Bible Problem: Exodus 24:9-11 and 33:20. How Could Moses See God and Not Die?
Problem:
Exodus chapter 24 verses 9 through 11 says:
9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
But later, in Exodus 33:20 God says to Moses:
Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
How then could 74 people see God and not die?
Solution:
The people only saw a likeness of God, or a physical representation of God. They did not see God the Father’s essence. This is apparent from passages like Numbers 12:8 when God says about Moses:
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold:
The key words in the passage are “apparently” and “similitude.” Apparently means “as far as one knows or can see.” Similitude means “the quality or state of being similar to something.”
Also, God is three Persons in One, but separate. This is shown in Matthew 3, verses 16 and 17:
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Here we have Jesus as God the Son, the Spirit of God is God the Holy Ghost, and the Voice speaking is God the Father. Galatians chapter 4 verses 4 through 6 also shows the three persons of God.
In the Old Testament the “Angel of the Lord” was seen by Abraham, Hagar, Balaam, Joshua and others in Genesis 16:7, Genesis 22:11, Numbers 22:22, Judges 2:4 and Judges chapter 13 and in many other verses.
There are also verses where God is depicted as a man, like in Daniel 7:9 and Ezekiel 1:26-28.
God can show himself as three distinct persons. In many instances where the Holy Bible refers to the “Angel of the Lord,” or as God appearing as a man, God is revealing Himself in a theophany as the preincarnate Jesus Christ.
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