“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 33:14 Mean?
After the golden calf crisis, Moses pleads with God not to send an angel instead of going personally with Israel. God's response: "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Two promises in one sentence. Presence and rest. Both from God. Both personal.
The word "presence" is literally "face" (panim) — My face will go with you. Not just God's power or God's provision. His face. The most personal, intimate dimension of His being. God says: I will face you. I will be face-to-face with you throughout the journey.
"I will give thee rest" (nuach) means to settle, to establish, to bring to a place of security and peace. God's presence doesn't just accompany. It provides rest. The journey with God's face has a destination: rest. The presence and the rest are connected — you can't have the rest without the presence, and the presence always leads to rest.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does God's 'face' (not just His power or provision) going with you mean for the intimacy of the relationship?
- 2.How are presence and rest connected in your experience — does God's nearness produce settledness?
- 3.Where are you in the journey — still walking, or beginning to enter the rest God promised?
- 4.Does Moses' refusal to go without God's presence challenge how easily you proceed without seeking Him first?
Devotional
My presence will go with you. And I will give you rest. God's face and God's rest. Together. Both promised. Both personal.
Moses had just negotiated the most important deal in Israel's history. God was angry enough to destroy the nation (Exodus 32:10). Moses interceded. And now — after the crisis, after the golden calf, after three thousand deaths — Moses asks for one thing: don't send an angel. Come Yourself. If Your presence doesn't go, don't make us leave (verse 15).
God's answer: My face will go with you. Not just My power. Not just My provision. My face. The most personal, most intimate, most vulnerable thing God can offer — His face. Looking at you. Walking with you. Face-to-face through the wilderness.
And rest. "I will give thee rest." The journey doesn't end in exhaustion. It ends in settlement. The presence that walks with you is leading you to a place where the walking stops and the resting begins. The two are inseparable: God's face is the companion. God's rest is the destination.
This is the promise underneath every other promise in the Bible: I will be with you. And the being-with-you leads somewhere good. Not just survival. Rest. Not just getting through. Arriving. Settling. Being home.
God's face is turned toward you right now. And the rest He's promised is as real as the presence that guarantees it. The journey has a face and a destination. Both are His.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he said,.... In answer to his request:
my presence shall go with thee; or before thee, both with Moses and before…
Rest - This was the common expression for the possession of the promised land. Deu 3:20; Jos 1:13, Jos 1:15; compare Heb…
My presence shall go with thee - פני ילכו panai yelechu, my faces shall go. I shall give thee manifestations of my grace…
Moses, having returned to the door of the tabernacle, becomes a humble and importunate supplicant there for two very…
Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with Moses (as the representative of His people), and that He will give him…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture