Sometimes God places us in the cleft of the rock for a reason. It is such an honor to be placed in the cleft. Many do not know the blessing of this, so I want to share with you the blessing in the cleft.
This blog will be referred to as the 33rd chapter in the book of Exodus. I encourage you to read this chapter at some point because there is so much truth and revelation to this chapter, but I could not fit it all in this one post, but I did my best! Enjoy!
The never-ending goodness of God
In Exodus chapter 33:1; God tells the children of Isreal to “Depart and go up from here”. He then tells them a few verses down that He will send His Angel before them to drive out all the enemy before them. Then tells him that He will not go up in their midst with them, lest He consumes them on the way, for they are a stiff-necked people.
The goodness of God is so gracious as stated in Psalm 111:4. He told the children of Isreal to continue on to the promised land in spite of their sin because the Lord desired that His children inherit the promises of the Lord which He had spoken over them. (Isaiah 55:11)
As a child of God no matter what sin or fallback you may have, God is always pushing us to go forward. That we may inherit the promises of the Lord, just as it was then and as it has been all throughout the bible.
Separate yourself from the world
Further in this chapter Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp to separate himself from the sin of the Israelites, the same sin that was keeping them separate from God on their journey. (Exodus 33:3)
Moses understood what the Lord had meant when He stated that He “can not go with them”. The separation from the Lord on his journey was too much for Moses to bear. So he, therefore, separated himself from that which was unholy unto the Lord.
We are to chase after God so much so, that if there is something in our lives that is causing us any kind of separation from the Lord. We ourselves would take our tents, our place of residence, and completely separate ourselves from it. Even if it means isolation from the comfort, people, or things of this world.
A surrendered heart
Moses called his tent the Tabernacle of Meeting. It is here in this place that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Exodus 33:7-11
"Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord."
Numbers 12:6-8
Here in this temporary tabernacle was the place of God’s presence for special times of communion with God. It is here that Moses talked with the Lord about the concern of the heart about the Israelites going forward without the presence of the Lord.
We are to seek the Lord’s face with all our hearts and soul as Moses did. When we give our hearts solely to the Lord and to nothing else, the relationship we will have with the Lord will be that of a man speaking to his friend.
The Lord will begin to reveal to you the secrets of the Kingdom of God and open His heart to you in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and your heart will receive who He is and what His character is like.
Nothing but Him!
A prayer that Moses spoke to the Lord, something that should be uttered from all of our lips unto the Lord is:
“show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.”
Exodus 33:13
The Lord responds in the next verse “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Moses then follows by telling the Lord “If your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Exodus 33:14-15
If God’s presence is not with you, it should cause conflict in your soul, body, and heart. We should be so in love and so connected with God that we begin to move when we feel Him move, we speak when we hear Him speak, and we are still when He is still.
#1 Heart’s desire
Moses found grace in the sight of the Lord and the Lord knew Moses by name as stated in verse 17. Moses then replies yet a third time to the Lord in the request “Please, show me Your glory.”
Do you see Moses’ heart yet before the Lord? Do you see why God placed him in the cleft and covered him with His hand? Moses desired with all his heart to see God’s glory or the weight of, that is the inner reality that makes God who He is.
God tells Moses in verse 19 “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Verse 20 God says “But you cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
Are you desiring to see the glory of God? Is this your heart’s desire?
Read on in verse 21, the Lord said “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.” God then explains that He will place him in the cleft of the rock, and will cover him with His hand with His glory passes over Moses. Once God has passed by Moses, he will see His back; but His face shall not be seen.”
The Lord desires you to be by Him. We stand on the rock, that is Christ Jesus. When God said you shall stand on the rock, I believe He was referring to Jesus Christ, a prophecy of Jesus Christ being our Rock and Corner Stone. (I wonder if Moses even knew it back then!)
The only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ who is our rock, and our desire should be to stand on the rock by God and see His glory.
The places God puts us
Then God placed Moses in the cleft, Moses did not climb into the cleft, God placed him there. And with God’s own hand, He covered Moses as His glory passed by him. Do you see that the glory of God is who He is, it is a part of Him, is not God so amazing!
Sometimes in our relationship with the Lord, He will place us in places that may seem a little tight, a little uncomfortable, and leave us a little confused. But it is for your good, for everything God does is for your own good. Just as with Moses, it was for Moses’ own good (his life, something precious to the Lord) that He had to be placed in the cleft.
When we are placed in the cleft by God, it may be because we had a heart’s desire that the Lord wants to fulfill in us, but requires a placement to prepare us for God getting ready to move in our lives.
Some clefts can be easily overlooked if we are not walking in the Spirit of God. We can look at these clefts as seasons of frustration, agony, or even sorrow. But when we draw our hearts to the Lord as Moses did we will see that what the cleft is, is the number one thing we have desired in our hearts… to see His glory.
Separating ourselves from this world, surrendering our hearts solely to the Lord. And living a life where the presence of God follows us and our heart’s desire is to see the glory of God and His love in us.
When we are living a lifestyle like this, as Moses did at this time. You are going to see the glory of God in your life. When you are in the cleft of the rock get ready because God is about to move mighty on your behalf.
The cleft is your training ground for what He has called you for. Rejoice when you are in the cleft of the rock, rejoice in God for He has placed you in this season of your life where you have been hidden from the world. Because God is teaching you, God is preparing you, He’s equipping you, and uplifting you to higher places for work in His kingdom.
If you feel that God has placed you in the cleft at this time of your life rejoice and know that your heart’s desire is coming. The Lord loves you enough to protect you and cover you with His hand while He pours out His glory in your life and is preparing you to go into the promised land.
If you desire to have God place you in the cleft of his glory, I suggest starting to read the word of God and meditating on it. Seeking the Lord diligently with all your heart and giving up those things of the world that take up your time.
Surrender yourself fully to the Lord, and become a friend of the Lord so that he may talk to you face-to-face as he did with Moses.
I hope this has encouraged you to take your relationship with God further and given you the desire to seek the Lord face-to-face as with a friend.
Be blessed and may your heart’s desire to see the glory of God be manifested in your life!
Kingdom Habitation 