Moses: Relational Prayer

Oct 13

13 min read

WHERE WE ARE IN THE STORY

At this point in Moses’ story, Israel has just emerged from the episode with the golden calf. Israel got impatient waiting for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai and had Aaron make a golden calf. They declared the calf was their God. Moses had the tribe of Levi put on their swords and kill many of the calf worshippers. The next day, Moses declares that he will try to make atonement for the people by going to God in prayer. He says to God, “If you will forgive their sin, very well; but if not, please wipe me out from your book which you have written.” In essence, Moses was offering himself as a sacrifice for the sin of the people. Then the Lord struck the people with a plague. Finally, the Lord said to Moses to prepare the people to move out, but that he would not go with them, lest he destroy them for their sin on the way. That brings us to our passage, when Moses intercedes for the people and asks God for something special.

Exodus 33:12-20

12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the earth?” 17 The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!”

BACKGROUND

CAN YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WITHOUT PRAYER?

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD RIGHT NOW?

Moses prayer in this passage is a prayer of relationship. As we will see, each stage in Moses’ prayer to God builds upon his special status with God, coming to a crescendo to maximize his relationship with God.

What does it mean to have a relationship with God in prayer?

To have a relationship with God in prayer means that prayer is more than asking God for things—it is living in personal communion with Him. Prayer becomes the way we know God, respond to Him, depend upon Him, and increasingly align our hearts with His.

Jesus described eternal life relationally: “that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Prayer is one of the primary ways that relationship is expressed.

A relationship with God through prayer involves several things:

Knowing God, not merely knowing about Him. We learn His character through Scripture and then respond to what we learn in prayer. “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8).
Speaking honestly with God. Biblical prayer includes praise, gratitude, confession, fear, grief, questions, desires, and requests. David’s prayers demonstrate remarkable openness before God (Psalm 62:8).
Listening to God through His Word. Prayer isn’t receiving new revelation on demand. Rather, Scripture shapes the conversation. God speaks authoritatively through His Word; we answer Him in prayer.
Depending upon God. Prayer acknowledges, “I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength.” Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Wanting God Himself, not merely His gifts. A mature prayer life gradually moves from primarily “God, give me…” toward “God, I want to know You, please You, and become like You.” Psalm 63:1 captures this desire: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you.”
Allowing prayer to change us. Prayer isn’t primarily about persuading God to adopt our plans. As we pray, our desires increasingly become conformed to His: “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

This is why relationship is such an important distinction in prayer. A person can say prayers without cultivating fellowship with God. Jesus even warned against prayer becoming empty repetition (Matthew 6:7–8). Christian prayer is fundamentally relational rather than mechanical.

A useful way to summarize it is:

Prayer is not simply bringing our needs into God’s presence; it is bringing ourselves into God’s presence.

EXAMINATION

(V.12) Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’”

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD?

At this point in the story, the Lord let it be known that he would not go with them on the journey because of their sin. He said he would send an angel ahead of them, but his presence would not go with them. Moses was in mourning because of this, which is why he said, “You have not let me know whom you will send with me.”

Remember last week we talked about Abraham using what he knew of God’s character in prayer, repeating it back to him in order to make his request. Moses does the same thing here, but he gets more specific. He says to the Lord, “You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have found favor in my sight.’” Moses is starting to make the case for intercession. He is using his special status as a basis for asking the Lord to forgive their sin and let his presence go with them. Look how he continues.

(V.13) Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight.

WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT MOSES PRAYS FOR IN THIS PASSAGE?

WHY DO YOU THINK MOSES PRAYS FOR THESE THREE THINGS?

He says, if I’ve really had your favor, then please grant me three things. It’s almost like Moses is negotiating with God. You’ve said this, so please do this. Now look at what he asks for: not for God’s presence, at least not yet, but he asks for three things:

Let me know your ways
That I might know you
Find favor in your sight

Moses is asking God to give him more of what he’s already given him: God’s ways, knowing him, and his favor. Moses recognizes that to lead God’s people he needs more of the Lord’s presence. He can’t successfully lead his people without these things. Notice how God responds.

