my glorious presence in the tabernacle. So that this is a revocation of the sentence pronounced Exo 33:3. And will give thee rest — Not only thee, Moses, from thy present perplexity, but in due time will bring thy people to their rest and settlement in the promised land. For it is evident that Moses’s care and prayer were more for the people than for himself.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv14, 16, 17 Rest - This was the common expression for the…
Rest - This was the common expression for the possession of the promised land. Deu 3:20; Jos 1:13, Jos 1:15; compare Heb 4:8.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Face. Arabic, "light." Syriac, "walk in my presence," and…
Face. Arabic, "light." Syriac, "walk in my presence," and fear not. The Messias is called the angel of his face, Isaias lxiii. 9. --- Rest. I will grant thy request. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv14, 16 14. My presence shall go — Behold how Moses’s…
14. My presence shall go — Behold how Moses’s intercession prevails! In Exo_33:3 the Lord had said, “I will not go up in the midst of thee;” but after the penitence of the people, and repeated seeking unto Jehovah in the tent of the congregation, and especially this earnest plea of Moses, the God of Israel is moved to compassion, and promises his presence. The shallow sceptic would fain see in such a representation a changeableness and weakness in the God of Israel unworthy the nature of deity. But the believer sees here an illustration of that wonderful condescension and mercy with which God compassionates the penitent sinner. The mode of illustration, in accord with all these earlier revelations, is anthropomorphic, but the lesson taught is the same as when, in Isa_54:7-8, Jehovah says: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.” Some writers have proposed an interrogative rendering for this verse: Shall my presence go, and shall I give them rest? But there appears no sufficient reason for this method of translation.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv14–17 14. Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with…
14. Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with Moses (as the representative of His people), and that He will give him—and with him the people—rest. The words do not however seem very suitable as an answer to v. 13; and Di.’s suggestion is a plausible one, that vv. 14–16 are misplaced, and should follow Exo_34:9 (so also McNeile, p. xxxvi), where, it may be noticed, Moses is still praying for what, if Exo_33:14 is in its right place, has been already granted (cf. p. 367).
presence] lit. face, i.e. the person himself (2Sa_17:11), in so far as he is present (LXX. αὐτὸς προπορεύσομαι): cf., of God, Deu_4:37 (‘brought thee out with his presence’ [LXX. αὐτός]), Isa_63:9 (‘the angel of his presence saved them,’ i.e. the angel in whom His presence was manifest, cf. Exo_23:21; but LXX. ‘No messenger or angel, (but) his presence (αὐτὸς) saved them’). The expression can hardly, however, have been intended to denote Jehovah’s entire Being: it must rather (DB. v. 639b) have denoted His Being either as manifested in an angel more fully than in the ordinary ‘angel of Jehovah’ (Bä.), or as others think (Lagrange, Rev. Bibl. 1903, p. 215; Kennedy, Samuel, p. 323 f.), as attaching to the Ark (cf. p. 280).
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give thee rest] viz. in the assured possession of Canaan: cf. Deu_3:20; Deu_12:10, Jos_22:4.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv14, 17 (14) My presence shall go with thee.—There is no…
(14) My presence shall go with thee.—There is no “with thee” in the original, and consequently the phrase is ambiguous. Moses could not tell whether it was a personal promise to himself, or a renewal of the old engagement to go with the people. He consequently requires something more explicit. Will God go, not merely with him, but with the people? (Exo_33:15-16).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14–17 My presence shall go with thee. Literally," My presence…
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 Deu_3:20; Heb_4:8)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv14–15 My presence shall go with thee, and I will…
Exo_33:14
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
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Gods presence giving rest
This is a word in season to every one who is weary.
I. In what sense has God said, My presence shall go with thee? He is present to the believer as a Friend whose love has been accepted, and whose conversation is understood with all the intelligence of a kindred nature.
