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| 1 And Jehovah said to Moses, Depart, go up hence, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, into the land that I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it, |
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| 2 (and I will send an angel before thee, and dispossess the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite,) |
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| 3 into a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people, --lest I consume thee on the way. |
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| 4 And when the people heard this evil word, they mourned; and no man put on his ornaments. |
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| 5 Now Jehovah had said to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people: in one moment I will come up into the midst of thee and will consume thee. And now put off thine ornaments from thee, and I will know what I will do unto thee. |
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| 6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments at mount Horeb. |
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| 7 And Moses took the tent, and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the Tent of meeting. And it came to pass that every one who sought Jehovah went out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. |
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| 8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up, and stood every man at the entrance of his tent, and they looked after Moses until he entered into the tent. |
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| 9 And it came to pass when Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and Jehovah talked with Moses. |
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| 10 And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent; and all the people rose and worshipped, every man at the entrance of his tent. |
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| 11 And Jehovah spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. And he returned to the camp; but his attendant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not from within 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 said to Jehovah, Behold, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; but thou dost not let me know whom thou wilt send with me; and thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in mine eyes. |
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| 13 And now, if indeed I have found grace in thine eyes, make me now to know thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thine eyes; and consider that this nation is thy people! |
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| 14 And he said, My presence shall go, and I will give thee rest. |
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 said to him, If thy presence do not go, bring us not up hence. |
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 how shall it be known then that I have found grace in thine eyes--I and thy people? Is it not by thy going with us? so shall we be distinguished, I and thy people, from every people that is on the face of the earth. |
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| 17 And Jehovah said to Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast said; for thou hast found grace in mine eyes, and I know thee by name. |
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| 18 And he said, Let me, I pray thee, see thy glory. |
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| 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thy face, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
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| 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for Man shall 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 And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me: there shalt thou stand on the rock. |
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| 22 And it shall come to pass, when my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand, until I have passed by. |
My glory passeth by – The Lord's special messenger, the angel of the Lord. Q360:2
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| 23 And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see me from behind; but my face shall not be 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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