Moses, the friend of God

I know I am a few days behind here but I like the stuff from Feb 13th so much that I think it deserves its own post so...
Exodus 33:7 - 36:7

I love this last half of Exodus chapter 33.

"Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp..."
This is the place he went to meet with God so he called it the "tent of meeting"...obviously Moses is not a marketing guy. It was a pretty big deal when Moses went out to the tent because everyone would stand at their doors to watch him pass AND the pillar of cloud...which they're still following remember, would "stand at the entrance" to the tent. And then we get this:
(Ex 33:11)
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?!?!?!

Of course the skeptics and pseudo-scholars in the crowd rise up in arms at this point because you don't get more than a few lines down the page and you read:
(Ex 33:20)
"...you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live"
(Ex 33:23)
"Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;but my face must not be seen."

First of all take the context of the conversation.
Remember back in chapter 32 God was TICKED about the golden calf incident and said that He would send an angel to lead the people, He was NOT going to go Himself because he might kill them out of anger along the way.
Here in chapter 33, as Moses and the Lord are chatting in the tent, Moses says "you have not let me know who you will send with me...If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. "
Whoa, what would our days be like if we had THAT conversation with God every morning?
(Ex 33:14)
The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Moses in essence says, "Yes, please"
(Ex 33:17)
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Moses has successfully negotiated God coming with them when just a few verses earlier God was so angry He was sending an angel instead! And he has done this in the context of what can only be described as a very intimate conversation among close friends!!!
I think it is a sign of the intimacy of this conversation that leads Moses to make his next request:
(Ex33:18)
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory"
Emboldened by the sweet conversation he is having with the Lord Moses asks God to show him "what He really looks like"
Moses loves what he is getting and wants more.
THAT is the point at which God says, in effect, "that would kill you, but I will give you a peek."

What a contrast between the stiff-necked people whom God says He will punish and Moses who speaks to God face to face as a man speaks to a friend.

I think God wants that level of intimacy with every one of us. Are we bold enough and humble enough at the same time to seek it and He is seeking us, ask for it as He is asking us to join Him, pursue it as He pursues us?