(V.14-15) And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”

God’s answer is twofold. First, he says, “My presence shall go with you.” Essentially, the three things that Moses asked for are components of God’s presence. We cannot know God from afar. We must draw near to him in prayer as Moses has done in this passage. In one sense, we know God from afar. He is in heaven, and we are on earth. We do not see his throne or his glory. Yet, at the same time, we have him near because we have the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Remember that Jesus said it was better for him to go away, then he would send the Holy Spirit, “Who will be in you” (John 14:17). All of God’s holy presence living inside of us. Not a power or a force, but God himself dwelling in our spirit. This is why we have his presence, and we know him near and not far.

Second, God says to Moses, “I will give you rest.” In other words, there is a reward waiting for Moses when he completes his task.

But notice what Moses does. He stays focused on his real request. He goes from “me” to “us.” He says, “If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” To Moses, God’s presence with his people was more important than going into the promised land. In other words, if you won’t go to the land with us, then stay here with us. While Moses wants God’s ways, knowledge, and favor for himself, he also wants it for his people. He is a true intercessor. And he builds upon his case.

(V.16) For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the earth?”

WHAT DISTINGUISHES YOU FROM ALL OTHER PEOPLE ON EARTH?

Notice Moses’ change in language. He says twice, “I and your people.” Moses wants more of God’s favoring presence, but he wants his special status not just for himself, but also for his people. Moses was truly a humble man.

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees held their religious status with pride and an air of arrogance. Jesus’ harshest words were reserved for the Pharisees. Through Christ, God was giving special status to all of God’s people, not just a few leaders. This is essentially what Moses prayed for. Moses qualified this when he stated the reason for his request. So that they “may be distinguished from all other people.” Moses is saying, let us all be special in your sight, not just me. And that prayer has its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Through knowing Christ, we have a special status of favor with God.

(V.17) The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”

God acknowledges Moses’ prayer. “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken.” The reason God gives for answering his prayer is the very status that God has given him. Favor and knowing him by name.

This really is bold on Moses’ part, isn’t it? God, because I’m special in your sight, please give me this. Moses asked for more of that special status for his people, not just for himself. That pleased the Lord, so his answer was yes.

By the way, what does it mean to know God “by name?” Knowing God by name means that we have some level of intimacy with God. Remember when God introduced himself to Moses he said in Exodus 6:3, “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name, YAHWEH, I did not make Myself known to them.” Moses’ special status began when God revealed his name to him.

(V.18) Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!”

WHAT DOES MOSES MEAN WHEN HE ASKS GOD TO SHOW HIM HIS GLORY?

WHAT IS GOD’S GLORY? DESCRIBE IT.

Now we come to the pinnacle, the climax of what Moses is asking. His requests up until this point have been rising, higher and higher, until in great passion he asks, “Show me your glory!” This is the ultimate in his requests. In other words, he is saying, I want to see you as you really are.

Up until now, Moses has seen manifestations of God’s power—he’s seen miracles, columns of fire and smoke. But he has not seen his direct presence. Moses is really being bold here. He wants all of God he can handle. He’s asking for a physical presence.

We all want to see God, don’t we? Yet, imagine what would happen if we saw God in all of his glory? We would be terrified. In most cases in Scripture, when someone saw God in his glory, they were terrified. So, Moses is asking for something beyond God’s general presence. He’s asking for a special revelation of his unique nature to him. And look how God responds.

(V.19) And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.”

His answer is yes; he will reveal more of himself to him, but there is a catch.

(V.20) He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!”

In other words, Moses, I’m going to show you my glory, but not all of it. You couldn’t handle it. You would die. Ultimately, in Exodus 34:6-7, God appeared before Moses and declared his name. Listen to what he declared. “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

What is God revealing? He’s revealing what Moses asked for. He’s revealing his ways, more knowledge of him, and his favor.

