Record of the Name in the Wilderness
Summary
After the giving of the Law at Sinai, where God promised to meet Israel in every place where his name was recorded, Moses made a remarkable request: he asked to see God’s glory. God’s response — placing Moses in a cleft of the rock and shielding him while his goodness passed by — was a defining act for how the divine name would be understood throughout Scripture.
AFTER that Jehovah had spoken the ten commandments to all the people, he said unto Moses: “In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee” (Exod. xx. 24). Searching for the signification of this, we are led to the testimonies which tell of the Lord’s intercourse with Moses, and the blessings He conferred upon him. In Exodus xxxiii.-xxxiv. very remarkable testimony concerning a record of that name is found. Moses said unto Yahweh, “I beseech thee shew me thy glory.”
In response to the supplication of Moses, the Lord said: “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee: and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live. And the Lord said, Behold a place by me; and thou shalt stand upon a Rock. And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand, while I pass by” (Exod. xxxiii.).