Outside the Camp: The Terrible Glory of Friendship with God Text: Exodus 33:7-11
Introduction: A Holy Estrangement
We come now to a passage that is both glorious and terrible. It is glorious because it shows us a pinnacle of intimacy between God and man, a friendship so profound that it is described as "face to face." But it is terrible because of the context. This tent of meeting is pitched outside the camp, a "good distance" away. Why? Because the camp of Israel is polluted. It is defiled by the grotesque sin of the golden calf. The people have committed high treason against their divine King, and the stench of their idolatry has made the camp an unfit place for the holy presence of God to dwell.
God had told Moses, "I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people" (Ex. 33:3). This is not petty pique. This is the collision of two incompatible realities: absolute holiness and high-handed sin. When unholy men get too close to a holy God without a mediator, the result is not warm fellowship; it is incineration. God's holiness is a consuming fire, and the people have just soaked themselves in spiritual gasoline.
So, this arrangement of the tent of meeting outside the camp is a profound object lesson. It is a picture of necessary separation. It teaches Israel, and it teaches us, that sin creates distance between man and God. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot coddle your idols in the camp and then expect to stroll into the presence of Yahweh for a casual chat. Access to God is a mediated access, a holy access, and it requires leaving the defilement of the world behind. This passage, then, is a stark portrait of the gravity of sin, the necessity of mediation, and the astonishing grace of a God who, despite the people's rebellion, still makes a way for them to seek Him.
What we see here is a temporary, ad hoc arrangement that anticipates the formal tabernacle to come. But it is more than just a historical footnote. It is a paradigm of true worship and a foreshadowing of the greater Mediator who would one day pitch His tent among us, yet remain utterly separate from our sin.
The Text
Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it happened whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. And it happened whenever Moses entered the tent, that the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and Yahweh would speak with Moses. And all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent. And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, and his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
(Exodus 33:7-11 LSB)
A Necessary Distance (v. 7)
We begin with the deliberate and somber action of Moses.
"Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp." (Exodus 33:7)
This was not the formal tabernacle; the plans for that had been given, but its construction was yet future. This was likely Moses' personal tent, now consecrated for a holy purpose. The key action is its placement: "outside the camp, a good distance from the camp." This physical separation was a potent theological statement. The camp, because of its idolatry, was under a divine threat. God's presence in their midst would have meant their destruction. So, to meet with God, one had to leave the compromised community. One had to physically demonstrate a separation from the prevailing sin.
This is a permanent principle. The author of Hebrews picks up this very theme: "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach" (Hebrews 13:12-13). Fellowship with God requires a willingness to be an outsider to the world's sinful systems and communities. It requires a break. You cannot serve God and Mammon. You cannot worship at the tent of meeting and at the base of the golden calf.
Moses calls it the "tent of meeting." This is where God would meet with His designated representative. But notice the grace here. It was not exclusively for Moses. "And everyone who sought Yahweh would go out to the tent of meeting." The way back to God was open, but it had a condition. You had to want it enough to leave the camp. You had to acknowledge the problem. Repentance is a journey outward, away from sin and toward God. Seeking the Lord is not a passive disposition; it is an active, geographical pilgrimage away from the source of the trouble. It requires effort, intention, and a public statement of allegiance.
The Mediator's Walk (v. 8)
Next, we see the people's reaction to their mediator.
"And it happened whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent." (Exodus 33:8)
This is a picture of profound solemnity and, likely, a great deal of anxiety. The people stand. This is a posture of respect and anticipation. Their collective fate hangs on what happens in that tent. They watch Moses, their representative, their go-between, as he makes the lonely walk. He is going where they cannot go. He is approaching the consuming fire on their behalf. Their lives depend on his successful mediation.
They "gaze after Moses until he entered the tent." Their eyes are fixed on their only hope. This is what it means to live by faith in a mediator. We, too, must fix our eyes on our Mediator, Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). We watch Him, as it were, as He enters the true tent of meeting, the heavenly sanctuary, on our behalf. He has gone where we cannot go, into the very presence of the Father, to intercede for us. The people of Israel were spectators of their mediator; we are beneficiaries of ours. Their hope was that Moses would come back out alive. Our assurance is that our Mediator has gone in, sat down at the right hand of the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us.
