1. Supernatural Experience (Genesis 15:7-18) 

2. Dangerous Omission (Exodus 4:19-26) 

3. Forbidden Vision (Exodus 33:11-23) 

Central Truth: Even difficult scriptures contain truths for our benefit. 

Focus: Discover and appreciate Biblical instruction regarding God’s transcendence and immanence. 

Evangelism Emphasis: Incomplete understanding should not stand in the way of believing in Jesus Christ for salvation. 

Text: “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). 

INTRODUCTION 

This study is the first of six lessons that examine Scripture passages which are difficult for us to understand. The Bible is God’s Word to us, but in order for the Bible to fulfill its purposes in our lives, we must understand it. Therefore, we believe God gave us His Word in an understandable and clear form. Scholars call this concept the “clarity of Scripture.” This means the message of the Bible is not a puzzle we must piece together or a secret mystery we must solve. It is written in normal human language, using words, grammar, and literary standards with their straightforward meanings. 

We should read the Bible naturally, and we should interpret its words as we would in ordinary daily use. That is, we should not seek out some new mystical, hidden, or secret interpretation. The message of the Bible is not hidden; it is available to ordinary people (Deut. 30:11-14). False teachers often claim to have secret knowledge, and they deceive their followers and create a false religion. The apostle Paul warns us against these false teachers who disseminate the “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1 NKJV). 

Although we affirm the clarity of Scripture, we also admit that many passages of Scripture are difficult to understand. However, our difficulty in understanding those passages is not due to any fault of the Bible itself. Instead, our struggles to understand are caused by the great distance that exists between us and the Biblical world. We live in modern times, but the Bible was written in ancient times. This distance between the ancient world and the modern world creates several barriers that hinder our understanding of the Bible. The barriers include language, worldview, culture, geography, and tradition. 

The Bible was written in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, which have unique words and terms that do not translate well into English. Also, the ancient worldview was very different from the modern worldview. For example, ancient people did not separate the physical dimension from the spiritual dimension. Differences in culture relate to almost every part of life. Over the centuries, almost every category of culture has seen radical changes, including daily habits, political structures, religious customs, family relationships, educational patterns, work environments, and social traditions. 

The geography of the Middle East is unfamiliar to most of us, but it plays an essential role in many Biblical events. Finally, in regard to tradition, Jesus declared that the Pharisees and scribes made the “word of God of none effect through [their] tradition” (Mark 7:13). Therefore, we sometimes misunderstand Scripture because of incorrect teaching in the past. 

Over the next few weeks, we will see how these barriers to communication can be overcome or at least minimized. This week, in our attempt to understand three separate Biblical passages, we will learn about two unfamiliar ancient rituals; and we will reflect on our traditional view of God. 

God’s Greatest Revelation 

Where is God? Is He present with us, or does He remain exalted and separated from us? The ultimate answer to God’s location is that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19 NKJV). We believe that in Jesus Christ, “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). That is why Jesus could say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NKJV). God revealed Himself in part to Abraham and to Moses, but He revealed Himself most clearly and completely in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

1. SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE  

Genesis 15 describes one of the most significant episodes in the life of Abram and Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah; 17:5, 15). God first called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees in chapter 12. God promised to bless Abram, protect him, and make him a great nation. We do not know exactly how much time elapsed between chapters 12 and 15. During that time, however, Abram was disappointed that he did not yet see the fulfillment of God’s promise of children (12:2, 7; 13:16). 

Therefore, when God appeared to Abram in a vision and promised to be his “exceeding great reward” (15:1), Abram was somewhat argumentative and complained that he had not received the children whom God had promised. Abram did not want a “reward”; he wanted an heir. The Lord honored Abram’s question and restated His previous promise that Abram would have a multitude of children. God took Abram outside the tent, and said to him, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them . . . So shall thy seed be” (v. 5). 

Even though God’s promise had not yet come to fruition, Abram decided to trust God fully. God gave no proof except His word. In response to God’s promise, Abram “believed in the Lord; and he [God] counted it to him for righteousness” (v. 6). Abram trusted in God’s integrity and relied on the faithfulness of God. He knew his future would not be hindered by his own barrenness. His future would be created by the power of the God who had spoken to him. 

