God told Moses that he could not see His face because, “no man shall see Me and live.” He said this in spite of what verse 11 tells us, that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face. The Lord modified those encounters, so that His glory was somehow turned down from full intensity. It was something less than what the Apostle Paul described in 1 Timothy 6:16 as “unapproachable light.” Now, for Moses to see more of God than he was already experiencing, precautionary measures were needed. God was gracious to Moses and although he could not see 100% of God’s face, whatever he did see of God’s nature must have been spectacular.<\/p>\n
God’s goodness passed in front of Moses and he heard God proclaim His name: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” It is interesting that God declared to Moses that His name (His character) is that He gives mercy and compassion. Over and over we find these truths repeated throughout the Old Testament: “He is slow to anger, abounding in mercy . . . loving-kindness . . . gracious.” This idea is repeated again several different ways in the New Testament. As John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). So again we see that God’s desire is to have a free, open relationship with us (face to face) through His Son Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
“LORD, we would love to meet with You face to face this day; but if that isn’t possible, then we do chose to walk in the light as You are in the light and have fellowship with You.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exodus 33 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said unto Moses, Depart,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. 4<\/sup>\u00a0And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0For the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye\u00a0are<\/em>a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. 7<\/sup>\u00a0And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass,\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>every one which sought the\u00a0LORD\u00a0went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>without the camp.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle,\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>all the people rose up, and stood every man\u00a0at\u00a0<\/em>his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood\u00a0at\u00a0<\/em>the door of the tabernacle, and\u00a0the\u00a0LORD\u00a0<\/em>talked with Moses.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand\u00a0at\u00a0<\/em>the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man\u00a0in\u00a0<\/em>his tent door.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.12<\/sup>\u00a0And Moses said unto the\u00a0LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>thy people.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, My presence shall go\u00a0with thee\u00a0<\/em>, and I will give thee rest.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And he said unto him, If thy presence go not\u00a0with me\u00a0<\/em>, carry us not up hence.\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?\u00a0is it\u00a0<\/em>not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>upon the face of the earth.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said 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.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said, Behold,\u00a0there is\u00a0<\/em>a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:\u00a022<\/sup>And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n