“A Glimpse of Glory” – FBC Morning Light (2/11/2025)

Moses’ Request to See God’s Glory

Well a good morning to you. Today as you begin the journey of this day I'd like to just encourage you with a few thoughts from Exodus chapters 33 and 34. Now the context of chapter 33 is it's coming right on the heels of that horrible experience when Moses comes down off of the mountain after meeting with God and he and the people of Israel have already violated the very first of the commandments first couple of commandments you know they made the golden calf they were worshiping that and so on and so forth.

So that was Exodus 32. And in Exodus 33 it's like a it's gonna be like a reboot if you will. And Moses prays to the Lord and asks for the Lord to go with his people which the Lord says in verse 14. My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.

But then he makes this. Moses makes this really startling request. He says in verse 18 of chapter 33. Please show me your glory. Show me your glory. Now the reality is Moses didn't really understand what he was asking for.

He thought he did but he really didn't. And it's clear because the Lord says I will make my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.

I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he said you cannot see my face for no man shall see me and live. In other words the Lord is saying you you could not stand to be in the presence of the full magnitude of my glory.

It would be too it would be too overwhelming and you wouldn't live through it all. And then the Lord said in verse 21 here is a place by me and you shall stand on the rock. So it'll be while my glory passes by that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand while I pass by.

Then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back. But my face shall not be seen. Now honestly I don't know what this is that Moses experienced. Now the Lord explains there puts it in you know like well anthropomorphic ways using you know the the analogy of human of human characteristics.

You know his face his back covered with his hand. But God is spirit. He's not. He's not a man. He's not. He doesn't have the physical attributes of a human being. So he's using those descriptors to basically tell Moses I my glory is going to pass by but I will shield you from experience the full splendor of my glory.

Or you wouldn't live. I'll just let you see the tail end of it. Now what is it that Moses saw. It's not so much what he saw but what he heard and understood about the goodness and the glory of God. Remember back in verse 19 of chapter 33 the Lord said I will make all my goodness pass before you.

It is his goodness that is his glory. You get that sense right. He gets a glimpse of the goodness of God. And what does he see. What. What is it about God that he sees that is so glorious. Well down in verse chapter 34 we read in verses 5 and 6 it says.

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him. Moses there and proclaimed the name of the Lord and the Lord passed before him. Same idea as in the end of chapter 33 where the glory passes by the Lord passed before him and proclaimed Yahweh Yahweh Elohim the Lord the Lord God Yahweh Yahweh Elohim.

And then there is this recitation of some of the glorious attributes and qualities of our God. He is merciful and gracious long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth keeping mercy or hesed. That's that steadfast love that covenant loyalty that God has toward his covenant that he makes with his people.

He keeps steadfast love mercy hesed with thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin by no means clearing the guilty visiting the iniquity the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation.

So he ends by God ends by declaring the glory of his justice and righteousness by no means clearing the guilty. But that follows on the heels of these glorious attributes of mercy grace long suffering abounding in goodness and truth keeping steadfast covenant loyalty to thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Wow. What Moses saw in the glory of God on that day is astounding. And it continues to this day. This is our God. He is a God who is merciful he is gracious. He is long-suffering. He he abounds in goodness and truth.

He is steadfastly loyal to the covenant that he makes with his people. He forgives iniquity and transgression and sin. How can we not bow down before and worship this God. How can we not love him and be grateful to him for who he is.

And for all his glory. Let's relish in the glory of God that he shows us in this passage today. And so our Father in our God we do thank you and praise you for who you are. We thank you that you are long-suffering.

We thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your steadfast loyalty to your covenant people. We thank you Father that you forgive iniquity. You forgive our transgressions. And you forgive our sin. Oh we so desperately need you the God that you are.

Thank you for who you are in Jesus name. Amen all right. Well listen. Have a good rest of your day. And may God bless you.