In Exodus chapter 33 verse 20 it says that no man can see God and live. In chapter 34 verse 5, it says that "the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord." (New American Standard). I was wondering if the "Lord" that is standing with Moses could be the Son of God. Also, could you give me more examples of the Son of God appearing in the Old Testament? I know that in John 8:58 it says, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Answer
The “LORD” in Exodus 34:5 is the same as the one who said in 33:20 that no man could see him and live. The Hebrew word is YHWH, which the King James Version translators made into Jehovah. Many modern translations use the word “Lord” in all capital letters for this word, which the Jews will not pronounce aloud out of respect or a belief that it carries strong powers.
There are no specific accounts in the Old Testament of appearances of the son of God, except possibly in Daniel 3:25. In that verse a fourth person was seen in the fiery furnace with the three Hebrews that had been thrown in it. This fourth person was described as looking like “a son of a god” or “a son of God.” He may have been an angel, or he may have been the son of God before coming in bodily form. It is possible that some times when the scripture mentions an angel it may be the son of God. However, this reference and those to angels are probably not references to the son of God.
Nevertheless, the New Testament does say that he was active even then. John 1:3 says he was involved in creation. Peter says (1 Peter 3:19) that he was preaching in the time of Noah. Even though he did not make himself clearly seen, as he did when he took on a body, he was still active in carrying out God’s will.