THURSDAY 09 December 2021 “GLORY” Exodus 33:1-34:3

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

When you hear the word “GLORY” I wonder what comes to your mind? If you are older and live in America, perhaps “Old Glory” might bring images of a tattered American flag still flying over a battlefield. But what does “GLORY” mean when we think of GOD and God’s majesty?

Yesterday I left you with Moses having one of the most significant experiences of his life as Moses and God were again having an important conversation, this time talking about God’s Presence being the distinctive identifier distinguishing Moses and the Hebrews from all other people on earth. God had threatened that His Presence may no longer accompany them since the Hebrews had made a golden calf and called it their ‘god’! Moses had responded “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here…what else will distinguish me and Your people from all other peoples on earth.” (Ex. 33:15,16) The thought of taking one step away from Mount Sinai WITHOUT God’s Presence was terrifying to Moses. They were helpless and hopeless without God. But look around our world today. Look around your city, even your extended family. Is the absence or presence of God an issue?

So God promised Moses “My Presence will go with you…”. As grateful as Moses was, seems it wasn’t enough. Moses mustered up all the courage he had and he made this bold request of God: “Now show me Your GLORY.” (Ex. 33:18) I’ve often wondered what Moses meant, what did he have in his mind that he was hoping God would do? What did Moses mean by God’s glory and how did he expect to see it? Do you remember once before, when the people were grumbling against Moses and God, expressing their disappointment in God’s provisions for them in the desert, Moses records in Exodus 16:10 “When Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.” What exactly they saw, Moses does not describe for us. We do know that when these 1 million people came to Mount Sinai they had an unforgettable experience with the Glory of God as described in Exodus 19 when the mountain appeared like a volcano… trembling and belching fire from the top and billowing smoke, and the sound like a loud trumpet blast, and finally the voice of God speaking His 10 Commandments to them. That was certainly an experience which could be described as demonstrating the ‘glory of the LORD’, but Moses did not use those words. So I wonder what Moses was asking to experience when he boldly said to God, “Now show me Your GLORY.”?

God’s response to Moses was stunning: “The LORD said, ‘I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But, you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” (Ex. 33:19,20) Look at Moses with his brow wrinkled, his eyes narrow as he contemplates. What does it all mean? God seems to be promising a physical encounter with Moses with His Presence passing by Moses in all goodness and holiness, and also God’s voice again will be heard as HE proclaims His Almighty Name. God seems to be re-affirming that He is a holy God, a loving God, a good God, and a compassionate God. But also warning that God is so majestic, so sacred and holy that a human being cannot expect to actually see the ‘face‘ of God and remain alive. That experience would evidently be so stunning, it might cause a heart attack, or aneurysm of the brain as our limited human capabilities simply could not comprehend the extreme Glory of God!

But God was not finished yet with Moses, He continued: “Then the LORD said, ‘there is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My GLORY passes by, I will hide you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see my back, but My face must not be seen.” (Ex. 33:21-23) Oh how this has fascinated me for such a long time. What did Moses understand the Almighty God was explaining to him? What image came into Moses’ mind as he pondered God’s description of this experience? My friends, I’m afraid I can’t explain it. We know God is beyond our human ability to fully comprehend, and He is Spirit and I presume He can take on any appearance He may choose at any time. So what does the “hand of God” look like with which Moses would be shielded? And what would God’s “back” look like on this occasion? And perhaps most important of all… what was this “GLORY of GOD” that would ‘pass by’? Aren’t you glad God doesn’t give us all the details? In your entire lifetime, what has been the most stunning, most overwhelming spiritual experience you’ve had, and how would it compare to what God told Moses he was about to experience?

As Moses was contemplating this remarkable conversation it appears his thoughts were interrupted once more by the voice of God: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets, like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to Me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain…” (Ex. 34:1) I have no idea what time of the day Moses and God were having this conversation, but I wonder… how long do you suppose it would have taken Moses to chisel two large stone tablets out of the mountain rock? From the moment he had smashed those first tablets, several weeks before this, I wonder how often Moses had talked with God about those tablets, asking God if He would consider somehow replacing those tablets so the people would have a permanent, God’s inscribed record, of those 10 Commandments? But do you suppose Moses ever imagined God would ask him to chisel out tablet replacements with his own hand?

As I’ve put myself in Moses’ sandals during this conversation, I think the words that would have kept me awake all night would have been when God said “Be ready in the morning and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to Me there on top of the mountain.” Seven times before, Moses had hiked up that mountain Sinai to meet with God. Twice before he had spent 40 days and 40 nights with God there in the cloud of His Presence. (Ex. 24-31 & Ex. 32:33-35) But I wonder if Moses had a deep sense in his spirit that this time would be different from all the others? God had promised Moses that this, his eighth Sinai visit, would include an encounter with the GLORY of God, whatever that was, which would change his life, for the rest of his life.

As Moses walked out of the little ‘tent of meeting’ after this discussion, I’m sure Joshua and others quickly gathered around him, as they watched the cloud lift up from the tent. ‘Well, Moses, sir… what did God say?’ It would be fair if Moses simply responded… ‘you’d never believe it if I told you, so let’s just say it was awesome and has stretched my understanding of God even further. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a project I need to complete this afternoon and then I need to get ready, for He has invited me back up the mountain tomorrow morning.’ If I had been in that little group of questioners, I think I might have said: ‘What time Moses, sir. You name the time, I’ll be ready, and if you need me to carry anything I’ll be happy to serve. Please take me with you up there. I’ve watched the cloud from a distance, I very much want to experience INSIDE that cloud with God as you have. Please take me with you.’ Of course there is no record anyone asked that of Moses. It was rare then and it’s rare now that anyone has the insatiable hunger that Moses had to spend time with God in the cloud of His Presence. Do you and I have that hunger?

So friends, let’s pause right here in Exodus 34. Let’s watch Moses, with hammer and chisel, as he chisels two tablets of stone out of the rock. How many times do you suppose the tablet will crack, and he’ll have to start over again? How big will they be, how heavy? Will it be near nightfall by the time he finally has them in his hands heading to his tent? And all night long, will Moses get any sleep? Will he sit, all night long, holding one of the tablets and pondering what will happen tomorrow, as he encounters the GLORY of the LORD? What if you knew you’d have an encounter with the GLORY of the LORD tomorrow, how would you prepare yourself?

May I invite you to re-read Exodus 33:12-34:3 and spend some time in reflection about what you understand the GLORY of the LORD to be. How hungry are you to experience that? And here’s a song to help us consider the awesome, indescribable, incomprehensible GLORY of God…

Today’s Scripture is Exodus 33:1-34:3.

Choose below to read or listen.

Exodus 33

Exodus 34:1-3

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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