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“Then Moses said to the Lord, “…Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight.” Exodus 33:12-13a

Like the entire Bible, the Book of Exodus is like a never-ending onion. You can read and gain Holy-Spirit-inspired insights, only to revisit the same passages again to see something entirely new—even words or phrases that seemed to not be in the verse before! It’s amazing. And it’s why the Bible never gets boring! It’s living and active, sharp and heart-discerning (Hebrews 4:12). But the coolest part? It all points to Jesus. So, when I landed in chapter 33 of Exodus, a couple of verses (which I’d “never noticed” before) struck me as pointing to the Gospel and the believer’s relationship with the Lord.

For quick context, Moses had to do a lot of interceding for the Israelites in the post-Exodus desert journey. These people were a lot. In fact, despite the awesome character and obedience of Moses, as well as his relentless protection and advocacy for his people, their whining and rebellion—and his “straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back” reaction to them—ultimately kept Moses from walking into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:10-13; Deuteronomy 3:23-28). But before that happened, he was once again pleading to God on their behalf in Exodus 33. It was here that I saw the “new thing”—a stunning circle of grace.

First, a language lesson: The Hebrew word used here for “favor” is the same word used for “grace” in other Old Testament verses, including Psalm 84:11 and Proverbs 3:34. Interestingly, the same Greek word for “grace” in Paul’s Gospel-centric Ephesians 2:8—“By grace you have been saved”—is also translated through the New Testament as, you guessed it, “favor”.

Because of the quote-inside-a-quote structure, it takes a minute to understand what’s being said here. But, basically, here’s how the circle goes:

1. Moses is recounting that the Lord (a) knows Moses by name and (b) has extended His favor/grace to him.
2. Moses then requests, “If (or since) I have found favor/grace, please let me know Your ways so that I may know You more.”
3. Why does Moses want to know God and His ways more? So that he (Moses) can find MORE FAVOR/GRACE in His sight! (Mind-blown emoji here.)

Friend, this is our own circle of grace! God calls us by name, extending His grace (unearned and undeserved merit) so that we can know Him. (Our relationship with God is restored by grace alone through faith in Jesus, so that in surrendering to Jesus, we can know the Father.) Then, in response to this grace, we take action to know His ways—we read God’s Word, attend a church, join a disciple group, etc.—so we can deepen that relationship and know Him more. And, as a result, what do we discover? More grace (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18)! Isn’t God so, so good?!

Just as the Bible itself is an unending revelation of God, so is His grace. The more we know Him, the deeper our experience of His amazing grace toward us. The more grace, the deeper our knowledge of Him. And so it goes on and on and on—even in glory, we will never, ever stop getting to know God more. So, let’s dive in! If you are a believer, you have experienced God’s astounding grace. Now, get to know him more! If you don’t yet know the grace/favor of God, it’s easily yours—just ask. Once you jump in the circle, you’ll never be the same.

“Father God, thank You for calling my name, for showing me Your favor and grace, and for revealing more and more of Yourself to me. I’m excited to know You more.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life