Exodus 33: Friendship With God

God tells Moses something that should stop any believer in their tracks: “Go to the Promised Land… but I will not travel among you.” After the golden calf rebellion, Israel is faced with a terrifying reality. They can still head toward “milk and honey,” but they might do it without the nearness of God’s presence. That question is not ancient history. It’s a mirror. How often do we chase the next step while quietly settling for less of God? 

We slow down in Exodus 33 to watch the relationship between Moses and God deepen into something Scripture dares to describe as friendship. From the tent of meeting outside the camp to the pillar of cloud at the entrance, the chapter shows a rhythm of worship, reverence, and honest conversation. We also unpack what it means that God speaks to Moses “face to face as one speaks to a friend,” and why that language points to intimacy and clarity without pretending we can handle God’s full glory. 

Then comes Moses’ defining prayer: “If you don’t personally go with us, then don’t make us leave this place.” Moses knows what sets God’s people apart is not better plans or stronger leaders but God’s presence among them. When Moses asks, “Show me your glorious presence,” God responds with mercy, boundaries, and a glimpse of goodness that Moses can survive. If you’ve been praying to feel closer to God, this chapter gives language for bold prayer, real repentance, and steady spiritual growth over time. 

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Transcript

Welcome And Daily Bible Rhythm

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Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

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Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor

Why Moses And God Feel Close

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Brandon. Today, Exodus chapter 33, and today's title is Friendship with God. Friendship with God. You know, one of the things I love about going through the book of Exodus is watching this relationship flourish that we don't always think about. And that is the relationship between God and Moses. When we first met Moses back in the first part of Exodus, he had been in exile for 40 years. And then he meets God because of a burning bush. And he sees God as obviously God. And then over time, as he is seeing God's faithfulness and he's obeying God and he's serving God, it goes from not only just God and creation, but then partnering in this. God is still the lead man, he's still in charge. But it comes to the point where you can begin to see the conversation change as relationship is developing, closeness, you know, intimacy is beginning to happen as they're getting closer and closer and closer. And we see this happening even more today. And I've got great news for you. That's what God wants from me and for you. He wants us to have a close relationship that develops over time. As we're gonna get all that in just a moment.

A Rare Moment Coming Up

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I want you to get your Bibles out, I want to get your Bible journals out, get your popcorn out, because something really cool is gonna happen. Only one time in the entire Bible, we're gonna see it today, and we're gonna get into it. But make sure you also take just a moment to like, share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure to leave us a five-star view on the podcast. It really does help. And make sure you're going to the Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job. And as always, you can get all that information at the Biblebreakdown.com because the more we dig, the more we find.

After The Golden Calf Fallout

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Well, if you were with us yesterday, it was so frustrating because the Bible says that after just less than 40 days, there was a group of people from the nation of Israel. And it doesn't seem to necessarily indicate that it was the entire nation of Israel, but there were some that decided we've waited too long for this fellow Moses. And so they rebelled against God. Aaron was one of them. And God said, if or Moses said, if you're on God's side, come over here. If you're not, go over there. And they killed those other guys. And they said, no, we are not going to have this. And the he is, he's gone back to God to ask for forgiveness. And they're trying to figure out what the next step's going to be. And so we're going to get into this today. But what I really want you to see is this relationship that's been developing over time that you can really see take a whole new step with Moses and God. So

God’s Warning About His Presence

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here we go. Chapter 33, verse 1 says this, Well, get going. The Lord said to Moses, get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I told them, I will give them this land to your descendants. I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perasites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to the land that flows with milk and honey. Remember, that means a land that is able to self-exist. Yo, honey would mean that the local uh food cycle is going, and milk would be because there's pasture land that they can, that they can go through seasons. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way. When the people heard these stern words, they were they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothing. For the Lord has said to Moses, You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothing while I decide what to do with you. So from the time they left Mount Sinai, the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.

The Tent Of Meeting And Face To Face

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It was Moses' practice to take the tent of meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make requests from the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. Whenever Moses went into the tent of meeting, all the people would get up and stand at the entrances of their own tents, and they would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. And when the people saw the clouds standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down there in front of their own tents. Inside the tent of meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted Moses, Joshua, son of Nun, would remain behind in the tent of meeting.

