One of the most amazing accounts in the entire Bible is when Moses asks to see the glory of God. He knew God was with him. He saw the pillar of clouds by day. He saw the pillar of fire by night. He ate the manna. He saw the miracles. He had spoken with God. But he had never seen the glory. God was gracious to Moses and showed him his glory.
What about you? Do you know God is with you? Have you seen him working in your life? Have you heard his word speaking to your soul? Have you felt his spirit comforting your spirit? You “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut 6:5), But you have never seen the glory. Come along with me and put yourself in Moses’ sandals. God will be gracious to you too.
Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” He said, “Please show me your glory.” He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.” Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:17-23)
Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Yahweh. Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7)
The concept of a merciful and gracious God was important to almost all the Old Testament writers.
- Moses repeated these words when Israel rebelled at Canaan (Numbers 14:17-19)
- Solomon referred to these words in his dedication prayer (1 Kings 8:27-30)
- David repeated these words many times (Psalm 31:19; Psalm 57:10; Psalm 86:5; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 91:4; Psalm 103:8-13; Psalm 108:4; Psalm 111:4; Psalm 111:8; Psalm 112:4; Psalm 116:5; Psalm 138:2; Psalm 145:8; Psalm 146:6)
- Hezekiah repeated these words in a desperate plea to return to God (2 Chronicles 30:8-9)
- The Jews repeated these words in Nehemiah’s day (Nehemiah 9:17-18)
- Isaiah repeated these words in warning against trusting Egypt (Isaiah 30:18)
- Joel repeated these words in prophesying the imminent day of the Lord (Joel 2:13)
- Jonah repeated these words after God spared Nineveh (Jonah 4:1-2)
- Micah repeated these words in his challenging message to Israel (Micah 7:18-19)
- Nahum repeated these words when he prophesied judgement (Nahum 1:3)
If you need to be encouraged by seeing the glory of God, if you need to receive a new personal commission, if you need to be reminded that Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ is a merciful and gracious God, please read these accounts from eyewitnesses who saw that glory. God will be gracious to you too.
The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.'” From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. (John 1:14-18)
Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; but to those who are self-seeking, and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and indignation, oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:1-11)
So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous. The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly; that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:18-21)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ; even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love; having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on us in the Beloved, in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him; in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will; to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Never forget that God is a merciful and gracious God. If you presume to speak for him without being merciful and gracious, you are really working against our merciful and gracious God.
Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 WEB)
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. (2 John 1:3 WEB)