Do we live our lives as if we have seen the glory of God, or are we still chasing a lesser, worldly glory?

Exodus 33:12-23

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And 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 mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Last term at Creek Road, we saw through the book of 1 Samuel, how the Old Testament is like a shadow of Jesus to come. The birth of Samuel was a shadow of the birth of Jesus, King David was a shadow of the king we see in Jesus.

Here in the passage from Exodus, we also see a shadow of Jesus. Moses asks God to show him the glory of God as a sign that he is with his people – God’s reply is that no one can see his face and live. So he devises a way that Moses can see God, but only from the back. Moses doesn’t get to see the full glory of God.

In John 1:14, we are told of Jesus “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son…”  Unlike Moses, we have seen the glory of God in Jesus, and we know that God is with us through Jesus. We don’t need to ask for a sign like Moses: we already have it.

But, Moses asks the question “What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (v16). The question that we need to ask ourselves is, having seen the glory of God, and having him dwell with us in his son, are our lives distinguishable from all the other people on the face of the earth? Do our lives reflect the glorious truth we have in Jesus, or do we chase after the glory of this world – in school, in sports, in career, in what people think about us?

Head: Do you KNOW that you have seen the glory of God in Jesus? How do you think it should change the way you live your life?

Heart: How does it feel knowing that God has revealed himself to us, when the Old Testament Israelites were unable to look at God?

Hands: What changes do you need to make in your life to reflect who you are in Christ?

Prayer: Dear heavenly father. Thank you that you sent Jesus to show us your Glory, and to dwell with us. We pray that you help us when our lives don’t reflect this glorious truth. We pray that you will help us to live our lives for you. In the name of your Son and by the power of your Holy Spirit, Amen.

A song to listen to: What Love My God

Vicki Meehan