Moses knew that achieving what God was calling the Israelites to do would be impossible without His presence. So, he appealed to God for His presence to accompany them. This was despite their sin of making the golden calf.
God responded and said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33.14).
It’s interesting to me that Moses didn’t simply say thank you and worship God for the gift of His presence. Instead, he pressed further into the need for God’s presence.
As we look at what Moses said, we learn a very distinctive truth about God’s people.
And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not bring us up from here.
“For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth” (Exodus 33.15-16).
Jewish people have been among the most persecuted who have ever lived.
Rudy Ross believes, and I agree with him, that the reason for their persecution is because God is with them and the evil one seeks to persecute God through them.
One thing we know: they, and we who are followers of God, are distinct because we have the presence of God with us.
Show Me Your Glory
Moses is a perfect demonstration of boldness in prayer. The way that God interacts with Moses is a further revelation of His gracious activity toward us.
In the next section, God reminds Moses that He knows him by name. Still, Moses has one more thing to ask from Him: “Show me your glory.”
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” (Exodus 33.17-20).
I believe a careful reading of this passage shows that God’s glory is contained within His name. Thus, to see God’s glory is simply another way of understanding the awesome greatness of His name.
His name includes His nature and character. God’s qualities of mercy, grace, compassion, and sovereignty are bound up in His name.
When we think about the name of God like this, it gives a further understanding of the first petition in the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6.9).
When we pray for God’s name to be hallowed, we’re asking that God’s name be set apart as something holy, special, and without parallel.
God’s name and God’s glory are intimately linked.
God’s Glory Revealed
Since Moses is God’s mediator – the one who stands between God and humans, and on behalf of humans before God – God is willing to show him His glory. He does it in a special way.
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;
“When I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33.21-23).
One of the ways to understand God’s revelation of His glory and His back is that Moses cannot look at the direct manifestation of God’s glory.
God shields him and only allows the afterglow of His passing glory to be seen.
One esteemed Bible scholar states, “It’s impossible to put into words this unparalleled vision, which surpasses all human thought and comprehension.”
Even though it may be impossible to comprehend the vision that Moses saw, we can know that what God was giving him was a picture of His character and nature, His essential person.
Think About It
Consider this conversation between Moses and God. We live in a fast-paced, secular world. It’s easy to become distracted by material pursuits and forget the significance of God’s presence.
The same God who met Moses on his journey invites us to know Him. Let’s not miss that great gift because we are too busy or distracted to pursue it.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I have produced a YouTube video on this passage. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 