Introduction: If I asked you to “describe God’s glory,” how
would you answer? Would you recite what God did to the
Egyptians? How God bent nature to support His people on
their desert journey? How God gave His people a better way
of living? Would it occur to you to answer that the glory
of God is that He decides to save some and not others? Let’s
plunge into our study of Exodus to see how God answers that
question!
I. Meeting God
A. Read Exodus 33:7. If this is a tent to have
meetings, why is it “far off” from the camp? (It
is a place, we will learn, that Moses met with
God. The reason it is far off is because God is
distancing Himself from the people after the
Golden Calf rebellion we discussed last week.)
B. Read Exodus 33:8. What lesson do you learn from
the people watching Moses enter the Tent of
Meeting? (When we read Exodus 32:1 the people were
not showing respect to Moses. In Exodus 33 the
people are now respecting Moses.)
C. Read Exodus 33:9-10. Is God doing anything to
discourage the people from idol worship? (Making
an idol gave them something tangible to worship.
Here we see the people worshiping when they see
the “pillar of cloud” coming down and standing at
the entrance to the tent.)
D. Read Exodus 33:11. Can you imagine speaking face-
to-face with God? Do you think that Moses is
actually looking at God’s face? (Read Exodus 33:20-23.
This reveals that Moses must have been facing God in the tent,
but something was protecting Moses from seeing God’s face.
We see later on that God takes special care that Moses
does not see His face, because otherwise Moses would die.)
1. What do you think it means that Joshua stayed
at the tent of meeting? Was he speaking to God
after Moses left? (No. I think this tent was
considered sacred space and Joshua was
protecting it. Exodus 33:7 seems to say that
when the people had something they wanted to
bring before God, they would go outside the
tent of meeting and pray.)
a. Why would the people decide to pray near
a place that Moses met God? (This
reflects pagan thinking. Idols were built
on the top of high places based on the
thinking it was nearer to the god. We can
pray to God anywhere.)
II. The Leading of God
A. Read Exodus 33:12-13. What is Moses’ request? (He
has two requests. That God send someone to go with
him in leading the people and that he can know God
better.)
1. Is there a specific reason Moses is asking for
leadership help? Doesn’t he have Aaron? (Read
Exodus 33:1-3. God promised Moses that He
would send an angel to lead, but He also said
He would not go because He might destroy the
rebellious people.)
B. Read Exodus 33:2-3. God says that He will not
personally go with Moses. Why not? (God says that
the Hebrews are “stiff-necked” meaning that they
are rebellious and God might destroy them.)
C. Read Exodus 33:14-17. What is Moses’ argument
about why God Himself should go with them? (Moses
says he does not want to go without God. Going
with God makes all the difference. It
distinguishes them from all others.)
1. Have you asked God to go with you? (I am
afraid to make a decision to try to live
without God. Once when I was young, and
another time when I was much older, I was
faced with a decision that I thought would
turn my back on God. Both times I decided that
I could not make my journey in life without
God.)
III. The Glory of God
A. Read Exodus 33:18. Why do you think Moses asks
this question? (Moses previously (Exodus 33:13)
said that He wanted to know God better. Moses may
also be asking for proof God will be with them. He
has just gotten God to say that He will be with
them. Now Moses says “please show me.”)
B. Read Exodus 33:19. Notice the way God answers the
question about revealing His glory. What is the
first aspect of God’s glory? (His goodness.)
1. Notice God also answers the “glory” question
by saying that He will be arbitrary when
showing graciousness and mercy. How is God’s
glory shown in selectively showing mercy and
grace?
C. Read Matthew 7:21-23. This is one of the most
difficult texts for me to understand. These are
mighty works that could not be done without the
power of the Holy Spirit. How can Jesus say He
“never” knew them? They were working with another
member of the Trinity!
1. Jesus calls them “workers of lawlessness,” yet
their works were casting out demons,
prophesying, and many mighty works! This makes
no sense on the surface.
D. Read Romans 9:15-16 where Paul comments on our
reading in Exodus. How does Paul understand God’s
statement on what appears to be arbitrariness?
(Paul says that we earn nothing when it comes to
salvation. While I do not doubt the statements of
the miracle workers in Matthew 7, they think they
are entitled to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This
shows the most basic misunderstanding of God’s
glory. Our salvation comes only by His mercy. Only
by faith in Jesus. Genuine grace is freely given
by God. That is what God was showing Moses when he
sought to better know God and see His glory.)
E. Read Exodus 33:20-23. Is the fact that Moses
cannot see God’s face and live connected to the
discussion about God’s unmerited mercy? (Yes!
Humans must admit that they are not God. They are
not entitled to second guess God. God’s glory is
in Jesus.)
IV. Second Chances
A. Read Exodus 34:1-2 and Exodus 34:4-8. How does God
describe what His name means? (Merciful, gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness.)
1. Is God showing that He will forgive sin? That
He will give second chances?
2. What does God say about the guilty and their
descendants? (God forgives, but if we choose
sin and self-dependence God will not ignore
that decision. The evil results affect the
lives of our descendants.)
B. Read Exodus 34:28. Why do you think God has Moses
with Him for forty days? (He is running the people
through the same temptation that caused them to
create the Golden Calf.)
V. A Shining Face
A. Read Exodus 34:29-30 and Exodus 34:32-35. Why is
Moses’ face shining? Why does Moses veil it when
he speaks to the people? (Moses’ face reflects the
glory of God. Each time Moses goes to the tent to
meet with God, when he comes out his face is
shining again.)
1. Is there a lesson in this for us? Does your
face “shine” when you seek to know more about
God? Does your attitude and appearance change?
B. Read 2 Corinthians 3:18. What is God’s goal for
our lives? (That we will be transformed to reflect
His glory.)
1. How does this happen as a practical matter?
(Through the power of the Holy Spirit.)
C. Friend, the glory of God is the grace and mercy
that He extends to each of us. We can make no
demand on God based on our supposed good works.
His salvation for us is entirely grace. Will you
ask Him today to save you by His grace? Why not
ask right now?
VI. Next week: The Tabernacle.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
