Exodus Ch 33 :12-23
Quote: “For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight , except You go with us ? So we shall be separate , Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth'”(Exd. 33.16).
Moses intention here is to persuade God to come along with His people. Moses argues that if God does not go with them, how will the rest of the world know that they are His chosen people.
The word choice tells me that God and Moses seem to have a close relationship for he refers to God as You and not God or Lord. He does not say in less the Lord goes with us but You. Which makes me think they do have that close , friend like, relationship.
Does God agree to going with Moses and his people? And what is God’s returning argument/reaction? I wonder if Moses is trying to establish a friend-like relationship, but God is not willing to do that.
God does agree to going with Moses and his people. He says he will go with them in verse 14. “And He said, “‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest'” (Exodus 33:14).
God’s reaction is that Moses has found grace in God’s sight therefore He agrees to go with Moses and his people and he allows Moses to see the back of his head.
I think that God is willing to establish a friend like relationship because He allows Moses something that no other person has had a chance to see, which is to see God, even if it was only the back of Him.
What exactly is God’s glory? God’s shadow? How do we know this? How come do they (the narrator) does not simply say shadow? How come God allows Moses to see his back (Exodus 33:22-23) and not his face? How do we know what he (God) looks like?
I do not really know what you mean by God’s glory and shadow . It’s not on my quote. But i’ll try and answer. God’s glory can be manifested in different ways, an example of that i think would be the burning bush, it was on fire but the bush was not consumed. Also when God’s presence follows the Israelites they follow in the form of clouds and fire. So in a way God’s glory or presence can be seen and its something that is hard to explain. A shadow is the form of a person or thing.
God allows Moses to see his back because Moses had found grace in God. The rest of the Israelites were doing what they pleased, while Moses was following and doing what God said. He was faithful to God and was trying his hardest to do as God wanted him to. Therefore God gave him the blessing of being able to see his back. God does not allow him to see his face because Moses would die if he saw God’s face.
We have no idea what God looks like. According to the text who ever sees God’s face will surely die. There is no way to see God’s face.