MOSES' INTERCESSION CONCLUDED

Moses' Intercession Concludes

EXODUS 33:12-23 (ESV)

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Our text is the conclusion of the intercession Moses had with God concerning the people God had chosen to separate unto Himself. This intercession began at the point of revelation; God revealed to Moses what was going on with the people in the conclusion of a forty day encounter with God in the fire top of MT. Sinai. This revelation was that the people had compromised their worship to God to worshiping a molten calf the elders had allowed them to make.

Before this revelation was imparted to him He had encountered a heap of positive information given to him by God during these forty days. In this encounter God gave him specific names, people who God had anointed with the Spirit of wisdom to craft and implement the vision He had given him concerning the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting) and the garments that were to be tailored for the priestly office... (Exodus 28:3 ; 31:3 ; 35:31).

It is important we capture the picture in our mind of the full canvas covering these forty days. All these items in the encounter is relevant to Moses being moved to intercede. Just before Moses had taken this accent to the mountain where the fire was burning, He had concluded a cut covenant with God and the people; they had covenanted to obey all that the Lord would say to them.

Jeremiah 34:18-20 is a good example and reflection of what took place at the foot of the mountain before the accent in this covenant: “And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof. The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 34:18-20).

This is the same Hebrew "cut covenant" God made with Abraham as the anointed lamp (Jesus Christ) passed between the pieces before Israel had even been born: “And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:7-21).

Genesis 15 “describes this covenant rite in some detail, only the covenant is unilateral. God alone walks between the spliced parts of the animal and commits himself to the covenant (= PROMISE) regarding the gift of land to Abraham and his descendants.” [1]

This gives us a clearer picture of the severity and involvement between God and Israel and the relevancy as to the intercession Moses was having with God concerning Israel. Blood was involved in all this, blood that God had committed to Abraham and the blood that Israel had committed to God.

Once again, before Moses ascends the mountain he took half of the blood gathered from the sacrifices, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar, and the other half he took and sprinkled it upon the people. As he did he says, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words” (Exodus 24:8).

After this, the scripture tells us this happened, “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:9-11).

Beyond the cutting of sacrifices and the gathered blood sprinkled on the altar and the people, we see the leadership or representatives of Israel get to see God, “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness” (Exodus 24:10).

They got a glimpse of God standing on the floor of heaven, just a silhouette; nonetheless, it was a vision of God. After a good super of eating God calls Moses to this forty day encounter with Him in the mountain of His presence, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God” (Exodus 24:12-13).

As God calls him to this encounter He frames the content of the encounter by saying, “I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them” (vs12).

Forty days is a long time in a human mind. Much discussion went on during these forty days, and as this was taking place between God and Moses we need not to forget that Joshua was standing close by hunkered down eagerly watching and waiting as his assistant during this encounter (Exodus 24:13).

Moses and Joshua were not eating during this time yet sustained by the presence of the Almighty; on the other hand, the people were eating and drinking in normal human activity, and with distant Egypt and their familiar homes in mind, they were loosing patience with having to be still at the foot of the mountain. They came to a conclusion that the stillness in the desert was a waste of their time.

We as humans have the tendency to become so discontent with stillness. We interpret stillness as nonproductive; without some form of involvement or activity we are unfulfilled and discontent. We struggle with the present unless we can earmark the moment as movement towards our future.

The apostle Paul said, “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13). And also he tells Timothy his assistant as Joshua was to Moses: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (1Timothy6:6-16).

What was exactly going on between God, Joshua, Moses, the elders, and the people? What was the difference in them as they encountered God? It can be summed up with one word, “involvement;” the difference between them was the involvement they had committed to the encounter.

Involvement determines our willingness to endure and it determines our level of revelation. The elders caught a glimpse of God standing on the floor of heaven, Moses encounters God in the fire, Joshua encounters Moses’ encounter as a witness, the people encountered a verbal exchange or telling of what God was expecting from them.

As Moses and Joshua was coming back down from the mountain concluding the forty day encounter, Joshua reveals his level of revelation thinking what he was hearing as a war torn commotion; Moses reveals his level of revelation as interpreting what was being heard as celebration and worship to the molten calf as God had imparted that information to him.

The elders reveal their level of revelation by serving the people with their desire concerning the molten calf; the people reveal their level of revelation by worshiping the molten calf.

Therefore, the level of involvement with God determined both the level of endurance with patience and the level of revelation in the relationship with God.

It was in the midst of all this that Moses’ intercession took place with God beginning with the conclusion of his forty day encounter with God, his encounter with God’s frustration towards the people and his own frustration with the people as he brakes the tables of stone given to him by God.

As a result, it is in the middle of this intercession he carries in his chest Joshua’s limited revelation, God’s frustration towards the people and his own frustration towards the people; not to mention, the lack of commitment from the elders and the people. Regardless, he maintains his position in the spirit of intercession as he continues to remind God that Israel is His people and that the blood He committed to Abraham in covenant was as important as the blood that was committed to Him before all this took place.

The significance that God knew Moses name is found in the meaning of Moses name. This is declared in Exodus 2:10: “And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water” (Exodus 2:10).

In Scripture water represent two significant things, running water represents the Holy Spirit, and still water represents the Word of God. The two working together carries the emphasis of cleansing, deliverance, and healing.

Moses as an infant floating in the water was the chosen deliverer; God drew him from the water. When God chooses to use anyone, regardless of their spiritual infancy, He chooses to draw us from the water; He draws us out of the Word and the Spirit working in our lives what He desires to work in others.

“That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26). Much washing of the Word, washing over and over us, again an again brings deliverance and healing. This is the water that God draws us from that we may become a deliverer to those needing deliverance.

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20). God will always draw His deliverance and healing from the waters of deliverance and healing; this is His Spirit and Word working together to fulfill His heart in the commission He gave His people and He gives to His church.

So, this intercession Moses was being influenced and carried by reminded God of the blood He had committed to Abraham and it reminded the people the blood they had committed to God.

As a result, the people strips themselves of the gold and silver and God moves from them being the people Moses had brought to the mountain to the people he had come to own through the cut covenant He made with Abraham. God had moved from wanting to destroy them all and make a new nation from the loins of Moses and from having no desire to go with them anywhere to making this statement: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Vs 14).

In this case intercession becomes the same as an interception in a football game. When someone makes an interception in a football game it turns everything around; the ball changes from defense back to the offense. In the context of our text, Israel is commissioned in the beginning of the chapter by God to remove themselves from this place and move towards their promise.

With the conclusion of Moses' intercession an interception took place. Now, they have territory to take and they must move forward to fulfill the commission God had given them. In this commission God's heart is that they become a fulfillment of all He had spoken to Abraham in the beginning, and that is they become a blessing to all nations by being carriers of His presence to them.

This is the heart of intercession today. We must intercede, that when things goes side ways with God's people and our mission is compromised; intercession must become an interception. Things must be turned around that we may refocus on what has been in God's heart all along, and that is to fulfill the commission He has given us. We must remove ourselves from the place of fulfilling our hearts to fulfilling His. We must move forward as carries of His presence to a world that needs His presence.

[1] Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, “Jeremiah,” Terence E. Fretheim, pg 490.