Bible Study Notes: Exodus 33:12-13

Welcome to “Bible Notes!” Today we will be specifically examining my Bible study notes from Exodus 33 and diving more into the story of Moses. Read more about this series and why I created it here.

Then 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 grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”

Exodus 33:12–13

God tells Moses He will go with them (Exod. 33:14). Then Moses makes a bold request. He says, “Please, show me Your glory” (v. 18). In other words, “Show me who You are, Lord.” Moses shifted from “please don’t leave me” to “show me Your glory.” 

What would happen in our lives if we shifted our thinking from “God, help!” to “God, show me who You are in this situation.”

Bible Study Notes on Exodus 33

God’s response is amazing and I want to take a closer look at it as we learn what it really means to draw near to God. You see, the mountain wasn’t just about laws, rules, and commandments. 

The mountain was about drawing near to God. All the Israelites knew of God was His power. It was time God invited them into a relationship with Him.

To draw near to God, we must be willing to see God as He is. It is God who draws near to us first. He shows us, tells us, and makes a way for us to be near to Him. If we truly desire to draw near to God, we must first admit this nearness will not be what we expect.

• This is an excerpt from my book, I Didn’t Sign Up for This. Purchase it here.