Exodus 33:3  “…I will not go up in your midst…”
God commanded them to get up and leave Sinai on their way to Canaan, and He said He would send His angel before them.  But He won’t be in their midst where He wanted to be lest they provoke Him again.  I can’t remember where it is, but I recall a description of the group as they traveled that had them spread out in a cross formation with the Tabernacle in the center.  That changed when God decided they couldn’t be trusted to obey Him and moved Himself out of the camp.  Will need to locate that passage.

4  “…when the people heard this bad news, they mourned…”
Unfortunately, this will be the way it is with this people.  They are usually ready to repent and mourn over their sin after the fact, but never enough to change and begin living for God full-time.  Always end up right back in trouble.

7  “Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp…”
Using Moses’s tent as the tabernacle of meeting until the other one is created.

9  “…when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses”
Showed the presence of God when He spoke with Moses.  Each person could stand at the door of his tent and see this happen.  They would know God was there speaking with Moses.  Interesting that Joshua wouldn’t depart from the tabernacle even when Moses did.  Scripture doesn’t say anything about Joshua speaking with God until God chooses him to replace Moses.

15  “…If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here”
The trip wasn’t just to get the people to the Promised Land.  It was to make them God’s people, to turn them into His people, to have fellowship and a relationship with Him.  Moses recognized they didn’t need to go or do anything without God’s presence with them.

18  “…show me Your glory”
A desire to see God.  In a truer way than he had thus far.  I’ve heard some say Moses felt isolated in his position and wanted a tangible way of connecting to God, by seeing Him in His essence  From the text, it appears that Moses was concerned with the presence of God.  He wanted God as close as possible.

20  “…You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live”
Nature of God and man.  God is perfect and holy.  Man is not.  The sinfulness of man cannot exist before a holy God.  God now accepts us due to the imparted righteousness of Christ, but we can’t stand before Him without it.

22  “…will cover you with My hand …”
God covered Moses Himself.  He provided a way for Moses to see part of Him.  Personal, direct connection as He did on the cross.

I hope you enjoy reading and studying His word.  May it accomplish what He desires.  Please feel free to comment or post questions.  Thanks for reading!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.