Then Moses said to him [God], “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

– Exodus 33:15-16

I “stumbled” across this verse not too long ago and found it intriguing.

In this portion of scripture, God promises to go with Moses and the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. But in these verses, Moses makes sure to double check with God, and the conversation told me something I had not previously considered.

Moses makes it clear that he doesn’t want to go if God does not go with them. This is the difference between someone telling you how to get to the beach, giving you directions and sending you on your way wishing you well, and someone taking you there themselves.

When someone gives you directions, they really don’t have any “skin in the game.” If you miss a turn, get attacked on the way, or encounter an obstruction; well, that’s on you.

When someone goes with you, they will make sure you get to where you’re going. No missed turns, protection, and adaptation when a road is closed and you need to find another way.

Moses wanted to make sure God was not only going to tell them how to get to the Promised Land but that he was actually going to show them the way. Himself. Personally. There are reasons for Moses' desire for reassurance but we won’t dive into that here.

When you survey the scene in your mind, it’s a bit comical. Moses … one man, “dust of the earth”; a member of a small tribe of people, who were not long ago slaves and are now wandering in the desert, asks the God of the universe, the creator of all things, to take time out of his busy “run the world” life to go with the them 24/7. A bit cheeky but it does tell you something about the character of God.

However, while the humor in the situation is not lost on me, it is the reason that Moses wanted God along that really struck me.

If God didn’t personally go with them, they would be just like everyone else on the face of the earth. God’s presence with him and with the Israelites was the thing that set them apart for everyone else on the planet. What made them special.

Why in the world would the God of the universe do this? We find the answer to that question in Deuteronomy 7:7-8,

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God went with Moses and the Israelites, the “fewest of all peoples”, for one reason. Love.

Jesus echoes this same reason this when he tells his disciples how they will be distinguished in the world, different from every other people.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35

The 15^th century Carmelite monk Brother Lawrence put it this way, it’s not the size or “impact” of what you do but the love with which you do it.

“… we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”

This is how the world knows.

When you look at your life, the world around you, and how you live in its messy craziness, does your love for others, especially other Christians, set you apart as belonging to him?

Three Miles An Hour!

My book,

THE TOV HEART: God's Design for a Life Rooted in What Matters Most 

is available from Amazon here THE TOV HEART

You can get more information and download the first chapter free by clicking

THE TOV HEART Gift

It is my hope and prayer that you will be blessed and challenged to look for more with God - Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. No matter how much you think you have, there is always MORE! Godspeed!

Copyright © 2026 Ray Schmidt