The Divine Descent (v. 9-10)
The moment Moses enters the tent, God responds visibly and immediately.
"And it happened whenever Moses entered the tent, that the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and Yahweh would speak with Moses. And all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent. And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent." (Exodus 33:9-10)
The pillar of cloud, the visible manifestation of God's glorious presence (the Shekinah), descends. This is the divine confirmation. It is God's public seal of approval on Moses and on this entire arrangement. The cloud stands at the entrance, like a holy sentry, barring access to all but the authorized mediator. Inside that cloud, an awesome transaction is taking place: "Yahweh would speak with Moses."
The people see this. They see the proof that God has met with their representative. And what is their response? Worship. "And all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent." They are still at a distance. They cannot come near the tent itself, but they can worship from where they are. Their worship is prompted by the evidence of successful mediation. They see the glory cloud, and they bow down.
This is a beautiful picture of corporate worship. Though they are separated in their individual tents, they are united in their action. They all see the same glory, and they all respond with the same reverence. True worship is always a response to a revelation of God's glory. And here, that glory is revealed in His willingness to meet with a man on behalf of a sinful people. They are not worshipping Moses; they are worshipping the God who speaks to Moses. Their worship is an acknowledgment of their unworthiness and His terrifying, yet merciful, holiness.
Face to Face, and the Faithful Attendant (v. 11)
The final verse gives us an astonishing summary of these meetings and introduces a key figure for the future.
"Thus Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, and his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent." (Exodus 33:11)
The phrase "face to face" is a Hebrew idiom for intimate, direct, and personal communication. It does not mean Moses saw God's essence, which no sinful man can see and live (Ex. 33:20). But it does mean this was not a communication through dreams, visions, or riddles. It was a real conversation, like one has with a friend. This is the pinnacle of Old Testament prophetic relationship. God singles out Moses for this unique privilege because of his unique role as the covenant mediator. This friendship with God is the source of Moses' authority and wisdom.
After the meeting, Moses would return to the defiled camp. He does not abandon the people. The true mediator always identifies with the people he represents, bringing the word of God back to them. He bridges the gap between the holy God and the sinful nation.
But someone stays behind. "His attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent." Joshua is Moses' apprentice, his right-hand man. While Moses goes back and forth, Joshua remains at the threshold of holiness. He lingers at the place of God's presence. He is not in the meeting, but he is as close as he can possibly get. This is a portrait of devotion and preparation. Joshua's heart is oriented toward the presence of God. He is guarding the holy place, but he is also soaking in the ambient glory. This is where he is being trained for his future leadership. His desire is not for the affairs of the camp, but for the things of God's tent. It is no surprise that God later chooses this man, the one who loved to linger near His presence, to lead His people into the promised land.
The Greater Joshua
This entire scene is a magnificent type, a shadow of a greater reality to come. Moses is a type of Christ, the great Mediator who goes before us into the presence of the Father. He speaks to God "face to face" in a way that Moses could only dream of, for He is the eternal Son who has been at the Father's side from all eternity (John 1:18).
Like Moses, our Lord Jesus pitched His tent, His tabernacle of flesh, and lived among us (John 1:14). He, too, lived "outside the camp" in a spiritual sense, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). And He suffered outside the gate to purchase our access to God.
Because of His mediation, the pillar of cloud, the Holy Spirit, has descended not just on a tent, but into our hearts. And we, from the entrance of our own tents, our own lives, can see the glory of God and worship Him. We see the glory of God "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).
And finally, there is Joshua. His name in Hebrew is Yehoshua, which is the very same name as Jesus in Greek, Iesous. The first Joshua, the attendant, lingered at the tent of meeting. He was a faithful servant who pointed to the ultimate Servant, the true Joshua. Our Jesus did not just linger outside the tent; He is the tent. He is the place where God and man meet. He is the new and living way into the Holy of Holies. And unlike Moses, who had to return to the camp, our Mediator has entered the heavenly sanctuary permanently. And unlike Joshua, who could only remain outside, our Jesus has sat down at the right hand of Majesty, and He bids us to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.
The lesson of the tent outside the camp remains. We must leave our sin. We must go outside the camp of the world's approval. But we do not go to a lonely tent in the wilderness. We go to Christ. He is our tent of meeting, our Mediator, our friend, and our God.