After all of this prayer and seeking of God, and God’s answering, Moses got back to basics in Exodus 34:9 by simply asking, “Please may the Lord go along in our midst.” God’s response was yes, and he upped the ante by saying he would make a covenant with them like nothing they’d ever seen before. But that’s for another time.

INTERPRETATION

What is the author’s big idea? God grants more of himself when we pray for more of him.

What have we learned from Moses’ prayer?

Repeat God’s promises back to him. It is good to recite to God what he has said, not to manipulate him, but to acknowledge his goodness and build on that relationship.
God responds positively to prayers based on his promises and word. Moses asked for more of what God wanted to give him. Certain things God always says yes to, things related to his promises.
Ask God for more of him in your relationship with him. He will say yes.
Turn your special status with God into a basis for praying for others. Moses was not satisfied with praying for himself. He used the favor God gave him to intercede for his people.

APPLICATION

There were three initial things Moses asked God for:

To know his ways
That he might know him
Find favor in his sight

Moses needed these things to lead God’s people. And we need these same things if we are to lead people into relationship with the Lord. We need to know his ways if we are to recognize sin and encourage repentance. We need to know him in a deeper way if we are to share our relationship with the Lord with others. And we need his favor so that we may have his presence and leading when we share our faith or minister to others in any way. Are these three things that you pray for?

Moses’ intercession is all about God’s presence. He wanted God’s favorable presence with his people. So, like a true prayer warrior, he asks for it. What are you asking God for? Health? Money? Influence? Happiness? Possessions? A trouble-free life? Moses did not ask for any of these things. He didn’t even ask for the land or prosperity. Moses’ focus was to ask for more of God’s favoring presence. This goes back to the purpose of prayer. Prayer is not primarily about asking God for things. It’s about asking God for more of himself. To know him and conform our lives and will to be like his.

Like Moses and like Jesus, how are you distinguished from all other people? It is through your special relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Because of Christ, it is possible for us to know God. And not just to know him, but to understand him. Jeremiah 9:24 says, “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he knows and understands me.” Moses’ prayer is answered through Christ and in us. We get to know God’s character, his ways. We get to know him. And we have his favor. So, when we pray, we should seek more of the things that God will say yes to—his ways, his knowledge, his favor, his presence. Paul said in Colossians 3:1-2, “Keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above.”

There are certain prayers that God always says yes to. The kinds of prayers that Moses prayed. To know him better. To have his favor. To know his ways. And there are other prayers he always says yes to. For spiritual growth, to become spiritually mature. God always says yes when we ask for that sincerely. To use us to advance his kingdom. That’s part of why we exist, so God says yes to that.

When my daughter’s kids ask for a snack, they don’t ask like other kids. They say, may I have a carrot, or a cucumber, or raw green beans? Isn’t that strange compared to most kids? Do you know what her answer is? She always says yes. She’s trained them to ask for what’s good for them.

God is training us to ask what’s good for us. The things where Christ is seated; spiritual things. The things that God always wants to say yes to.

Next, you have special status with God because you know his name. Not just YAHWEH, but the name of Jesus. Philippians 2:9 says that Jesus’ name is the name above all names. Now honestly, most people know the name Jesus. Many even know the name YAHWEH. But they have no special status. But if you are a Christian, then you know God’s name in relationship with him, and that makes all the difference. To know him in this way is to have intimacy with God. Do you know God by name?

Do you want to see God’s glory? You and I have a promise from God that one day we will see his glory. Jesus said to the Father in John 17:24, “I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me.”

Someday we will have God in his glory. Like now, the Holy Spirit will continue to dwell in us. Plus, we will see Jesus himself. And we will see the Father in his glory. That first day will be a day like no other. Job said in 19:26, “Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I will see God.”

Do you desire to see God’s glory? You may not see it now, but someday you will.

Today’s study is about prayer in relationship to God. We have a special status with God that we can use when we seek his will. God wants us to use that status when we pray according to his will. It pleases him, and when he is pleased, he usually says yes.