II. In what sense does the presence of God give rest?
1. It tends to give rest from the terror incident to a state of condemnation.
2. It gives rest from the anguish which springs from a discordant nature.
3. It gives rest from the cravings of an unsatisfied spirit.
4. It gives rest from the distraction felt amidst uncongenial scenes and associations.
5. It gives rest from the disquietude which results from want of human sympathy.
6. It gives rest from apprehensions regarding the future.
7. The presence of God with us now is the pledge of perfect rest in the next life. (C. Stanford, D. D.)
The pilgrimage of a true life
I. The path of a true life.
1. From captivity to freedom.
2. From scarcity to plenty.
II. The companion of a true life. Gods guiding, succouring, and protecting superintendence.
III. The destiny of a true life. Rest. Not inactivity. Harmonious activity is the destiny of the good; activity in harmony with all our powers, with the order of the universe, and with the will of God. (Homilist.)
A gracious promise
I. My presence shall go with thee.
1. By the presence of God, we are sometimes to understand His essential presence or ubiquity, which pervades all matter and space, and without which nothing could exist.
2. There is also the providential presence of God, by which He sees the wants, and provides for the necessities of His numerous family.
3. By the presence of God here is meant His gracious presence which He mercifully condescends to manifest in His house, and to reveal to His people.
4. The gracious presence of God is essentially necessary to His people, in order to show them the right way and enable them to walk therein.
5. The gracious presence of God is indispensable to His people to purify them, and make them ready for the heavenly Canaan. If ever we be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, it must be through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth.
II. I will give thee rest.
1. The rest here mentioned has, undoubtedly, a primary reference to the land of Canaan, in which the people of Israel rested, after the toils, dangers, and fatigue of the wilderness. But then, there is something more implied in the word than this.
2. The people of God enjoy a comparative rest in this present world, inasmuch as they are delivered from the power and pollution of sin, and possess that kingdom of grace which consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
3. But there still remaineth a rest for them beyond the confines of the grave, in the participation of that felicity which is at the right hand of the Most High. (B. Bailey.)
Gods presence and rest
I. The journey. The people were in a journeying condition.
1. They had come from Egypt. A land of toil and oppression and misery.
2. They were journeying in the wilderness. A land of drought, sterility, and dangers. They had many trials and enemies. A true picture of the world through which believers are travelling.
3. They were travelling to Canaan. A land promised to their fathers; a land of freedom and rest, of plenty and happiness.
II. The presence. My presence shall go with thee. This presence was--
1. Divine.
2. Visible. Pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
3. Efficient. Not merely Divine recognition and observation, but with them to do all for them they required.
4. Continued. When flesh and heart fail, etc. This God is our God for ever and ever, etc.
III. The rest. And I will give thee rest.
1. The rest of triumph after the conflicts of life.
2. A rest from the toils of wilderness journeyings.
3. A rest from the fears and dangers of the way.
4. A rest from the sufferings and afflictions of life.
5. A rest of eternal and heavenly glory. (J. Burns, D. D.)
Gods gracious presence with His people
I. The nature of the presence. Gods gracious presence with His people is more than His natural attribute of omnipresence.
II. While, however, God is constantly present with His own people, there are certain times in which His presence is specially manifest.
III. The mental states which precede the gift of Gods presence.
1. Earnest prayer.
2. The spirit of mourning and humiliation. (D. Macaulay, M. A.)
Gods presence promised
I. The need of refuge in God from the lives of others. Even in human society at its best the heart has no safe refuge.
II. The prayer of Moses suggests the need of one worn by well-doing. That well-doing brings exhaustion and despondency and so specially needs Gods aid is a fact which we sometimes forget.
III. The prayer of Moses expressed the need of one weighted by the sense of responsibility. He had a great work to do. He who feels little need of God has a low sense of personal responsibility. But he who faces all responsibility and tries to see his life as he will see it when the end of all things has come, has great need of God. To him life becomes a serious thing. For help he will often lift up his eyes unto the hills, and will take help from no lower source.
