God Hides You in the Cleft of the Rock - A devotional reflection on Exodus 33:22
A few weeks ago we sang an old hymn at church with the lyrics, "He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock". It moved me. I understood the words I was singing but only to a certain extent until I delved deeper into the Scripture it's based on.
Join me for a short devotional reflection on Exodus 33:12-23 to discover what it means that God hides you in the cleft of the rock and how it affects the way we walk out our faith.
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
Our passage, Exodus 33:12-23
(Given in the New International Version)
Read this slowly. Pause when something stands out to you and re-read that portion. Breathe and walk through the passage in-step with the Holy Spirit...
Moses and the Glory of the Lord
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Moses reminds God of His promises
Moses is so bold in this passage that it's kind of funny. Imagine praying like this, "God, You said You'd... Remember that? ... Why isn't it happening? ... Amen"
But what Moses does reveals something of his relationship with God. It's not a one-way street.
I don't think Moses was stepping out of line when he asked God these questions. And I think we'd do well to learn to do the same.
Before Moses is hidden by God, he is known by Him.
Before we continue, can you identify 1 thing God promised and spend a moment reminding Him of it?
Why does God answer Moses?
Verse 17
"And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
God did not need to do what Moses asked for. But He chose to.
Why? The verse tells us two things:
I am pleased with you
I know you by name
This begs two questions:
How do we please God? And how do we know Him?
Earlier this week, I've been considering Psalm 24:3-4, "Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god."
When we keep our hands clean and our hearts pure (of sin, idols, other things) - we can draw close to God and know Jesus, who is closer to us than a brother. Moses understood this. He spoke earlier in this passage of God's presence and said he would not move unless God's presence went with them...
Moses would not attempt to walk toward the Promised Land without God's presence.
How often do we try walking out our promises without Him?
But there's another element to this. God did not only answer Moses because of Moses' righteousness. It was also just God's mercy in that moment. He could have chosen to not show Himself to Moses.
God was being kind and gracious to Moses.
Moses goes one step further "Now show me your glory"
It sounds almost absurd: A demand for God to reveal Himself.
Let's also remember Moses had already seen God's glory in many places in His life:
He was saved when all Hebrew boys should have been killed
He was rescued from the basket in the river and adopted by the royals
He encountered God at the burning bush
He witnessed the Ten Plagues and led the Exodus
He saw God open the Red Sea before his very eyes
He received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai
He already met God at the Tent of Meeting
So, what was he asking now?
Did Moses wish to die (since he surely would if he saw God face-to-face)?
Moses had already witnessed God's power in extraordinary ways. Yet he still wanted to know God more deeply.
Bargaining or reasoning with God came from a place of established relationship.
Perhaps the question isn't how many times we've seen God work, but whether we're still asking to know Him more.
If you are resonating with this, simply pray: "I want to know You more"
Why did God hide Moses in the cleft of the rock?
Verse 20
"But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
The cleft of the rock is a humble hiding place where one seeks shelter from danger. It's also a protection from God to place one, for a while, in a hidden or secret place.
I've had obscure and hidden seasons in my life - in fact I'm in one right now - but God never wastes those places. He meets us there.
Consider Songs of Solomon 2:14 that says:
"My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely."
In Exodus 33:19 God explains to Moses what is about to happen: And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence."
And then, in an intimate act, God called Moses closer, covered him with His hand, and revealed Himself to Moses.
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
A poem-prayer to reflect on this
Lord God, You hide me in the cleft, even when all I have left are weary bones and tired songs. Still, you come and right my wrongs. Lord, I want to be like Moses - bold to remind You of a promise told. Something whispered in secret. A spark quietly lit.
Yet you did not, despise him asking. Lord, have mercy on what I bring.
Today it's just this question for You: Will You hide me in the rock, too? Bury me in Jesus. Cover me with your hand. You formed me from clay, now nestle me in the sand. I'd rather be hidden. Tucked away like this. Than for me to be known, and Your promise miss. Father, You are gracious. Even here to me. In the gentle cleft of the rock, let me be.
A question to sit with
Q: What is the cleft of the rock in my life right now? Pause with Scripture, respond to God, and consider where you might need His shelter.
Rocks, clefts, and God showing Himself in other places in Scripture
Here are some more moments where the Bible uses cleft-of-the-rock imagery that helps our understanding of this term or phrase broaden some more:
God met Elijah at the mouth of a cave in a whisper (still, small voice) (1 Kings 19:11–13)
God covers His people like a hen covers her chicks (Psalm 91:4)
Moses struck the rock to reveal life-giving water(Exodus 17:6)(Numbers 20:11)
Jesus revealed God to us in human form (no longer hiding his face) (John 1:14 & 1:18)(Colossians 1:15)
Jesus said to Peter that he is like a rock and he will be instrumental in building the church(Matthew 16:18)
Jesus is often called the cornerstone(Ephesians 2:20)
Consider also Isaiah 2:10 that says:
"Go into the rocks, hide in the ground
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!"
& share your thoughts with me
I'd honestly love to hear your own experience with and encounter through this passage.
Did you also find it through a song, did you stumble upon it in your Bible, or did it find you through this blog post?
What else would you add to this reflective devotional?
And, as always, how can I pray for you?
P.S. If you enjoyed this post or feel curious to go deeper, I want to invite you to sign up for my newsletter (sent once a month). Be the first to hear about new resources...
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