Exodus 33:4-11 - The Lord would speak face-to-face with Moses

33:4-6

Having been caught out and then receiving the due penalty from the Lord the people are now all of a sudden very repentant. This is a very human reaction. Our “repentance” is often a reaction to being found out or penalised, rather than genuine sorrow for our actions. They took off their ornaments as a sign of their mourning.

33:7,8

We now come to the “tent of meeting”. This was pitched outside the camp, and was where Moses met the Lord. When Jesus was on earth He often sought a lonely place in order to pray to the Father. There is value in our being away from our normal surroundings in order to pray. This tent was not the same as the Tabernacle, described earlier in Exodus. It seems that Moses going to meet with the Lord was an event met with excitement and fear by the people. How do we look at our leaders? Do we consider their meeting with the Lord to be the most important aspect of their leadership? And, of course, we can now all meet with the Lord. 

33:9-11

God made it obvious that Moses was indeed meeting with Him, as a pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the tent. So the people would know that something special was happening. The people all stood and worshipped at the entrance to their tents. “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend”. In John 15:15 Jesus refers to the disciples as friends. The Lord desires a close relationship with His people. We should be aware that we are friends of God, but not “buddies”. Joshua stayed at the tent while Moses returned to the camp.