A. Instructions for a Covenant Ceremony (Genesis 15:7-11) 

9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 

After repeating His former promise to Abram regarding children, the Lord also repeats His promise of land. The land of Canaan will belong to Abram and his descendants. At this point, however, Abram asks the Lord for further explanation: “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (v. 8). Abram believes God, but he wants a confirmation of God’s promise, and he may be wondering exactly when this inheritance of the land will take place. The Lord apparently knows Abram seeks an “agreement”; what the Bible calls a covenant. 

The Lord directs Abram to prepare everything required for a covenant ceremony. He is to kill a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon. These are called clean animals—the type of animals that will later be used by Israel in their sacrifices. The livestock are three years old, which indicates they are fully mature and at their highest level of commercial value. 

The animals are split into halves, representing the two parties of the covenant. (Because of their small size, the birds are not divided.) The halves are laid out opposite each other in two rows, with space in between for someone to walk. In this ritual, the parties making the covenant walk between the pieces of the animals to signify that if either party violates the covenant, they will suffer the same fate as these animals. 

This covenant ceremony is an obscure and unusual ritual, whose origins are unknown. The ritual is mentioned a few times in ancient Near Eastern literature, and the only Biblical parallel is Jeremiah 34:18: “Those who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces” (NIV). 

After Abram had prepared the animals and laid them out for the ceremony, he stood by and drove away any birds of prey that would have mutilated the sacred carcasses (Gen. 15:11). Since the birds of prey fly around only in the day, we know the preparation of the animals took place on the day after Abram’s initial vision. The second visitation of God occurred the following night. 

The Foundational Covenant 

Progressive revelation allows us to see now what Abraham could only hold in faith during his lifetime: that Jesus would be the fulfillment of God’s covenant to him. . . . So we see in the Abrahamic covenant the promise of the Messiah, through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed; this is why the Abrahamic covenant is considered the foundational covenant.—Kirt A. Schneider, The Lion of Judah 

B. Revealing the Future to Abraham (Genesis 15:12-16) 

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 

As the sun was going down, a “deep sleep fell upon Abram” (v. 12; cf. 2:21). Apparently, God put Abram to sleep so he would be free of all interruptions and distractions. Abram’s full attention would be on the Lord and on the revelation the Lord was giving to him. The presence of God was so powerful that Abram was stricken with terror, and he was engulfed in deep darkness. This is the only time the presence of God caused Abram to experience a profound and awesome fear.

Out of the darkness, the Lord spoke to Abram and revealed to him an overview of the future. The Lord uses the emphatic phrase “Know of a surety” (v. 13), which means, “You shall know certainly.” There is no doubt or uncertainty in what the Lord is about to reveal to Abram. The descendants of Abram would live as strangers in a foreign land for four hundred years. A “stranger” is a person who lives in a foreign country and who does not enjoy the rights of citizenship in that country. However, the Lord shows Abram that Egypt will be judged and the Israelites will be delivered from Egypt and will emerge with “great substance” (v. 14), meaning “great wealth.” 

Before completing His message about Abram’s descendants, the Lord informs Abram regarding his own future. He tells Abram that his personal destiny was to live to a “good old age” and die “in peace” (v. 15). A “good old age” signifies a long life, but the word good also suggests Abram’s old age will be happy and enjoyable. Going to his “fathers” does not mean he will return to Ur of the Chaldees for his burial. It is a figure of speech that means Abram will join his ancestors in the afterlife (see 25:8). Dying “in peace” emphasizes Abram’s satisfaction and fulfillment—his peace of mind. 

After advising Abram of his individual future, the Lord returns to the fate of the Israelite people, who are Abram’s descendants. They will “come hither again” (15:16); that is, they will return from Egypt unto the Promised Land of Canaan. 

The reason for the four-hundred-year delay is that the “iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” The Amorites are one of the people groups who inhabited the land of Canaan. In order for God to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s people, all of the Canaanites must be removed from the land. In Abram’s day, however, the evil of the Canaanites had not yet reached a level that called for divine judgment. 

• Is it possible that experiencing the presence of God in the “deep darkness” is a necessary step in coming to know the fullness of God? 

C. God’s Manifestation of His Presence (Gen. 15:17-18) 

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 

A deep sleep had fallen upon Abram as the sun was setting, and God had spoken to him about the future. Some fifteen to thirty minutes have now passed; the sun has vanished and it is completely “dark” (v. 17). The time has come for God to complete the next step in the covenant ceremony. Out of the darkness, Abram sees two fiery objects coming near. A “smoking furnace” is an ancient cooking device, which may be a small clay pot that holds the fire or a pan that holds hot burning coals (similar to a modern charcoal grill). The “burning lamp” can be translated from the Hebrew as a “torch of fire,” which indicates a flaming torch made of wood, leaves, or some other burning object. 

