Bold Demands We are to
Make of God
Moses' Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord,
“See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know
whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and
you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have
found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in
order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your
people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will
give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do
not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known
that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in
your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every
other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said
to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have
found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said,
“Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will
make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name
‘The Lord.’ And I will
be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see
me and live.”21 And the Lord said,
“Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes
by I will put you in acleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand
until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my
face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:12-23 English Standard Version (ESV)
Audacious Demands We are to
Make of God Philip Graham Ryken
This Passing Glory
In Exodus
33:12-23 Moses approached God with two of the most audacious
demands that any man has ever made:
"Please
show me now your ways" (Exodus 33:13) and
"Please
show me your glory" (v. 18).
In order to lead people effectively, Moses needed
to know the mind of God. He did not want God simply to send down orders; he
wanted to know the purpose
behind God's plans.
To that end, Moses wanted to remain in constant
communication with his Maker. This was essential to his leadership as a man of
God.
Intimate Knowledge of God
Any man who seeks God's calling should pray the way
Moses prayed. We should ask God to give us intimate knowledge of him. The
things we do will be successful only if God is in them.
Whenever we do something that God has called us to
do—whether it is serving in our singleness, learning how to be married, working
at a job, or getting involved in ministry—we need to pray that God will show us His way to go about things.
Moses also wanted something more: he wanted to see
God's glory. This request was not as imperious as most translations make it
sound.
In the original Hebrew it comes across more like an
entreaty; Moses was saying "Please .
. . "
Still, it was an audacious request. The
Mercifully, God did not show Moses the full
brightness of his divine glory, because this would have been fatal (see v.20).
But God did consent to show Moses his goodness.
In order to protect his prophet from deadly
exposure
Then Moses saw the contrails of God's glory—the
luminous clouds that streamed from his divine being. Although the prophet was
not allowed to look God in the face, he was able to catch a fleeting glimpse of
the hindquarters of his glory.
Glorious Joy
Someday we will get to see what Moses wanted to
see: the glory of God.
We will look Jesus right in the face and will not
be destroyed but will be filled with glorious joy.
In the heart of every man there is a yearning—yet
unsatisfied—to see this promise fulfilled.
We know that there is more for us to see, and so we
long to gaze upon the beautiful face of Jesus Christ.
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible
for you to know Him and experience an
amazing change in your own life by
receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father
God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I
am truly sorry. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please
forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I
believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the
dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I
invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from
this day forward. Thank You that according to your Word, I am now born again.
Please
send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of
my life. I promise to study Your Word - the Bible.
Please
use me for Your glory.
In
Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
Related Posts:
“Show Me Now Your Glory”
lyrics
Show me now Your glory.
Let me know Your ways.
Let Your very presence
Shine through all my days.
Let me know Your ways.
Let Your very presence
Shine through all my days.
Listen to my heart’s cry
Listen to my prayer
Show me now Your glory.
Oh God of my praise.
Listen to my prayer
Show me now Your glory.
Oh God of my praise.
· Written
by Philip Graham Ryken, a contributor to the ESV
Men's Devotional Bible. Author, Salvation by Crucifixion
Philip Graham Ryken (DPhil, University of Oxford) is the eighth
president of Wheaton College. Formerly, he served as senior minister of Philadelphia’s
historic Tenth Presbyterian Church. He has written or edited more than 40
books, including the popular title Loving the Way Jesus Loves, and has lectured and preached at
universities and seminaries worldwide.
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