Exodus 33:12-17
And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981): There are certain elements that always come out in all the great Biblical prayers, and the first characteristic of Moses’ prayer is its boldness, its confidence. There is no hesitation here. There is a quiet confidence. Oh, there is a “holy boldness.” This is the great characteristic of all prayers that have ever prevailed. It is, of course, inevitable. You cannot pray truly, still less can you intercede, if you have not an assurance of your acceptance, and if you do not know the way into the holiest of all. If, when you get down on your knees, you are reminded of your sins, and are wondering what you can do about them, if you have to spend all your time praying for forgiveness and pardon, wondering whether God is listening or not, how can you pray? How can you intercede, as Moses did here?
THOMAS GOODWIN (1600-1679): In Hebrews 4:16, we are encouraged to “come boldly to the throne of grace,” because “we have an high priest entered into the heavens,” Hebrews 4:14.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: “Let us therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”—You notice his ‘therefore’? “Therefore, let us come boldly.” What does it refer to? It refers to the truth about the great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God; that is the only way to be bold in the presence of God. If I look at myself I cannot be bold, I become speechless. With Job, I put my hand upon my mouth―I cannot speak. But I must speak if I am to intercede. How can I do so with confidence and assurance? There is only one answer—it is to know that my great High Priest is Jesus, the Son of God, and that by His blood I have a right of entry into the holiest of all, and can go there with boldness.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): It is no right faith but when we are bold with quiet minds to show ourselves in the presence of God. Which boldness comes from assured confidence in the goodwill of God. It is assuredness that maketh the conscience quiet and cheerful before God.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: Now this is absolutely vital to prayer. If we want to have real confidence in prayer, then we must know that we ourselves are accepted by God. As Christian people, we should always approach the throne of God with confidence and, of course, always with reverence and godly fear, because He who is in heaven is our Father. Now, Moses was face to face with God—he was assured, and he was bold with a holy boldness.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): There is an unseemly familiarity in some men’s prayers, which I cannot praise. But there is such a thing as a ‘holy boldness,’ which is exceedingly to be desired. I mean such boldness as that of Moses.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: But there is a second point in Moses’ prayer of Exodus 33:12-17 which is most valuable and interesting, and that is the element of reasoning, and of arguing that comes in. It is very daring, but it is very true. “Moses said unto the Lord, See—which really means that he is arguing with God—“See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said.” He is reminding God of what He had said. He is having an argument with God. “And yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now, therefore,” says Moses, as if he were saying to God, ‘Be logical, be consistent, carry out your own argument. You cannot say this to me and then not do anything.’ “Now, therefore, I pray thee, if—still arguing—“if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.” Then, “For wherein”—if you do not do this—“wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us?”
WILLIAM GURNALL (1617-1679): Faith is the wrestling grace. It comes up close to God; takes hold of God, and will not easily take a denial.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: Is it right, someone may ask, to speak to God like that? Is this not presumption? No, these things go together.
GEORGE SEATON BOWES (circa 1820’s-1880’s): A holy boldness, a chastened familiarity, is the true spirit of right prayer.
J. C. RYLE: This is the boldness for which Martin Luther was remarkable. One who heard him praying said, “What a spirit—what a confidence was in his very expressions! With such a reverence he sued, as one begging of God, and yet with such hope and assurance, as if he spoke with a loving father or friend.”
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): Some men fail in reverence for God, but far more fail in holy boldness towards God! Men who are mighty for God are generally famous for courage with Him. They say it was wonderful to hear Luther preach, but a hundred times more so to hear him pray! There was an awful reverence about that heroic man, but there was also such a childlike simplicity of daring that he seemed as though he did really lay hold of God.
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546): Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness. When I get a promise I treat it as a tree in my garden. I know there is rich fruit on it. If I cannot get it, I shake it backwards and forwards by prayer and meditation, until at last the fruit drops into my hand.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: Oh! that is the whole secret of prayer, I sometimes think. Thomas Goodwin in his exposition on the sealing of the Spirit uses a wonderful term. He says, “Sue Him for it, sue Him for it.” Do not leave Him alone. Pester Him, as it were, with His own promise. Tell Him what He has said He is going to do. Quote the Scripture to Him. And you know, God delights to hear us doing it, as a father likes to see this element in his own child who has obviously been listening to what his father has been saying. It pleases Him. The child may be slightly impertinent—it does not matter, the father likes it in spite of that. And God is our Father, He loves us, and He likes to hear us pleading His own promises, quoting His own words to Him.
RICHARD SIBBES (1577-1635): When we hear any promise in the Word of God, let us turn it into a prayer. God’s promises are His bonds. Sue Him on His bond. He loves that we should wrestle with Him by His promises.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: May God grant us this assurance, this holy boldness in prayer, so that whatever our condition, we may take it to the Lord in prayer and do so confidently.
