The Tent of Meeting (Exodus): After the disaster of the golden calf, God put some distance between himself and his people. But Moses continued to meet with God and speak to him face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Moses asked God to go with them, and God agreed. Moses’ friendship with God is a picture of the type of relationship that is possible with God in Christ. Recorded on Feb 23, 2025, on Exodus 33 by Pastor David Parks.
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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
Since September, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. After today, we only have two more weeks before starting a new series for Lent called Values of the Cross. So, for just a few more weeks, we’ll remind you that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. It’s the most referenced story in the whole bible. I believe one of the reasons is that, in the Exodus story, we learn so much about who God is. Who is this God who freed Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them through the wilderness as they made their way to the Promised Land? Exodus reveals God’s character as a rescuer/redeemer — as the savior — more than (almost) anywhere else in the Scriptures. Well, today, we’ll consider a question that has come up again and again in this series: How can a holy God live in the midst of sinful people? Was that even possible? Last week, in the disaster of the golden calf, we saw that the people fell back into idolatry while Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai. Not only did Aaron, Israel’s first high priest, not stop this wickedness, he made the golden calf himself! Yahweh was ready to destroy the people, but Moses interceded for them, and the Lord punished the people but didn’t destroy them completely. There were consequences for their sin, but God would continue this Exodus project and not abandon them there at Mount Sinai. This was very good news, and Moses showed incredible character throughout this tragic story, but the question remained (and maybe seemed even more doubtful): could a holy God live in their midst? Well, today, in the story of the tent of meeting, we’ll see the kind of relationship with God that was possible for Moses. But this same kind of relationship with God is possible for all today in Christ. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 33:1.
Exodus 33:1–6 (NIV), “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.” So, the Exodus would continue, but Yahweh would put a layer of protection between them. He wouldn’t lead them but would have an angel lead them on. But why? Why an angel, a created spiritual being, and not the holy Presence of God himself? Because the golden calf showed that they were a stiff-necked people, people who had a hard time repenting and turning from their way to follow God’s way, people who all-too-quickly fell back into the pagan worship they were used to in Egypt. Commentator Douglas Stuart says this statement was “a kind of rhetorical proposal to limit the presence of God with his people” (Exodus, TNAC, p. 690). This doesn’t appear to be a punishment but rather a merciful accommodation since God said, “If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you.” God was looking out for Israel here. How did Israel respond? They removed their…jewelry? It says they stripped off their ornaments there at Mount Sinai and began to mourn. What’s going on here? Well, as we’ve said there was this open question as to whether God could dwell in the midst of his people. And we saw that (at least theoretically) it would take the whole sacrificial system, the Law, the priesthood, and the Tabernacle to make that work. But the disaster of the golden calf threw all that into question once again. Sinful people might be better off without a holy God in their midst. Even with all these boundaries, rules, and a system to atone for sin, they still might bring the just wrath of God down on their own heads. But could that be right? How could it be better for there to be more space/separation between human beings and God? Wasn’t that the fundamental problem God was working to solve? Isn’t God the only source of life, light, love, truth, justice, and beauty in the whole of creation? How could it be better to be farther away from all that? No wonder the people were distressed! No wonder they were mourning! But imagine if God said that to you. “Take off your ornaments,” meaning, “Take off anything that represents your strength, sufficiency, beauty, wealth, and glory — and mourn. Mourn for your sin. Mourn for your disordered desires. Mourn for the destruction you bring down on your own heads. And I will decide what to do with you.” We see a similar response of mourning many years later when Jonah brings his message of judgment from God to the city of Nineveh. In Jonah chapter 3, it says, “When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” (Jon 3:6). He stripped off his ornaments. The king commanded a state of mourning and repentance for his whole kingdom for their evil ways and their violence. They cried out to the Lord, appealing to his mercy and grace, and God relented. Shockingly, he did not treat them how their sins deserved. Now, Israel doesn’t know that story yet, so they may not have been sure how God would respond to them. Would God extend the same mercy and grace to his people here at Sinai that he later would to the people of Nineveh? We’ll see.
