God’s Face

AM Psalm 119:49-72 • PM Psalm 49 (53)
Exod. 33:1-23 • 1 Thess. 2:1-12 • Matt. 5:17-20

As I've mentioned in several other of my reflections, Old Testament readings are quite challenging for me to reflect on with my small amount of biblical experience. In today’s reading from Exodus, we read an interesting, and slightly confusing, story about Moses and God. God is regularly communicating with the Israelites through Moses on their Exodus journey. Moses sets up a “tent of meeting” away from the rest of their camp, and it is here that the Lord comes to Moses. God is described as a “pillar of cloud” that comes down to the entrance of Moses’ tent, and it is there that they speak “face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”

Moses then speaks rather earnestly to God, essentially saying that he doesn’t quite know what God plans to do with him and the Israelites. He tells God that he wants Him to come with them on their Exodus journey. Moses wants to be distinguished as a child of God, and he wants people to know that God is pleased with him and the Israelites. God agrees to send his presence along with them on their journey, with the condition that Moses cannot see His face, saying, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” He says that he will pass by while covering Moses with His hand, and then uncover Moses, allowing him only to see God’s back.

This line about not seeing God’s face is tricky for me. My first thought was that my idea of God is non-human, meaning He wouldn’t have a face. My second thought was that Jesus would eventually come and serve as the face of God. But I think both of these thoughts are too literal. It was hypothesized very early on in the Old Testament that when the Messiah came and the face of God would be revealed, that the world would be turned upside down and everything would change. God needed Moses in that moment to be able to relate to the people and spread His message, and I think He was simply telling Moses that if Moses was to be revealed to all of God’s glory, he wouldn’t be able to relate in the way God needed him to.

Written by Tel Johnson

Tel is a senior at Hendrix College. She is pre-medical and majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in psychology.