Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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Exodus chapter 33.
Verse 7.
And Moses took the Tabernacle and pitched it without the camp.
Far off from the camp and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation.
That it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out under the Tabernacle of the congregation which was without the camp.
And it came to pass, when Moses went out under the Tabernacle, that all the people rose up and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he was gone into the Tabernacle. And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle. And the Lord talked with Moses, and all the people saw the cloudy pillars stand at the Tabernacle door.
And all the people rose.
Rose up and worshiped every man in his tent door, and the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
And he turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle. And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know where whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast found grace in my sight.
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee.
That I may find grace in my sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For when shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?
Is it not in that thou goest with us, So shall we be separated I and thy people from.
All the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also, that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he 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 show mercy, on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see my face. See me and live.
And the Lord said, Behold, there is 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. And I will take away mine hand. And thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen.
My brethren, what was particularly before me in reading this passage is the thought of the Lord's presence with His people. I believe this is the most important, the most blessed thing that we can possibly enjoy His presence, and I believe we have it. Perhaps we could say in two ways here, His presence as at the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And his presence enjoyed by Moses.
Individually, we need these two things to be able to go on in a day like this.
And I was thinking it was specially so in connection with the way that this chapter comes in.
We're all aware that previous to this chapter, commencing with chapter 25, we have the instructions about the making of the Tabernacle of the congregation where God provided a meeting place between Himself and His people.
But before that meeting place was prepared and built, as we have in the latter part of this book, we have this very wonderful incident brought in here.
It shows us how God anticipated the failure of his people, and he was not going to fail, even although they might. And isn't that lovely? Because just as we have in Revelation.
We have the Church as a Candlestick, but before that we are introduced to the Lord Jesus as the faithful and true witness, the first begotten from the dead, the Prince of the kings of the earth. And so it is a lovely thing to know that a law, everything does break down in the hands of man, that God never fails. He is ever faithful, and He is faithful to His people.
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And when the people were redeemed?
It was His desire that He should dwell among them. He said in the 25th chapter, Make me a Tabernacle that I may dwell among them. It was His delight, His joy to be in the midst of His redeemed people. But as I say, before even that Tabernacle was built, the people had turned away. They had made the golden calf. They were worshiping it. And so we find in this lovely chapter.
God's gracious provision showing that even before the failure, He made provision for the time of failure.
And we're in that time now. We're in the time, not the time of Israel's failure that is past, but we're in the time of the failure of the Church as a Candlestick in the earth. But he is faithful. He delights, I say, in the blessing of his people.
And so when they had so grieved his heart and made this golden cap and were worshipping it, Moses comes down and in righteousness God could have consumed the people in a moment, But oh, he loved the people. He wanted their blessing and faith and intelligence about the mind of God and the part of Moses.
Leads him to do what we have in this seventh verse. And Moses took the Tabernacle.
And pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass that everyone which sought the Lord went out unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
We're all acquainted with the fact that that beautiful structure that was made later.
Was called the Tabernacle of the congregation. What is this that is called here? The Tabernacle of the congregation?
The one that was built according to the pattern that Moses was shown upon the mount.
Was in the midst, and the tribes were all arranged around that Tabernacle. But this one was pitched without the camp, afar off from the camp. But it was called by the same name, the Tabernacle of the congregation. Oh, how lovely. Did God still love his people? Did He still delight in their blessing? Perhaps this was only a small place.
Someone has suggested perhaps it was Moses own tent.
But it was called the Tabernacle of the congregation. Isn't that wonderful? And it doesn't matter whether there's a large company or a small company to be in the place where the Lord's presence is, where He would have us, is everything. And faith recognizes that even in a day of ruin, God is still faithful. There is one body.
And we're exhorted to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.
In the bond of peace. And so in the 18th chapter of Matthew, the Lord said in the 16th on this rock I will build my church in the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But in the 18th of Matthew he talks about two or three on the day of Pentecost there were about 3000 that were blessed and brought in to the assembly.
Thus in the 18th of Matthew he says where two or three.
Are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them. Yes. He anticipated a day of declension and failure, but he said even if it's only two or three, there he would be in the midst. And so Moses, I say, intelligent about the mind of God here.
He takes this tent and pitches it afar off from the camp, afar off from all that was going on, the grieved the heart of the Lord. And there it tells us it was called the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it was a happy thought for us this morning as we saw that one loaf on the table, to know that it represented every member of the body of Christ.
