| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, 'Go, ascend from this [place], thou and the people, whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed I give it,'
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| 2 (and I have sent before thee a messenger, and have cast out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite,) |
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| 3 unto a land flowing with milk and honey, for I do not go up in thy midst, for thou [art] a stiff-necked people lest I consume thee in the way.' |
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| 4 And the people hear this sad thing, and mourn; and none put his ornaments on him. |
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| 5 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye [are] a stiff-necked people; one moment I come up into thy midst, and have consumed thee; and now, put down thine ornaments from off thee, and I know what I do to thee;' |
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| 6 and the sons of Israel take off their ornaments at mount Horeb. |
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| 7 And Moses taketh the tent, and hath stretched it out at the outside of the camp, afar off from the camp, and hath called it, 'Tent of Meeting;' and it hath come to pass, every one seeking Jehovah goeth out unto the tent of meeting, which [is] at the outside of the camp. |
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| 8 And it hath come to pass, at the going out of Moses unto the tent, all the people rise, and have stood, each at the opening of his tent, and have looked expectingly after Moses, until his going into the tent. |
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| 9 And it hath come to pass, at the going in of Moses to the tent, the pillar of the cloud cometh down, and hath stood at the opening of the tent, and He hath spoken with Moses; |
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| 10 and all the people have seen the pillar of the cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people have risen and bowed themselves, each at the opening of his tent. |
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| 11 And Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses face unto face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and he hath turned back unto the camp, and his minister Joshua, son of Nun, a youth, departeth not out of the tent. |
Face to face – Signifying a closeness of fellowship with the Lord rather than really looking into the face of Jehovah. R4055:2
We see the Lord's face with the eye of faith, for we see the Lord Jesus who represents the Father and declares that he who has seen him has seen the Father. (John 14:9) R4055:2
"Their angels do always have access to the face of my Father" (Matt. 18: 10); all our interests and affairs are brought directly to the Father's attention. R4055:4
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| 12 And Moses saith unto Jehovah, 'See, Thou art saying unto me, Bring up this people, and Thou hast not caused me to know whom Thou dost send with me; and Thou hast said, I have known thee by name, and also thou hast found grace in Mine eyes. |
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| 13 'And now, if, I pray Thee, I have found grace in Thine eyes, cause me to know, I pray Thee, Thy way, and I know Thee, so that I find grace in Thine eyes, and consider that this nation [is] Thy people;' |
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| 14 and He saith, 'My presence doth go, and I have given rest to thee.' |
My presence – By his spirit and through his angelic messengers. R5547:5
His power and sustaining grace. R5548:1
Because he was speaking to Moses as the Mediator. R5387:6
Not literally. God manifests his power and love to his people by his various powers and agents, not merely to know what is happening, but to control all events that they may outwork his designs. He guides and assists the efforts of his people. R5387:2
The divine presence was manifested directly with the Israelites in the Shekinah glory in the Most Holy and also by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. R5387:5, R5548:1
Similarly, God has promised that his presence is with us in all the affairs of life. R5548:2, R5862:5
Shall go with thee – If we call him in the busy hours of the day or in the silent watches of the night, he is near to sustain, uphold and protect. R5549:1
I will give thee rest – The rest in Canaan was a type of the rest of the people of God in the Gospel age. We rest in his promises. R5388:1
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| 15 And he saith unto Him, 'If Thy presence is not going take us not up from this [place]; |
If thy presence go not – Moses felt the task too great for any man to accomplish alone and so do we. R5548:2
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| 16 and in what is it known now, that I have found grace in Thine eyes I and Thy people is it not in Thy going with us and we have been distinguished I and Thy people from all the people who [are] on the face of the ground.' |
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| 17 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Even this thing which thou hast spoken I do; for thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and I know thee by name.' |
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| 18 And he saith, 'Shew me, I pray Thee, Thine honour;' |
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| 19 and He saith, 'I cause all My goodness to pass before thy face, and have called concerning the Name of Jehovah before thee, and favoured him whom I favour, and loved him whom I love.' |
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| 20 He saith also, 'Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;' |
No man see me, and live – "Whom no man hath seen nor can see, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto." (1 Tim. 6:16) F722
Humanity, being of earthly nature, could not see a spirit being. R3861:6
It is just as impossible for men to see the unveiled glory of the Lord Jesus as it is for them to behold Jehovah. B131
A perfect human being would be the best illustration mankind could see, and this they saw in our Lord Jesus, the Father's image in the flesh. R3861:6
Those who saw and understood Jesus to be the Son of God caught the best possible glimpse of the Heavenly Father. R5653:6
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| 21 Jehovah also saith, 'Lo, a place [is] by Me, and thou hast stood on the rock, |
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| 22 and it hath come to pass, in the passing by of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over thee, until My passing by, |
My glory passeth by – The Lord's special messenger, the angel of the Lord. Q360:2
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| 23 and I have turned aside My hands, and thou hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.' |
Thou shalt see – An appearance representing God; nothing more was possible. "No man hath seen God at any time." (John 1:18) B132
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