Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent. 33:8-11
After the terrible betrayal of the “golden calf” God was angry with the Israelites and determined to not “dwell among them.” He made them remove the jewelry they had been given as a reward from the defeated Egyptians and He stopped manifesting His presence in the camp. Moses was forced to pitch a tent outside the camp and He would go there and meet with God (together with his assistant Joshua) and he would talk to God “like a man speaks with his friend.” This picture is both thrilling and disheartening. On the one hand we see Moses and Joshua enjoying the presence of the Lord and we see the Lord desiring intimate fellowship with man. At the same time, we see the sad picture of millions of Israelites who now want what Moses has but know that their sin stands in the way.
This contrast is powerful as you imagine a sea of people all noticing Moses making his way to the tent of meeting. They stand up, on their tiptoes even, hoping to get a glimpse of God’s glory… Moses goes in, the cloud descends and the people are torn… wanting to be in the tent where Moses is, but also terrified to be in that tent… instead they are forced to bow and worship from their own tent; seeing His presence in the distance but knowing they might as well be a million miles away. In the same chapter Moses sees the back of God’s glory as God reveals more of himself to Moses than he has to anyone else. Then in the next chapter Moses spends 40 days and nights on the mountain with God again and comes down with his face shining from the radiance of God’s glory. The Israelites are so uncomfortable he is forced to cover his face with a veil when he talks to them.
It is no wonder that Paul uses this imagery in 2 Corinthians to describe the Christian life. In Christ the veil is lifted; the divide between us and God is bridged and He makes it possible for us to enter into the presence of God without fear because He has removed our sins. “Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” (2 Cor. 3:16) Until you are in Christ, though, you are like those who are seeing things from a distance, wondering what is happening inside the tent, perhaps even practicing a religious form of some kind, but really a million miles away from Him. I can’t describe with words what it is like to be in an intimate relationship with God. It is impossible for lost people to truly understand what we know because it is something that must be experienced. It is like describing the taste of an orange. I can try to use my limited vocabulary to describe the flavor of an orange, but in the end you have to take a bite and experience it for yourself to truly understand. Maybe its time to repent and trust Him by faith; time to see what’s inside the tent. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)
