The Bible tells us that Moses spoke with God “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Yet later, in Exodus 33, God tells Moses that no one can see His face and live. This seems contradictory at first glance. However, a closer examination of the passages in context reveals that there are different senses in which Moses saw and did not see the face of God.
First, let’s look at Exodus 33:11. This verse comes right after Moses pleaded with God not to destroy the Israelites after they worshipped the golden calf. God relented and continued to speak to Moses as a friend. The phrase “face to face” indicates intimate, personal communication, not necessarily a literal seeing of God’s face. God spoke to Moses directly and clearly, not through visions, dreams or intermediaries. So this passage emphasizes the close relationship between God and Moses.
In Exodus 33:18-23, the context is different. Moses asks to see God’s glory. God agrees to reveal His goodness and majesty to Moses, telling him “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (v.20). God instructs Moses to stand in the cleft of a rock, where He will shield Moses and pass by, allowing Moses to see His back but not His face. This passage highlights God’s transcendence and the danger of sinful humans seeing His full glory.
So in Exodus 33:11, “face to face” communicates intimate fellowship, while in 33:20-23 God insists that no one can fully behold His glory and live. There are a few factors that help explain this:
– God’s face represents His full glory, majesty and holiness – dangerous for sinful humans to behold in our present state.
– But God can and does communicate with people in intimate fellowship, through words, dreams, visions etc. This is seeing God in a limited, mediated way.
– Moses enjoyed personal fellowship with God but could not handle God’s unrestrained glory.
– There are differences in Old Testament vs New Testament revelations of God’s glory. In the OT, very few saw limited glimpses. But in Christ, God’s glory is perfectly revealed in a mediator (Hebrews 1:3). Through Christ, we can one day see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).
To summarize, Moses spoke intimately with God but was not allowed to see the full, unrestrained glory of God’s face and live. This preserves both God’s transcendence and His desire for fellowship with His people. Now, through Christ, we can relate to God in close fellowship and look forward to seeing Him face to face in eternal glory.
Looking closer at the context of Exodus 33, we see clues about this tension between God’s desire to be near His people and the danger of sinful humans seeing His unrestrained glory:
– In Exodus 33:3, God promises to go with Israel to the Promised Land, but will not go “in your midst” lest He destroy them.
– In 33:7-11, Moses meets with God in the tent of meeting, outside the camp. God speaks to Moses face to face but not directly in the midst of the people.
– In 33:12-23, Moses asks to know God’s ways and see His glory. God promises to make His goodness pass before Moses and proclaim His name, but Moses cannot see God’s face.
So even as God draws near to His people, there are boundaries and mediation required for their protection. Moses acts as a go-between to receive revelation from God and communicate it to the Israelites. Through Christ, God now dwells in our midst through the Spirit (Matthew 28:20). But we still look forward to seeing God face to face in eternity (1 John 3:2).
Some key passages that provide additional insight on this topic:
Exodus 24:9-11 – Moses and key leaders of Israel “saw the God of Israel…yet He did not lay His hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.” This likely involved a vision/theophany of God’s glory.
Numbers 12:6-8 – God says He makes Himself known to prophets in visions and dreams, but with Moses He speaks mouth to mouth, not in riddles. Again emphasizing the intimate communication between God and Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:10 – “There has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” This sums up the unique relationship Moses had with God.
1 Kings 19:11-13 – When Elijah sees and hears God passing by, he wraps his face in his cloak. Echoing the dangerous of seeing God’s unrestrained glory.
Isaiah 6:1-5 – Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne and cries “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Seeing God’s unrestrained glory highlights Isaiah’s sinfulness.
John 1:14-18 – In Christ, the Word became flesh and “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” Christ makes God known. No one has ever seen God, but Jesus reveals Him.
1 Timothy 6:13-16 – God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” Echoes the danger of seeing God’s unrestrained glory.
So in summary, Moses spoke face to face with God, communicating directly and intimately. But Moses was not allowed to see the full glory of God’s face and live. This maintains God’s transcendence and majesty, while also making space for intimate fellowship with His people through mediation, visions, dreams etc. Now in Christ we see the glory of God revealed, looking forward to the day when we will see Him face to face.