Exodus 33:7–11 “By Grace Alone”

Exodus 33:7-11 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Your Grace is Enough – Matt Maher
• Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) – Shane & Shane
• Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) – Hillsong Worship

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• What is grace? – Lesson for Younger Kids
  What is the grace of God? – YouTube – Lesson for Upper Elementary & Youth
• Every move I make | Hillsong Kids | Kids Praise and Worship Motions – Song for Kids
• Nothing Is Impossible | Hometown Nazareth HLA | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Hope in the Lord | Holy Land Adventure: Egypt VBS | Group Publishing – YouTube – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

After the golden calf incident, whenever Moses sought the Lord, he would go outside the camp and pitch a tent “some distance away” (v. 7). This was before the tabernacle was built. Moses called this tent the “tent of meeting.” Because of God’s wrath, Moses sought the Lord outside the camp so the people would not be harmed. Anyone who wanted to seek the Lord had to go to this tent.

Whenever Moses got up and went out of the tent, all the people would stand and watch from the entrances of their own tents until he entered the tent of the meeting (v. 8). This was an expression of their deep reverence toward God. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the tent’s entrance (v. 9). Seeing the pillar of cloud at the entrance, all the people would stand and bow in worship at the entrance of their tents (v. 10).

In the tent of meeting, the Lord would speak with Moses “face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (v. 11). This shows that Moses’s intimate fellowship with God on Mount Sinai continued in the tent of meeting. The expression “face to face” signifies close and personal fellowship. Even when Moses left the tent, his assistant Joshua would stay and guard it.

Meditation:

Let us imagine the moment when Moses walked out of the camp toward the tent of meeting to meet with God. As people saw Moses, they rose to their feet one by one. Seeing others stand, more people followed. Even those who had pitched their tents where they could not see Moses directly heard the news and stood. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended and settled at its entrance, and everyone bowed down toward that place. At that moment, the people must have been filled with deep reverence for God. After the golden calf incident, they had experienced the awe-inspiring holiness of God, and they surely spent that time with fear and trembling.

They must have felt sorrow that God would only meet them outside the camp. Although God had promised to lead them to the land of Canaan, He had said He would not go with them. The fact that He met them outside the camp reflected a sense of distance or coldness from God. Yet, the people deeply desired God to dwell among them and journey with them. Because of their sin, however, they had no defense or excuse. Instead, they expressed their longing through physical gestures of reverence.

As we will see later, God changes His mind in response to Moses’ heartfelt plea and decides to go with His people. God is always willing to change His mind when we are truly ready, because His original intention is always rooted in love.

Prayer:

Lord, we know that if You dealt with us exactly as we deserve, we would be judged and destroyed immediately. We cannot stand before You unless we are ready to die. And yet, we cannot live without You. That is why we come before You, relying solely on the merit of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are utterly dependent on Your grace—we cannot live without it. So, we offer our thanks and praise. It is because of You, Lord, that we are alive. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: Even though we are sinful and undeserving, God still chooses to draw near to us because of His love and grace. We can come before Him—not because we are good—but because Jesus made a way. Without His presence, we cannot live.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • Why did the people stand and bow when Moses went to meet God?
  • What does it mean when the Bible says God talked to Moses “like a friend”?
  • Can you think of a time when you were really sorry and wanted to talk to God?
    
• For Youth
  • Why do you think God first said He wouldn’t go with the people, but later changed His mind?
  • What does it say about God’s character that He still met with Moses outside the camp after the people sinned?
  • How does understanding “grace” help you relate to God when you’ve made mistakes?