Moses Pleads For God To Go

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One day Moses said to the Lord, You have been telling me, take these people up to the promised land, but you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, I know you by name, and I look favorably on you. If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways, so I may understand you more fully, and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people. Then the Lord replied, I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest. Everything will be fine for you. Then Moses said, If you don't personally go with us, then don't make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on me, on me and on your people, if you don't go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth. Then the Lord replied to Moses, I will indeed go with you, for you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by

Show Me Your Glory

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name. And Moses responded, Then show me your glorious presence. And the Lord replied, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call you or call out my name, Yahweh before you. I will show mercy to any one I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live. And the Lord continued, Stand near me on this rock, as my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I pass by. Then I'll remove my hand and let you see me from behind, but my face will not be seen.

What Closeness With God Looks Like

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Wow. What an amazing moment. This amazing moment where God isn't sure. You know, He's saying, I am not sure if I'm gonna go with you. In other words, He is telling them, I I need you to understand how important this is. Now, is it is it true that God was sitting there kind of going back and forth, back and forth? No, no, that's that's not the way it is. God, God is all knowing, He is all seeing, He sees, He sees time from the outside in. He he already knew what he was gonna do. But he was letting them know this is a serious thing. Like having me with you is not guaranteed. You got to follow me. And so he let it sit for a couple days. And the nation of Israel mourned and wondered. And Moses is praying and talking and asking God. And finally, Moses just says, God, I need to know. If you're not gonna go with us, I don't want to do it. I don't want to go. I don't want to do this by myself. You know, if if if you're gonna go with us, then please go with us. And Moses and God says to Moses, okay, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna be with you, and I am going to come with you on all this journey because you I look favorably on you. And then what a what a powerful prayer that Moses says, well, then I, if that's the truth, and I know it is, I want more of you. Like I want to see more of you. I want to get closer to you. I want more of your presence in my life, I want more closeness with you. And God tells Moses that you can't, you can't see me in the face, it will destroy you. God wasn't saying that that he didn't have permission as much as he was saying you have to understand, my raw presence will destroy flesh. Like it's it's too powerful. So, in some kind of way, he says behind him, but it was some kind of way where God showed an aspect of his glory that was not the full-on, amazing glory of God, so that he was able to see enough of it to say, this is a piece of me that you can have. This is this is our relationship getting closer. And it's amazing to see that as they continued to get closer, God continued to reveal more of himself to Moses as their relationship grew. And that's one

Marriage Picture Of Growing Intimacy

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of the things that I love about God is that God loves us. And as we do life with God, that's one of the amazing things is I've had young Christians ask me, you know, Pastor, how do I get closer to God? And I tell them, it's just like in marriage. You know, when you first get married, you think you know each other, but you know each other as much as you can at the time. But once you've been married 10 years, you know each other even more because you've been through things, you've grown through things, you understand each other now. Well, then you get married, you've been married for 10 years, then 15 years, then 20 years, then 25 years. The longer you know each other, the more you know each other, the more you grow. And that's how it works with God. The longer you walk with God, the more relationship you have with Him, the closer you're able to get. Because God wants a relationship with all of us. Therefore, the longer you do life with God, the closer you get. And that's what Moses is finding out is he has now been with God through Egypt. He's been with God through the Red Sea, he's been with God through Sinai. Now he has been with God through trouble, and now he has been with God through trying, uncertain times. And he comes out on the other side and he says, God, if you don't go with us, I have learned. I don't want to go without you. I can't, I can't do

A Prayer For More Of God

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without you. Can I tell you that's where I want to get to in my life? Is I want to get to a place in my life where I want God so much that I tell God, God, if you don't go with me, I'm not going. Because I have learned that only with you is anything possible. What about you? What if that became our prayer? God, I want to see more of you. I want to know more of you. You know how much I can handle. So let me have all I can handle. I want to know you. What if we prayed a prayer like that and then watched what God would do? Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, God, for the honor of being able to be known by you. I pray, God, in the way that we can handle, show us more of you. Show us a better, a brighter, a more clear vision of who you are. Lord, that will excite us, that will give us a fresh passion and a fresh hunger to continue to move forward with you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And what God's Word says in Exodus 6, verse 6, it says, I will free you from your oppression and I will rescue you from slavery. I am so thankful to know a God of freedom. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Exodus chapter 34.