“And (Moses) said, ‘Please, show me your glory.’ Then he said, I will reveal all my goodness before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.’ But he said, you cannot see my face; For no one will see me and live” (Exodus 33:18-20).
Man longs to see the glory of his Creator. This longing may be buried under many layers of self-will and illusion, but it is there. To behold the bright face of our God will be the most deeply satisfying joy that our minds can imagine, or our hearts can experience. To receive this glory from God and then reflect it back to Him with love and gratitude – these are the purposes for which we were created.
But we live in a broken world where this joy is not entirely possible. Even those who are willing to be freed from the sins that have separated them from God can only enjoy that fellowship in this world which is a foretaste of heaven. The joy of this initial fellowship is great (1 John 1:1-4), but at best it is only a foretaste. We want something else, and we want it so intensely that we may be said to “groan” for it. Comparing our earthly bodies to a tent, a nomad’s temporary abode, Paul wrote to the Christians of Corinth, “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, desiring to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:1,2). In this body, we groan, longing for God!
“Please show me your glory,” Moses pleaded with God. And while God knew that Moses could not survive such an experience in his present state, He was sympathetic to Moses’ desire, as it is the desire of all who are created in His image. For those who are willing to come to Him as His Son, willing to trust Him and obey His words, God is willing to give as much of Himself as can be given in our weakness. But we desire more. And much more will be possible in his time. When we are enabled to see His glory, we will see His face. This will make heaven, heaven. We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).
Come, Lord, when grace has met me, to see Thy blessed face;
For if your work on earth is sweet, what will be your glory!
My knowledge of that life is small, the eye of faith is dim;
But it is enough that Christ knows everything, and I will be with Him.
(Richard Baxter)
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