We know everyone, even in the city Of Montreal.
All or for Droid or dornion was not present, but they were all represented in that one loaf. And this tent that was pitched perhaps only small, was called the Tabernacle of the congregation. Oh how blessed. And it says everyone that sought. What a fine building that which was displayed so beautifully in that Tabernacle that was later built.
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No, everyone that saw.
The Lord all brethren, do you and I seek the Lord say I'd like to be with an assembly where there were large numbers, where there was activity, where there was a great deal going on. Well, I'm sure we all delight to be with a large company who loved the Lord, who desire to please him. But I trust that we can say that we're not here because of the crowd or the company, but we're here because.
We have sought the Lord.
He sought the Lord. Brethren, it's the only thing that will keep us going on in the little assemblies we come from is to be there because we seek the Lord. It may be just a tent, it may be a man's house, as this may have been Moses own tent, but it was the Tabernacle of the congregation, and those who sought the Lord went out there to be in this place where the Lord was.
And doesn't tell us of many. It only mentions the name of Moses and of Joshua, perhaps to bring it down to the very smallest number. And yet this was the place where the cloud came down and where the glory of the Lord appeared. It was the place where the Lord met with his people. Oh, how precious this is. And I say again.
Because we're living in the last days.
We're living in days of failure. We all have to hang our heads and confess our own part in the failure. But I believe, brethren, what we need is to get our eyes off one another and to get our eyes upon the Lord. He's the same. He is the same if Moses had looked around and if Joshua had looked around, and indeed he did, He looked around and he was so discouraged about it all that he didn't know what to make of it. And.
And it was very disheartening to this young believer. But when the Tabernacle was pitched, Joshua was there, and Joshua didn't leave.
Don't forget, dear young people, he was a young man. He was a young man, but he was there. Why was he there? Because the glory of the Lord was there. He sought the Lord. He sought the Lord. May the Lord keep each one of us, and especially the young, in days of difficulty, in days of trial, in days of testing.
So it tells us here in this ninth verse that came to pass. As Moses entered into the Tabernacle, a cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. The Lord talked with Moses, and all the people saw the cloudy pillars stand at the Tabernacle door. Did they go?
Did they seek this place even although they saw it? No, it says they remained at their tent door. They remained at their tent door. Perhaps you say all the meetings so small, there will be so few there. I think I'll stay home. I think I can enjoy the Lord's presence even in my home. Well, in a sense this is true, but not in the same sense that His presence can be enjoyed.
In the midst of two or three gathered to his name. And I wouldn't like to say that all these people who stood and worshiped at their tent door had no heart for the Lord. And I dare not say here this afternoon that many who are not gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus don't have a real heart for him.
Thank God for the devotedness of everyone who is not so gathered, but I believe this was a blessed privilege that was given and a privilege that was enjoyed by very few. Well, the Lord talked to Moses face to face. He went out to this place where the Lord's presence was among His people.
And in the 11TH verse it says, And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp. But his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, he parted not out of the Tabernacle. I think this is written to show us that emotedness of this young man, who might have been so thoroughly and utterly discouraged. And yet here we find that faith that continued.
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And when he had seen what could be enjoyed there, when he had seen the Lord's presence, that was enough. Well, I say again, I believe this brings before us the enjoyment of the Lord's presence in a collective way, and I trust it will be precious to us and to my own heart. I repeat that it's very precious that this didn't come in after.
The Tabernacle.
Had been built and all had failed but before, because God foreknew, just as Paul said to the elders at Ephesus. Think of that assembly at Ephesus so blessed, given the highest truth that we have in the New Testament, I believe, and yet that very assembly when he talked to them, he said.
After my departure, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock? Yeah, also of your own souls shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. This word was spoken to that assembly. Why? Well, it's easy to go on when there's a freshness, when there's a happiness, when there's a oneness, when there is real spiritual energy.
But it takes the eye upon.
The Lord to go on when we see the breakdown of things in the hand of man, but always say again, God is faithful. And here were two who enjoyed the Lord's presence in a collective sense at the Tabernacle of the congregation.
But now we go a little farther in the 12TH verse.
And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast found grace in my sight. Well, Moses here felt very much alone. I believe at the 12TH verse we have shall I say, a little change to what might be called the individual side of things.
