"So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name” (Ex. 33:17).
Moses had spent all his energy interceding for Israel, pleading with God to show His people mercy. Finally, God granted Moses his desire—He would go with all the people and dwell among them in close communion just as He had said. The Lord answered Moses’ prayer because Moses had found grace in His sight and because God knew him by name. It was because of God’s love for Moses that He showed mercy and grace to Israel. Neither Moses nor Israel had done anything to earn God’s favor. God gave it solely on the basis of His sovereign grace and His electing love.
It is notable that Moses did not give up his quest to reconcile Israel to God. He prayed without ceasing. Here we see the power of God through prayer displayed. Like the poor woman who continued to knock at the master’s door, persistent and unrelenting, Moses eventually received what he requested. Too often, we fail to persevere in our prayers. We pray once, and that is all, concluding that, because God has not answered immediately, He is not going to answer at all. But this was not Moses’ attitude. He did not give up, and in the end, his prayers were answered.
Moses was persistent in another area as well. After God granted him his request, Moses asked, “Please, show me Your glory.” Moses, the one who had been on the mount in intimate communion with the Lord, still wanted something more. It wasn’t enough that God met him in the tent of meeting, he wanted to know God at a deeper level. He wanted to see God’s glory. This is the way it is with all who walk with the Lord. It isn’t enough to have a surface relationship with Him. God being everything to them, they want to know Him more fully and intimately. They want to see Him face to face.
Moses made a tremendous request to see the glory of the Lord. He had heard God’s voice, he had seen the pillar of fire, but he wanted more. Perhaps Moses desired a sight of God’s glory as a token of His reconciliation, a guarantee of His presence. But Matthew Henry thinks otherwise. He notes that God’s Word is always sufficient, not necessarily needing a sign. Yet, God granted his request anyway, choosing to show Him grace and compassion because it was God’s will, not because Moses deserved it.
If you are God’s child, He loves you and knows you by name. This means that He answers your prayers, though not always according to your desires. He has called you to come to Him, to lay your requests before Him boldly and in faith. Do not neglect prayer, for it is a powerful weapon against the enemy, and it draws you close to God.
