105_Learning God’s ways

Exodus 33:9-16 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

There was a young man who admired a great artist and longed to learn from him. One day, he gathered the courage to approach the master and asked, “Sir, how did you become so skilled?” The artist smiled and replied, “I spent countless hours watching my master work. I listened to him, observed his ways, and imitated his strokes. The more I spent time in his presence, the more I learned his ways.”

In the same way, walking with God is not just knowing about Him, but knowing Him. It is being reverent before him, obedient to his word, trustful in his promises, and hopeful in his love. Exodus 33:9-16 describes a conversation between Moses and God. It unveils the depth of a relationship with God that is built on trust, dependence, and love.

God always wants to dwell with his people and walk among them. This was the very reason behind Israel’s redemption. Yet, as Moses descended from Mount Sinai, he found that his people had rebelled against God, turning to idols. God threatened to leave them, with an angel to go before them and ensure their access into the land of promise. The angel would cast out their enemies and give them possession. Moses and the people were dismayed at this word. The people mourned heartbrokenly, removing their ornaments.

Moses set up the Tent of Meeting outside the camp, far away from the people. While their unfaithfulness as a people had driven God away, his presence was still with those who were loyal to him. The tent was a holy place for him to meet with anyone who wanted to seek him. Life is not always a mountaintop experience. There are times when all around us seems barren of God’s presence. Yet he still calls us to come near, undistracted by external and internal interference, urges, and needs. In the place apart, apart from sinful influences and distractions, quieting our hearts, we can seek God and find him, as Jeremiah 29:12-13 promises, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

The moment Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, signifying God’s presence. This visible manifestation of God deeply affected the people. They stood in reverence and worshiped from their own tents. A genuine walk with God has a profound impact on those around. It stirs others to worship Him. As Malachi 2:6 describes the priestly role, we see this principle at work: “True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.”

Astonishingly, this passage narrates the Lord’s speech with Moses—”as a man speaks with his friend.” Abraham was also called a friend of God, and in Genesis 18:17, God asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” When God calls us his friends, he does not just expect to hear from us about the things that are troubling and distressing us in our own personal lives. He also expects that his friends will know and understand his plans and goals. This friendship is the privilege of knowing His thoughts, understanding His ways, and sharing in His purposes. Jesus affirmed this in John 15:15: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

As Moses converses with God, he openly asks for the thing he wants the most. It is not power, success, or an easy and safe journey. Instead, he pleads, “Show me your ways.” The disciple, the follower of Christ, wants nothing more than to know God and align himself with his plans. Paul echoes this in Philippians 3:10: “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

Moses also intercedes on behalf of the people, reminding God that they are His and not any man’s. God had distanced Himself, calling them “the people whom you brought out of Egypt.” But Moses firmly acknowledges the truth that these are God’s people, redeemed by His power. True servants of God never claim ownership over those they shepherd. They are stewards of what belongs to God. Pastors, leaders, and believers alike must remember that the ministry we carry out is not to build our name, or to achieve our goals. It is ministering to the Lord.

In this exchange, we see Moses, a mere man, pleading for mercy as God speaks of judgment. Just as Abraham interceded for Sodom, Moses pleads with God, and God relents. The power of prayer is not in changing God’s will, however, but in aligning ourselves with His heart. God’s heart is to dwell among His people. When God assures Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” Moses’ response is still uncompromising: “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Without God, even the Promised Land is worthless. True faith realizes that all blessings, success, and security are meaningless without Him who is the foundation. Having God, we have all we need.

Yet, God’s presence is both a blessing and a challenge. To the disobedient and unbelieving, His nearness brings judgment. Many in Israel perished due to their sin—the ten spies who doubted, those who joined Korah’s rebellion, and those who grumbled against God. His presence is not to be taken lightly. But to those who love Him, His presence is the safest refuge. David declares in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The nearness of God is our comfort, our strength, and our security.

What distinguishes the people of God from the world? Moses answers: “Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” It is not our name, our denomination, or our achievements—it is His presence. This was evident in the life of Joseph, as Genesis 39:3 says, “His master saw that the Lord was with him.” Even in prison, the jailer recognized this. Later, Pharaoh himself testified, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:38).

Let us abide in God’s presence, apart from and above all else. Let us seek Him as Moses did. Let our hearts be a “tent of meeting” where we constantly return to commune with Him. The world offers many distractions, but nothing compares to the presence of God. Our being known by Him is our true glory. And walking with him is the assurance and comfort that he is with us. God bless.