I believe in the first part we have the collective side of things, the Tabernacle of the congregation, the Lord speaking there, and those who sought that and those who remained at their tent door. But now we find another circumstance brought before us here. Here is Moses. He's an individual. Many of us come from little assemblies gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
Many others seek to go on in this.
Position collectively. But after all, we are individuals. We are individuals and we play an individual part in the assembly from which we come. And this can often be discouraging too. And it was very discouraging to Moses at this time. And so he said to the Lord, he said, you've asked me to lead the people, and you haven't shown who you'll have.
To go with me.
He craved company. He craved company and his individuals. We crave company. We crave those who love us and who understand us. It has been said that the thing the human heart craves most of all is love and understanding. And as humans, even as believers, we crave this. And Moses craved it. He loved the people he wanted.
To lead them into the promised land. It was bright and glorious in his soul that God was leading the people to a land flowing with milk and honey. And its bright and glorious in our hearts as we look over the company here. And to think that the Lord Jesus is the captain of our salvation, bringing us home to glory. But we have a part in helping one another. None of us liveth to himself.
And no man dieth to himself. We each have a part.
A little part in connection with this, and Moses had a special part in this, and he said, who will go with me? Did you ever look around and feel that way? Say, who can I have, who enters into my feelings, who enters into my thoughts? Who will be my companion to go along? And it would be so nice if I had someone of like mind of understanding with whom I could serve the Lord and with whom I could follow.
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Him and he said, If I really found grace in thy sight, why have you left me without someone with whom I can walk this yearning? This feeling rose up in the heart of Moses, as it may rise up in the heart of many of us, even here this afternoon.
And Moses repeats it. He said. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight.
Oh, he, he couldn't understand. You know, there were times, brethren, when we don't always understand God's ways with us. We can't understand why he leads us a certain way. But isn't it nice what he adds? Show me now thy way, He said. I don't understand it, but show me thy way for you and I content to walk in his way.
Even though we can't understand why he's leading.
Do we look up and say, Lord, show me now thy way, thy way. That was the desire of the psalmist. He said, Lead me, lead me in thy truth, and teach me another verse. Teach me to do thy will. This desire rose up in his heart.
And he said that I may know thee.
And that I may find grace in thy sight. He thought he had already found grace in thy, in his sight. But as we have been reminded in these meetings, now there is the grace that saves, and there is the grace needed for the pathway. And Moses at this point felt the special need of the grace for the pathway. And so he adds that I may know thee.
Yes, when we don't understand God's ways, the enemy seeks to bring in a wedge and say you don't understand God, you don't understand the Lord.
How the enemy seeks to come in between US and the Lord. But he said, Show me thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may know thee. Oh, to know him, the one whose heart is full of love, the one whose heart is full of grace.
The one whose heart is full of understanding, whose delights are with the sons of men, who is not himself going to be satisfied without company.
Yes, it has been said that God is complete in himself, in everything, but that He desires objects for his affection, and he is going to have objects for his affections. That's His way. That's His way, that he might have objects for his affections. And who are they? You and I, You and I.
Well, what did the Lord answer?
And he said.
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Now this wasn't just the collective thing.
This wasn't what we considered before the blessed privilege of being gathered to the Lord's name. Shall I say you can have that wonderful privilege of being gathered to the Lord's name? And yet perhaps it could be Saul that as individuals were not enjoying his presence individually. And so the Lord tells him, My presence shall go with thee.
Oh yes, to walk in the enjoyment of the company.
Of the Lord Jesus, brethren, is the sweetest portion on earth the sweetest portion on earth? When we lose this, we've lost everything that's worthwhile. What is the matter with man today?
What is all the frustration in everything? Because he is trying to find in the material universe and trying to find through the efforts of his own mind that which can only be found in the Creator himself, made known and revealed in redemption. Yes, that's the answer, the only answer. And it doesn't matter how far he advances. He can go to the Moon, he can go to Saturn or Mars or any of the other planets.
You'll never find satisfaction for his heart in this no may find a little bit of bolstering for his pride, but not satisfaction for his heart. But a humble believer in this room can find satisfaction in the company of the Lord Jesus. Satisfaction in the company of the Lord Jesus. How often is true a Christian laid aside from all activity laid aside from.
