And the Lord spoke with Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. And as a friend, Moses asked the Lord for assurance that he would never leave him on his own to command this people. God assured Moses that his presence would go with them and God would give him rest. Moses was comforted and said, “Don’t send us unless you go with us. Your presence is our only distinction among the people on the earth.” Then Moses asked to see the Lord’s glory. God’s response is that Moses could not see his face, but he would hide Moses in the cleft of a rock and cover him with his hand as he passed by, so Moses could only see God’s hinder parts. After performing all the ritual necessary to ascend into the presence of God, when the requested encounter actually happened, when God showed up as promised…God was so full of his “Godness” that he overflowed in proclamation of his own name and glory.
The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant In goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the third and to the fourth generation. {Exodus 34:6,7}