Exodus 33:7-11 (NIV), “7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” This passage seems to go in two different directions. The relationship between Israel and Yahweh seems to be getting worse in some ways and better in some ways. First, instead of building the Tabernacle and placing it in the center of the camp, as God would instruct his people later, Moses pitched a tent some distance outside the camp where he would meet with God. If we look at a map of the layout of the camp from Numbers chapter 2, we can see that the Tabernacle, the ornate tent where God’s glorious and holy Presence would dwell and where he would meet with his people, was meant to be in the heart of the camp, not outside the camp. And it was meant to be guarded and maintained by the priests and the Levites, not by Joshua, Moses’ younger assistant. Again, God seems to be moving away from Israel, creating layers of separation between them. God wouldn’t lead them directly; an angel would. And even when God met with Moses, his prophet, he wouldn’t meet with him in the camp; they would meet outside the camp. And the Levites were not yet allowed to fulfill their calling. Now, just a side note: one thing that might be a little confusing is that later, the Tabernacle is also referred to as the Tent of Meeting. The reason the NIV translates “tent of meeting” in quotation marks here is to indicate this is not the Tabernacle. Everyone lived in tents during the Exodus through the wilderness, and this “tent of meeting” was just a basic tent where Moses would meet with the Lord, not the tent God provided instructions to build with the altar, the ark of the covenant, and all of that. This might seem to indicate Israel’s relationship with Yahweh was getting worse, not better. And yet, now that the Lord met with Moses at the “tent of meeting” instead of at the top of Mount Sinai, cloaked in dark clouds, the people could see the “pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent.” They could see Moses entering the “tent of meeting” when they couldn’t on Mount Sinai. They could inquire of the Lord, and Moses would speak with God and reveal God’s will to them, which they couldn’t do when Moses was on Mount Sinai. Remember what led to the disaster of the golden calf? The people couldn’t see God or Moses, so they lost faith in both and almost immediately turned to idolatry. The “tent of meeting” seems to be another accommodation of God. He was giving them more space, but he was still speaking to them and leading them as they made their way to the Promised Land. And the people responded much better. They honored Moses and respected him as their leader. “Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents.” They watched, and they worshiped the Lord, each at the entrance to their tent. There is self-control and authentic worship, not the wild revelry of the golden calf. Maybe things were getting better. But then there is this wonderful statement in v. 11, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Can you imagine that? Having a face-to-face conversation with the one who spoke the universe into existence. Being friends with the one who easily defeated the gods and the army of the most powerful kingdom on the planet? The fact that God would allow this should be shocking. But the fact that God wanted this kind of relationship is even more surprising! Is this what God is like? Not only a rescuer or redeeming savior but a friend? But what did Moses do with this friendship with God? It would be like a million times better than being friends with someone rich and famous or with someone who was a king or president. I don’t know about you, but I’d be tempted to leverage that friendship for my benefit. Hey, Yahweh, now that we’re friends, how about some better living quarters? How about increasing my net worth? How about some more variety of food for us instead of this manna every day? But, thankfully, Moses didn’t give in to this kind of temptation.
Exodus 33:11-17 (NIV), “12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” This is God’s word. This is such an incredible conversation. Moses doesn’t use his friendship with God for himself. He uses his friendship with God as the basis for his request that God would go with them once again. No offense to any angels, but having the Spirit, the holy Presence of God, with them to lead and guide them would be far better. Just as Moses interceded for the people during the Golden Calf incident by appealing to God’s reputation and the faithfulness of his promise (which was such a good approach), so here, he takes another great approach to the problem of the growing separation between Israel and Yahweh. He appeals to God’s care for himself, for God’s commitment to his people, and to his reputation among the peoples of the earth. “[Lord,] you have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” And then, “[Lord,] remember that this nation is your people.” You chose them. You rescued them. They are yours. And finally, “[Lord,] how will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Again, your glory/reputation is on the line. What a great prayer! But Moses goes even further, saying, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” In other words, “I’d rather live here in the wilderness with snakes and scorpions, with the harsh weather, lack of food, and open to attack from enemies, rather than try to enter the Promised Land on our own.” It might seem like Moses is giving God an ultimatum (which doesn’t seem like it would be a good idea), but look how God responds! “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest…I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Isn’t that incredible? This is what it’s like to have a personal relationship with God. This is what it’s like to be friends with God. Moses knew that God had revealed himself to him in a unique and personal way. He knew that God knew him by name. He knew he had found favor with God, that God was pleased with him. And he knew his calling, to lead Israel from slavery to freedom. All these threads came together into a beautiful tapestry of God’s relationship with his people. Could a holy God live in the midst of a sinful people? We’re still not entirely sure; we’re still not in the Promised Land yet. But one thing we can’t miss is God’s heart for a real relationship (a friendship!) with his people. Now, maybe you’re thinking, “Well, that might’ve been true for Moses. Moses was God’s chosen prophet. Maybe God wanted a friendship with Moses, but did he really care that much for the rest of Israel?” You might wonder, how do I know that this is the kind of relationship God wants with his people today? Like with me, for example. Does God know me by name? Have I found favor with him, or is this kind of thing only reserved for the super-faithful person like Moses? Well, some 3,300 years ago, the Israelites in the camp might’ve wondered the same thing. But we don’t have to wonder today. Because when Jesus Christ came into the world to make a way for us to have our own Exodus from slavery to sin and death, he was clear what kind of relationship he wanted with his followers. We see this in passages like John 15:12–15 (NIV), “12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” When you put your faith in Christ and trust him for salvation, he, too, knows you by name. He, too, has found favor with you and is pleased with you. He, too, calls you into his service to be salt and light in this broken world, reflecting his glory and doing the good works he has prepared in advance for you to do. Can we live with God in our midst? Yes, because of Jesus Christ. He died to pay the price for our sin. He rose in glory as a guarantee of what God has promised for his people, for his friends. This is the kind of relationship God always wanted with his people. And this is the kind of relationship with God that is possible today in Christ. Trust in Christ. Get to know the one who knows everything about you and loves you unconditionally. Follow him, learn his ways, and you will continue to find favor with him. You will continue to discover a life of love, joy, and peace. You will continue to enjoy friendship with God. This is life. This is peace. This is rest. Praise the Lord. Let us pray.