So he doesn't enjoy his health and his possessions, often finds that he can enjoy the sweetest and deepest portion. And what is it? The company of the Lord? Company of the Lord? And how ready was the Lord's answer? He said.
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If I find grace in thy sight, show me thy way. And what's the Lord's answer?
My way is to enjoy my company, he said.
My company just like a friend that you love very much and they said you say to them, well where, where are we going to go tonight?
Well, the friend answers and says, well, I don't just know that one thing. We'll go together. All you say that's fine, just to be in your company. That'll that'll make the evening, that'll make it worthwhile. Is it wonderful? The Lord may not show us the way, but he does say, my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest. This is not rest of conscience, this is rest.
In connection with.
Our pathway through this world shall I say rest of soul, the Lord said in Matthew 11. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
The longings of the heart satisfied, I will give thee rest. Now notice the answer that Moses gives. And he said, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up thence.
There's something very interesting in this to me. And that he is, he says.
If thy presence go not with me, notice the singular. And then he said, Carry us that the plural carry us not up thence.
Now, wherever, wherever, there's a heart that's in communion with the Lord.
We're not selfish. We don't just think about ourselves, we think of others.
And so he desired to enjoy the Lord's company for himself.
But he also desired that he would be able to be a help and a blessing to the people of God. Collectively. We find this in Gideon. Gideon was a threshing wheat by the winepress. He desired to have a portion for himself from God's land, but he was concerned about the people of God as a whole. And because of this, God could use him.
The same with Jonathan. Jonathan was concerned about the condition of the people of God, and because of this, God could use him. And so I say again, if we really enjoy the Lord's presence individually, our hearts will go out and we'll be a blessing to others collectively. Collectively, you say I'd like to be some help to the people of God.
If you and I are enjoying the Lord's presence individually, we'll be a help.
To others, how often in a meeting I've heard an older brother say one time the presence of that person was a benediction to the meeting. What did that person, What did he mean by such a remark?
Wasn't what the person said, but just somehow you felt that person was in the presence of the Lord, and because he was, his presence was a blessing to others. So he said, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. And brethren, any service that we do to the people of God, any effort that we make will be very empty and in vain.
Unless we are ourselves are in His presence.
In His presence, it's not just knowledge that we need, although that's important, but it's His presence and when we speak to bring His presence so that others might be brought into the enjoyment of this portion. You remember when the Lord had found Andrew?
He went and he found his brother Peter. And what did he say? We have found the Messiahs, which is by interpreted the Christ. And he brought him where? To Jesus, To Jesus. He found the presence of Jesus, and he brought his brother to the company of Jesus. And so it is if thy presence go not with me.
Carry us not up. Hence he said, one is all this journey through this great and howling wilderness, if we don't have thy presence. And he said, I can't serve the people of God unless I have the enjoyment of it myself. All brethren, are we enjoying this? Do we say, Well, the meetings are called?
Well, are you and I bring something of his presence? Are we bringing in a little ray of sunshine so that the others will feel that they're journeying to to that bright and heavenly land and feel refreshed by the fact that you have been in his presence? Well, this was Moses desire.
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Now the 16th verse, for when shall it be?
Shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in my sight? Isn't this nice? He first says I and then he.
He says in the.
13th verse I have found grace in eyesight. Now he associates the people with him. In the 16th verse. Wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?
He just looked around and the failing people of God, they've been worshipping the golden calf. The Lord had said he would have to consume them.
Now he said, I found grace. Thy people have found grace in thy sight. This is the result of being in the presence of the Lord. You look at the people of God differently. You look at them differently when you're in the presence of the Lord. And this was the result with Moses. And then he goes on, Is it not that thou goest with us?
Is it not that thou goest with us? That is what makes us His people.
So shall I say in a practical sense His presence, and then so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
We can have separation of very cold way. We can have separation like Israel did, a middle law of partition contained in ordinances, or there can be separation of heart, separation of heart. And it ought to be that as people look at us, they would see that our hearts have been won to Christ. They should see that we have something so real, so different that they feel there's something different about us.
Not necessarily because we have built up a barrier, but because they see that we are in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord Jesus. I believe if you had been here and seen the Lord walking in and out among men, it wasn't anything about His appearance that caused others to recognize him, but it was faith alone that could recognize in Him the one who was ever in the.
Bosom of His Father, who brought something of the glory down here into this world, and that others could see it in him. And I say again, brethren, true separation is separation because we're enjoying the Lord's presence.
