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.
At Sinai, God told Israel: "In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee and I will bless thee." (Exodus 20:24)[1] The name of Yahweh was to be the point of encounter between God and his people — wherever it was proclaimed, his presence would follow.
After receiving the Law, Moses made an extraordinary request: "Show me your glory." (Exodus 33:18)[2] God answered with a promise: "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you." (Exodus 33:19)[3] But Moses could not see God's face and live — he must be placed in a cleft of the rock, covered by God's hand, and allowed only to see his back as the glory passed by.
This encounter links the divine glory inseparably with the divine name. The proclamation of the name — with all its moral attributes of goodness, mercy, and truth — is itself the revelation of the glory. The cleft rock in which Moses sheltered would later become a symbol of Christ, in whom believers find shelter and the full disclosure of God's character. (1 Corinthians 10:4)[4]
God then descended in a cloud and proclaimed his name before Moses: "Yahweh, Yahweh God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth." (Exodus 34:6)[5] This proclamation would become the foundational definition of the divine name — a name not merely of power, but of moral character expressed toward his people.