IV. This prayer of Moses received a gracious answer. It was the vision of God. (Willard G. Sperry.)
Gods special presence distinguishes His own people
I. The promised presence of God with His people will, so long as they are favoured with it, produce a wide difference and separation between them and all other men. When God comes to dwell in the soul, He imparts to it a portion, not only of His own views, but of His own feelings. He not only illuminates the understanding with His own light, but, as an apostle expresses it, sheds abroad His love in the heart.
II. That in proportion as God withdraws the manifestations of His presence from His people, this difference and separation between them and other men will diminish. God is the Sun of the soul. When He favours it with His presence and exerts upon it His influence, it is enlivened and enlightened, and made to glow with love, and hope, and joy, and gratitude. But when He withdraws and suspends His influences, spiritual darkness and coldness are the consequence. Then it is night, it is winter with the soul. In proportion as He thus withdraws from His people, they cease to view Him as a present reality; they cease to have those views, and to exercise those affections, which constitute the grand essential difference between them and other men. Nor is this all. As holy affections decline, sinful affections revive. It remains only to make a suitable improvement of the subject.
1. With this view, permit me, in the first place, to say to each individual in this assembly, Do you know experimentally the difference between the presence and the absence of God?
2. Let me improve this subject, by inquiring whether this Church now enjoys the peculiar presence of God, as it once appeared to do? (E. Payson, D. D.)
Gods presence realized
Since God is everywhere, in what sacred and peculiar sense is He present to the believing heart? Lord, how is it that Thou dost manifest Thyself to us, as Thou dost not unto the world? The principle on which He does so is illustrated by some of the common facts of life. A man is present to his friend, as he is not to a stranger, though he may be at the same moment speaking to both. The light which floods the landscape with a deluge of beauty is present to him who sees it, as it is not to the blind man walking at his side. Music, though it may ripple round the deafened ear, is only present to him who hears
2. The discourse of the naturalist on his experiments, of the scholar on his books, of the mathematician who is talking with raptures on the beauties of a theorem, will bring things into the presence of initiated listeners, which are still remote from the minds of those in the very same company who have no sympathy with the theme. So, two women may be grinding at a mill; two men may be in the field; one a believer, the other an unbeliever; and although the Great Spirit is near to them both, there is a sense in which He is present to the one as He is not to the other; for, in the case of the believer, the causes of estrangement have been taken away, a new relation exists, a new life has been born, and God is present as a Friend, whose love has been accepted, and whose conversation is understood with all the intelligence of a kindred nature. Everything we need to secure that peace which the world cannot give is secured by the promise, My presence shall go with thee, for that tranquil presence does not merely attend us, it enters the very soul, and sheds its benediction there. Plato seemed to have a glimpse of this glorious truth when he said, God is more inward to us than we are to ourselves. What was to Him a beautiful speculation is to us an inspiring reality; for we are the temples of the Holy Ghost. He dwells within us as a pitying, purifying friend, to kindle celestial light in our darkness, and by removing the cause of discord, and restoring the equilibrium of the soul, to give us peace at the very seat of life. Ignatius, from his eminent devotion, was called by his companions The Godbearer; and when Trajan said to him, Dost thou then bear the Crucified One in thy heart? his reply was, Even so; for it is written, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. This honour have all the saints, yet all do not seem to be fully conscious of it. Only let us feel it; only let us own that inward authority, and listen to that inward voice; only let us act in obedience to the suggestions of that Power that worketh within us to will and to do of His good pleasure, and we shall find that in proportion as we are actuated by the life of God within us, shall we feel His peace. (C. Stanford, D. D.)
Choice food for pilgrims to Canaan
I. What are the benefits of the Divine presence which is here promised?
1. The acknowledgment of the people as being peculiarly the Lords.
2. Preservation and protection.
3. Direction and guidance.
4. Real worship in the wilderness. What is bread, what is wine, and what is the table, if the King Himself be not there?
5. Communion with God. He is always ready for fellowship with His people.
II. What are the demands of this presence ?
1. That we rely upon it. Away with fear and melancholy. Treat it as a matter of fact, and be filled with rest.
2. That we use it. Exercise faith in God.
3. Do not lose it. Oh, how reverently, cautiously, jealously, and holily ought we to behave ourselves in the presence of God!
