Exodus 33:17-23
“The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord,’ and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.””
“The most distinguishing characteristic of the people of God is the Presence of God.”
I will never forget this statement made almost forty years ago by one of my favorite seminary professors, Gordon Fee. His father had been an Assemblies of God pastor in Oregon, a denomination known for its emphasis on the ministry and gifts of the Holy Spirit. So, Dr. Fee had the spiritual passion of a Pentecostal.
Once, as a young man, Dr. Fee questioned some biblical interpretations made by a preacher who rebuked him: “I’d rather be a fool on fire than a scholar on ice.” From that point forward, Dr. Fee dedicated himself to being “a scholar on fire!”
And he was!
In Exodus 33, the Lord told Moses that he would not go with him and the Israelites to the land that had been promised (Ex 33:3).
What was Moses’ response? “Then do not send us. We are nothing without you.” (Ex 33:15)
When the Lord agrees to go, Moses asks something else of the Lord: “Show me your glory.” (Ex 33:18)
What happens next is indescribable, even beyond Steve Spielberg.
But it is partial.
The Lord covers Moses in the cleft of the rock and only God’s back is seen as God passes.
In Jesus Christ, the glory of God becomes accessible to all people. The Apostle Paul describes it like this in 2 Corinthians:
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6)
The first Christians struggled to find language big enough to describe what happens to us when we encounter the glory of God in Jesus. We are re-created, born all over again, rescued, raised from the dead.
I often have a hard time believing that these things are true of me. I can believe that they are true of you because I can easily see God’s glory in you.
Yet, there are moments when “the full goodness of God” passes by in glory (Ex 33:19). At those times, nothing is more real than the absolute love, joy, and peace of God. I am once again convinced that only the presence of God in my life makes any difference. Only then will I be free enough from my ambitions and insecurities to truly love others. Only then will the purpose of my life be to invite others “to glorify the Lord with me” (Psalm 34:3). Only then will my life look more and more like Jesus Christ who always experienced and expressed the glory of God.
Will you join me in this prayer? Show me your glory, Lord.