A Worshiping People

MEMORY SELECTION: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” —Exodus 33:14

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Exodus 33:9-16; 35:29

GOD’S promise to the children of Israel was that he would ever be with them. Covenant relationship had been established with them, and Moses, as their mediator before God, had inaugurated the Law Covenant. Truly they had been blessed in a significant manner.

The presence of God was manifested in unusual ways. When Moses led his people out of Egypt they were especially guided by God. “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.”—Exod. 13:21

On another occasion: “It came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.” (Exod. 33:9) God’s presence was with Moses. However, the tabernacle that he entered at that time was a tent which had been erected as a special place of worship before the tabernacle proper had been set up.

Later, when the tabernacle had been set up, God’s presence was with the Israelites in a still more remarkable way. This was shown by the Shekinah light which appeared in the Most Holy. There, glowing between the cherubims and above the propitiatory, the brilliance of God’s presence was represented in the only light in that special compartment of the tabernacle. “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” (Exod. 25:22) And again we read (Isa. 37:16), “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou halt made heaven and earth.”

Part of the arrangement in connection with the tabernacle was that Aaron, the high priest, should bear over his heart the breastplate of judgment, in which were set four rows of precious stones—each with the name of a tribe of Israel engraved upon it. Inside that breastplate, however, were to be placed the Urim and the Thummim, which, when translated, mean “lights” and “perfections.” The scriptural account of this is found in Exodus 28:15-30, and we read (vs. 30), “And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.”

Although we have no definite knowledge concerning the manner in which God revealed his presence in the Urim and Thummim, we do know that in some miraculous way he indicated his instructions, through the high priest, to the children of Israel.

There are many ways in which God revealed his presence to the Israelites, of which we have considered a few examples. In the selected scriptural reading, and especially beginning with verse 7, we note the manner in which God chose to commune with Moses while he was “without the camp.” Applying the significance of our lesson in connection with its antitypical relevance, our attention is brought to the writings of the Apostle Paul, who said of our Lord (Heb. 13:12), “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” And again, within the context of Paul’s explanation concerning the blood of sacrifice, he admonishes us to “go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.”—Heb. 13:13

As Moses entered the tent and beheld the cloudy pillar, “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Exod. 33:11) It was then that Moses asked for an indication of God’s grace and received the assurance that “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” (vs. 14) This is the same assurance that is promised to each one who seeks to follow the Lord faithfully even unto death during the present Gospel Age.

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