If our meaning is just separated because it's in a different building, then it's only, it's only a geographical separation. But if we're separated because we enjoy the Lord's presence, this is another thing. This is another thing. And if you and I are separated because we're in the enjoyment of his presence, that's true separation. Otherwise it could be pharisaical, it could be pretense.
So he said so.
Shall I and thy people be separated from all the people that are upon the face of thy earth?
And now he goes on in the 18th verse, and he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
Now Moses asked the Lord to show him his glory.
And so the Lord answered, 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 show mercy, on whom I will show mercy.
I might say that in the little event that follows here, where Moses didn't see the face of the Lord but only his back parts, there is a typical meaning in this and that is that God was not fully.
Revealed in Judaism, there was only a partial revelation of God-given as we have in Chronicles, God dwelled in the thick darkness. In Christianity, the glory of God shines out in the face of Jesus Christ.
And I believe that's why.
In the earlier part of the chapter he spoke to the Lord face to face, but when it was a question of seeing all His glory, it did not. Of seeing all His glory, it did not shine out in Judaism, not until the full revelation is given in Christianity. And so we have in 2nd Corinthians 3, we all with opener unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord.
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But you will pardon me if I make a little practical.
Application of this incident in the last of the chapter A practical.
Shall I say application that I can apply to my own heart and perhaps you can apply to yours?
Many of us may be in circumstances that we cannot just understand why, if the Lord is gracious, if He loves us and cares for us, why He should allow those circumstances to remain. And we would love to see His face in all these circumstances that have come.
And it may be that the time has not yet come for the Lord to reveal this to us now. It's a testing time. It says that we walk by faith, not by sight. And there are times in our lives when, if one could speak in this way, the Lord seems not that he really does, but seems to hide his face and we can't understand.
And this was the position in which Moses.
Was at this time and it may be there some Christian here and you feel just in this very same situation. You know what it is to be gathered to the Lord's name. You know what it is to have found grace in his sight. It's your great desire to enjoy his presence, but it seems the circumstance is risen as you can just understand.
And the Lord says you can't see my face.
And he puts his hand, and he says, You stand there, Moses, and I'll put my hand over your face. How wonderful, how wonderful this was, whose hand was over his face? The hand of the Lord himself.
Brethren, in circumstances in life that we may not understand, isn't it wonderful to think that it may be because he is saying, just stand there, I'll put my hand over your face. And to know that, lo, we cannot say that we cannot understand, that it's his hand that's keeping us from seeing at that moment what he has in view.
Moses saw something of his glory. Later, Moses was on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Moses space was shining then and he was seeing the Lord and he was talking about his deceased that he would accomplish at Jerusalem, but he didn't understand at this point. And there are things that we won't understand until we get home to glory. And so the Lord said, you just stand there and I'll cover your face with my hand. And he said, when I'm passed by, you'll see the glory of my back parts that as you'll see.
That I passed by, and notice what he proclaimed before him. I will make all my goodness pass before thee.
Oh my goodness, how could this be all my goodness, you say? I don't see goodness in this circumstance. I don't see goodness in this trial.
Moses was there, but the Lord's hand over his face and the Lord was saying, Oh my goodness shall pass before thee and I will be gracious. Oh, how lovely. And thereafter he had passed by. He looked and he saw the glory of his back parts. At this point it wasn't possible. And so I say again, it's lovely to think of this same man later on the Mount of Transfiguration talking to the Lord.
Where He was transfigured there before them in glory. And may we have the grace to walk in His presence. So I say again, before I close, we have, I believe in this lovely passage. The Lord's presence enjoyed collectively that which we can enjoy, knowing that He is in the midst of His people, even in days of weakness and failure and breakdown and ruin, He's the same.
Yesterday and today and forever. And then as he leads us on and we have desires to please him, we have desires to be useful, we can't understand perhaps this or that or the other thing. Isn't it lovely to know that He puts his face, his hand over our face and said, it's my hand that's there. And as he passes by, he proclaims his goodness, He proclaims his grace, He proclaims his long-suffering patience.
And He lets us see the glory of His back parts. But it won't always be so, brethren, it won't always be so. Now we see through a glass darkly, or as the new translation is, a dim window. But then face to face, now we know in part. Then shall we know, even as also we are known.