It is reasonable to assume the Lord is carrying the fire pot and the torch in His hands, but the Lord is not visible. In order to perform this covenant ceremony, God walks between the sacrificial animals. 

As a conclusion to the sacred covenant, the Lord once again promises Abram that his descendants have been given the land of Canaan, which extends from the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq to the Nile River in Egypt. The complete fulfillment of God’s promise comes in the time of Solomon, when the nation of Israel occupies all the lands that are promised here to Abram. This important passage in Genesis teaches us that all of God’s promises are certain, even those that seem delayed or impossible. 

• Compare this manifestation of God’s presence with the description of God in 1 John 1:5. 

2. DANGEROUS OMISSION 

A. Moses’ Return to Egypt (Exodus 4:19-23) 

19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 

In this second part of our lesson, we move ahead in time to the Book of Exodus. Just as God had foretold, the descendants of Abraham are slaves in the foreign land of Egypt. However, God has heard their cries for help, and He has chosen Moses to be their deliverer. The Lord appears to Moses at the burning bush and instructs him to return to Egypt in order to lead the Israelites out of bondage and into the Promised Land (3:1-10). Therefore, Moses speaks to his father-in-law, Jethro, asking for his blessing to return to Egypt, and Jethro gives Moses his approval (4:18). There is no indication in the text that Moses shared with Jethro any information about the encounter with God at the burning bush. 

Moses’ conversation with Jethro seems to indicate that Moses is ready to return to Egypt. However, in order to ensure that Moses does not delay, the Lord speaks to him again and orders him to return to Egypt. The Lord adds a word of assurance, saying, “All the men are dead which sought thy life” (v. 19). 

Furthermore, the Lord reminds Moses of the powerful miracles God has put into his hands (v. 21). Moses should use those miracles against the Egyptian king (called the Pharaoh), but Pharaoh will be very stubborn. In the end, it will come down to the death of Egypt’s firsborn as the final sign of God’s power against the oppressive will of Pharaoh. 

• What was Moses’ staff called, and why (v. 20)? 

B. Moses’ Life Spared (Exodus 4:24-26) 

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. 

This next episode in the story of Moses is puzzling. Immediately after sending Moses to Egypt, the Lord threatens to kill him, apparently because he had not obeyed the law of circumcision. As a sign of the covenant, God had commanded Abraham to circumcise every male in his household on his eighth day of life. The sign of circumcision was so essential to Jewish identity that a male who was not circumcised was to be “cut off from his people” (Gen. 17:14). Later on, as Moses is giving directions regarding the annual Passover meal, he reminds the Israelites that no man may eat of the Passover unless he has been circumcised (see Ex. 12:44-48). 

In light of the seriousness of the covenant sign of circumcision, the Lord was unwilling to allow Moses to go any further until he circumcises Gershom, his son. We may assume Moses was stricken with some kind of illness that made him too weak to perform the circumcision on his son, so his wife, Zipporah, had to do it. Using a flint knife, she circumcised her son and declared Moses to be “a husband of blood” (4:25 NKJV), which means she had saved her husband by shedding the blood of her child. It is interesting that Moses was repeatedly delivered by the women in his life—the midwife who refused to kill him, his mother who hid him, his sister who watched over him, Pharaoh’s daughter who took him in, and now his wife. 

As soon as the circumcision was accomplished, the Lord released Moses and allowed him to go on to Egypt. However, Zipporah and her children turned back and stayed with her father, Jethro, until Moses’ mission to Egypt was completed. Recovery from circumcision requires several days, and it may be that Moses did not want to wait for Gershom to recover. Moses and his family were reunited when the Israelites came up out of Egypt (18:1-3). 

God’s Way 

I believe Christians often perceive obedience to God as some test designed just to see if we’re really committed to Him. But what if it’s God’s way of giving us what’s best for us?—Craig Groeschel 

3. FORBIDDEN VISION 

A.  God Promises His Presence (Exodus 33:11-17) 

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai, where God spoke to them out of the fire and smoke of the holy mountain. But Moses desired even more—he desired to see the glory of God. Thus, we find what appears to be a contradiction regarding the vision of God. On the one hand, God says to Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (v. 20 NIV; cf. Judg. 13:22). Furthermore, John the Baptist declared, “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18 NIV). On the other hand, however, our passage in Exodus tells us “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (33:11; see also Deut. 5:4). So, how do we reconcile these apparently contradictory remarks? 

