Exodus 33

There is lots of good stuff here. God calls Moses to move on and He offers His protection. But God also calls them a "hard-headed lot." God knows that they will want more -- that His guarantee of protection will not be enough. So Moses goes to talk to God and it seems like they have a fairly casual, friendly conversation. Sort of like a couple of friends catching up at the local coffee house. (We can all take a lesson in our walks with God from that idea, I am sure.) Moses asks God for more assurance. Deep down, they both know that the Israelites have been through a lot and are going to require more than just a "Follow me and I will be there" kind of assurance. Moses reminds God that, even though God has entrusted these people to Moses, God is their ruler. God has called these people "special" and He has a responsibility to them. Moses didn't mince words when talking with God. I like that. We can't work through the dark or trouble-filled areas of our lives by pussy-footing around. We have to be honest. And Moses appears to have been so. "If you're not going to do more to lead us, let's just call the whole thing off right now," Moses says. Although this may have been like a meeting between two friends, I wonder if Moses wasn't at least a little nervous talking like this. I wonder if, in part, Moses' own uncertainties weren't showing in what he was saying. I suspect that he was afraid of mutiny if God didn't give him a little more assurance through all of this. God reminds Moses that God is indeed in control -- that He will treat people as they deserve to be treated. And then God offers Moses a chance to see His backside. That had to have been awesome but yet, still, it had to have been a little odd for Moses to be thinking, "Oh great, I can go tell this anxious mob that I saw God's backside and that is supposed to make them feel better?"