4. Glorify Him all that you possibly can. Seek out those who have lost His company, and go and cheer them.
III. What is the choice blessing which is appended to this presence. Best--both now and hereafter. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Alone: yet not alone
I cannot see that this choice of Moses, to walk in Gods way, if but assured of Gods presence, differs in anywise from the choice which that people was called on to make at that moment, and which God is ever pressing upon us all. In considering it in its broad human aspect, I observe--
I. Here are two ways on which the choice is to be exercised--two paths, which very plainly diverge. It is the old, old choice--worldliness, godliness--duty, pleasure--Gods will, self-will--the passions and appetites of the flesh or of the mind, the convictions of conscience and the Word of God.
II. The cry of the human spirit for rest. The longing of mans spirit amid all these strifes, discords, and confusions, is for rest. Nothing can eradicate mans conviction that strife and discord have no right in the universe; that they are abnormal; that the normal condition of things and beings is harmony, and that harmony is the music of rest. God must rest--rest even in working; and all that is of God and from God has the longing and the tending to rest.
III. The Divine assurance which was to Moses, and should be to us, an all-sufficient warrant to leave the world and the pleasures of sin and commit ourselves to the desert under Gods guidance, as the path to the heavenly rest. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
Two kinds of rest
There are two kinds of rest, or rather what goes by the name of rest, within reach of man. The secret of the one is, escape from trouble; the secret of the other is, entering into life. Life is the harmonious balance of conflicting forces, the calm control of all opposite powers. Escape from trouble is not permitted to man, though he thinks it is. It is a wonderful feature in mans constitution that he can find rest only in his highest, in the full culture and activity of all his powers. He tries to rest in a luxurious home, in a feverish orgy, on a wantons breast. But who shall paint the anguish of the rest of the wicked? How many a man has gone out from a scene of uproarious merriment, to blow out his brains, in blank despair! There is no rest but in God. Man rests only in the fulness of his existence, in the completeness of his life. Moses found no rest in communion with earthly natures, but there was rest for him--it bathed his soul like the dewy moonlight the flowers--when he entered into that which is within the veil, and talked of things unspeakable with God. Having faith in the Saviours power and love, the spirit rests amid the severities of discipline, yea, sleeps sometimes, as Jesus did while the storm was highest; for ever when the danger is imminent, and the foaming surges are parting to engulf their prey, the Divine presence within shines forth around, and immediately there is a great calm, and the spirit rests still. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
The Divine presence
I. Help comes when most needed. The idolatry of Israel discouraged Moses. So the trials which bring us to God in dependence and prayer, bring the Divine presence and blessing to our aid.
II. The desire of the spiritual mind is the presence of God. If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hither. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
III. God supplies this want. His name shall be called God with us. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you for ever. The experience of this presence is a joy to be sought and found only in fidelity to God. It restrains from evil and inspires to good works. It gives rest from the uncertainties suggested by unbelief and doubt. It supplies the happiness of assurance and the calmness of peace. (E. W. Warren, D. D.)
Gods presence our rest
Rest must be sought deeper down than in circumstances. It must begin at the centre of our being, and in its accord with the being of God. His presence must be welcome to us and accompany us, or rest is a vain dream.