The answer is found in Numbers 12:6-8, where the Lord is expounding on the unique relationship between God and Moses. The Lord explains that whenever He speaks to regular prophets, He speaks through dreams and visions (v. 6). However, to Moses the Lord speaks “face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (v. 8 NIV). The term “face to face” is used in contrast to “dreams and visions.” For Moses to speak to God face-to-face does not mean Moses sees God clearly or that Moses sees God in His full glory. Instead, it means Moses sees a “form” in which God manifests Himself; and from this form, God speaks audibly to Moses while Moses is awake. Therefore, certain people have seen God in a camouflaged or partially concealed form; but no one has ever seen God in His natural, divine state (see also Gen. 28:13; 32:30; Ex. 24:9-11; Isa. 6:1; Ezek. 1:1, 26-28; 1 John 4:12). 

In Exodus 33:14, the Lord promised Moses, “My Presence will go with you” (NKJV). Moses responded by saying this is how Israel would be distinguished from the other nations—by the Lord’s abiding presence. Then the Lord again promised He would be with Israel, because Moses had found grace in His sight (v. 17). 

• Why should Moses’ statement in verse 15 be a practice of all those who believe in the Lord? 

B. God Reveals His Goodness (Ex. 33:18-23) 

18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 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 shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. 

Moses had a unique relationship with the Lord—the Lord spoke to him face-to-face. However, Moses desired to see more than a “form” of God; he wanted to see the “glory” of God. The glory of God is God’s splendor, His magnificence; but the glory can be revealed in degrees. A limited view of the glory appeared in the cloud over the Tabernacle (Ex. 16:10). Later, when the Temple was dedicated, the glory “filled the house” of God (1 Kings 8:11). Still, these visions of the glory were not direct visions of God himself. 

Because the Lord held Moses in such high regard, He offered to reveal Himself more fully to Moses. He would show to Moses a part of His glory, but not all of it. The Lord would “proclaim” His name before Moses (Ex. 33:19), which means the Lord would openly and transparently share His identity and character. Moses would be privileged to see the glory of God’s goodness, grace, and mercy. These three attributes of God became central to the Biblical understanding of the nature and character of God. Israel would later sing psalms that praised God’s goodness (moral virtue), His grace (unmerited favor), and His mercy (compassion). (See Ps. 73:1; 86:15; 103:8; 106:1; 107:1; 111:4; 136:1-26). 

God’s revelation to Moses, however, would remain incomplete and somewhat veiled because Moses could not look directly upon God and live (Ex. 33:20). The impact of seeing God’s full glory would cause immediate death to any human being. Moses would stand in a “cleft of the rock” (v. 22 NKJV), which refers to a crack or fissure in the rock face, and God would cover Moses as He passed by. After God passed by, Moses would be allowed to see God’s back. The entire process was a condescension to Moses’ humanity. “God is Spirit” (John 4:24 NKJV) and does not have front or back. Neither does God have a “hand” as we know it. To see God’s “face” is a symbolic statement that represents seeing God fully and plainly, but to see God’s “back” symbolizes seeing God only in part. 



Two points are emphasized in this passage: (1) God’s unique and gracious revelation of Himself to Moses, and (2) God’s infinite and unimaginable splendor. On the one hand, we must resist any temptation to limit or reduce God to a level that we can comprehend. He is beyond comprehension. On the other hand, we can know and experience God’s goodness, grace, and compassion. 

GOD’S COVENANT AND COMMANDMENTS 

The three passages in this week’s lesson contain elements that are strange to us and difficult to understand. However, despite their strangeness, each passage communicates a powerful and important message about serving God. These three stories teach us the seriousness of God’s covenant and God’s commandments. They tell us God is faithful to fulfill His promises, and they show us that God desires to reveal Himself to His people.  

Daily Devotions  

M.  God’s Word Is Near (Deuteronomy 30:11-16) 

T.  Turn Not From God’s Word (Joshua 23:1-8) 

W.  Understand God’s Word (Nehemiah 8:1-8) 

T.  Jesus Explained His Parables (Matthew 13:36-43) 

F.  Prophecy Fulfilled and Explained (Acts 2:14-21) 

S.  The Lord’s Word Proclaimed (Acts 13:42-49) 

 *Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2020-2021