I. The circumstances by which this assurance was called forth.
1. Moses was a very lonely man. Perhaps more lonely in the midst of the two millions of people whom he was leading as a flock than he had been amid the solitudes of the desert tending the flock of Jethro. The very contrast between his lofty enjoyment of Divine communion and the people, always set on sensual pleasure, must have lent intensity to the isolation of his spirit, which reared itself amid their sensual longings, as the peak of Susafeh above the lower ranges of Sinai. In this his loneliness he has been compared to Elijah at Cherith or on Carmel; to Paul standing aged and friendless before the tribunal of Nero; to Alfred when, in the words of the old chronicler, he lived an unquiet life in the woodlands of Somerset; to Columbus when, with his great secret locked in his heart, he still prosecuted his quest over the weary waste of waters. Jesus was the most lonely man that ever lived. He drank the cup of loneliness to its dregs. And Moses said unto the Lord, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou has not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Note that last clause, whom Thou wilt send with me. Do they not contain a sigh for a comrade, a companion, a friend in whose sympathy and judgment he might confide. In the physical world we are told that in the most solid bodies the atoms do not touch; and how often, though the crowd throngs us, we are not conscious that any one has touched us. It is to that state of mind that the assurance of the text is given.
2. In addition to this, the hosts were soon to leave the mountain region of Sinai, with which Moses had been familiar during his shepherd life, in order to take the onward road through unknown deserts, infested by daring and experienced foes. Such a summons to arise and depart is often sounding with its bugle-call in our ears. We are not like those who travel by the metal track of the railroad, on which they have been to and fro every day for years, and are able to tell exactly the names and order of the stations; but like an exploring expedition in an absolutely unknown district, and even the leader, as he leaves his hammock in the morning, does not know where it will be slung at night.
3. Still further difficulties had lately arisen in connection with the peoples transgression. From a careful study of the passage it would seem that a change was proposed by their Almighty Friend. Hitherto He had gone in the midst of them. Now He avowed His intention of substituting an angel for Himself, lest He should suddenly consume the people because of their stiff-neckedness (Exo_33:3). But now it seemed likely some sensible diminution of the evidence of the Divine presence and favour was about to take place; and the fear of this stirred the soul of the great leader to its depths. Are there not times with many of us when we have reason to fear that, in consequence of some sad failure or sin on our part, the Lord may be obliged to withdraw the conscious enjoyment of His love? Supposing He should be compelled to leave me to myself, to withdraw His tender mercies, to shut up His compassions. Supposing that I should be like a sledge abandoned in Arctic snows, or a ship abandoned by its crew in mid-ocean.
II. The place where this assurance was given. The earlier intercourse between the servant, faithful in all his house, and Him who had appointed him seems to have been on the mountain summit. But after the outburst of the peoples sin a change was made which did not necessitate such prolonged or distant absences from the camp. Indeed, he was absent for only one other period of forty days till the time of his death, some thirty-eight years afterwards (Exo_34:28). During the prolonged interview which he had been permitted to enjoy, God had spoken to him much of the Tabernacle which was shortly to be reared. He at once saw the blessedness of this proximity of the shrine for worship and fellowship, and his ardent soul seems to have been unable to brook delay. It was no longer necessary for him to climb to the mountain summit, entrusted with errands on behalf of the people, or eager for advice in difficult problems. He was able to transact all necessary business by going out to the tent. Thus the Lord spake with Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and Moses spake to his Father, who is in secret, with the freedom of a child. And as the people beheld that wondrous sight of God stooping to commune with man, they rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. It was as if he said, Wilt Thou Thyself be my Comrade and Companion, my Referee in difficulty, my Adviser in perplexity, my Friend in solitude? Thine angels are strong and fair and good, but none of them will suffice me, nothing short of Thyself. Without Thee, it were better for me to relinquish my task and die; but with Thee, no difficulty can baffle, no fear alarm, no obstacle deter. And Gods answer came back on his spirit with music and balm, My presence shall go with time, and I will give thee rest. Nothing was said as to the people. But faith gets bolder as it mounts. Each answer to its claims makes it claim more. We may seriously question whether our faith is of the right quality if it is unable to compass more in its hand to-day than it did a year ago. And, therefore, Moses not only took the assurance of the Divine presence for himself, but asked that it be extended to include the people. Wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not that Thou goest with us, so that we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. In this respect also he was successful. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in My sight. There are moments of holy intercourse with God, rapturous, golden moments, in the lives of all His servants; when next they visit us, and we would make the most of their brief, bright, rapturous glow, let us plead, not only for ourselves, but for others, asking for them an equal blessedness.
III. The blessedness which this assurance guaranteed. There was, first, the Divine presence; and there was, secondly, the premised rest; not the rest of Canaan, for this Moses never saw, but a deeper and more blessed inheritance, which may be the portion of all faithful souls. But at their heart these two are one. The Divine presence is rest. Of course the conscious presence of God with us is only possible on three conditions. Firstly, we must walk in the light, as He is in the light, for He will have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, or turn aside to go with us on any crooked path of our own choosing. Secondly, we must recognize that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son goes on cleansing us from all sin, not only that which we judge and confess, but that also which is only seen by His pure and holy eyes. Thirdly, we must claim the gracious aid of the Holy Spirit to make real that presence, which is too subtle for the eye of man, unless it be specially enlightened. And, above all, we must remember that for us, at least, that presence is localized in the man Christ Jesus. For us there is no attenuated mist of presence, though a mist of light, but a Person in whom that presence is made real and touches us.
1. Gods presence is rest from the conscience of sin. I will remember their sins no more.
2. Gods presence is rest from anxiety. The future is dim and we are apt to strain our eyes as we peer into its depths. Now we are elate with building castles of light, and again we are immured in dungeons of foreboding. We cannot rest tossed to and fro like this, but when we can look from the mist to the face of our Guide, who goes with us, such wisdom and kindness mingle there that we are at rest.
3. Gods presence gives rest to our intellect. The mind of man turns sick before the trifles and frivolities with which men, for the most part, seek to satisfy its insatiable appetite, and craves eternal truth, and this alone can be found in God.
4. Gods presence is rest to our judgment. This regal faculty is constantly being called into play to select out of one or two paths which offer themselves that which we should follow. It is left for Him to choose, and to make known His choice, whilst the soul waits, exercising careful thought indeed, but concentrating its whole power in seeking to know the Divine will.
5. Gods presence is rest to our will. The will of the self-life, which chafes like an unquiet sea, can only come to rest in the will of God, compelled by the powerful attraction of His near presence, just as we might conceive of a body passing from the earth to the sun, increasingly losing the attraction of the planet as it feels the pull of the mighty orb of day.
6. Gods presence is rest from weariness. There is in each of us a fund of natural energy, determined largely by health or temperament, or favourable circumstances. But at times this is crushed by disappointment and failure, and the sense of its inadequacy for some great task. But when God is near it falls back on Him like a tired child on a fathers strength, and is at rest.
7. Gods presence is rest to our heart. Who is there that does not pine for love? But to know God, to love God, to be loved by God, to delight in Gods perpetual presence--this is rest. I have a vision of a woodland glade. A group of tired, frightened children are cowering around the bole of an old tree, dropping the fragile, withered flowers from their hands and pinafores, as the first great drops of the thunder shower, which had been darkening the sky, begin to fall. They have lost their way, they sob bitterly, and crowd together. Suddenly through the wood there comes a quick step, beneath which the twigs crackle and break--father has come, and as he carries some in his strong arms through the storm on the nearest track for home, and the others run at his side, they have learnt that there is a presence which is rest. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14, 17 My own presence will go
My own presence will go
God's presence represents himself. AT: "I will go" (See: Metonymy)
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go with you ... give you
The word "you" here refers to Moses. It is singular. (See: Forms of You)
I will give you rest
"I will let you rest"
For otherwise
"For if your presence does not go with us"
how will it be known
This can be expressed with an active form. AT: how will people know" (See: Active or Passive)
how will it be known ... people?
Moses used this question in order to emphasize that if God does not go with them, no one will know that Moses had found favor in God's sight. AT: "no one will know ... people." (See: Rhetorical Question)
Will it not only be if
"Will it not only be known if"
translationWords
Yahweh
rest
Moses
favor
people group
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv14, 15, 17 33:14 I will give you rest: Literally a place…
33:14 I will give you rest: Literally a place to roost, as in a place where a bird can land and be at peace. Ever since Abraham left Ur, he and his descendants had had no such place.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.