Day 23

We allow ourselves to reflect on instances from the Bible where God acted or revealed Himself, and apply that to our lives –
• God spoke to man: He can speak to us;
• He healed the sick and the lame: We trust that He can heal us;
• God through Christ revealed Himself to the Disciples and instructed them in the ways of righteousness: We accept that God can reveal Himself to us, and that we too can learn from the example of Christ and grow in righteousness;
• Christ came to save the world: We are part of the world and subject to the redemptive benefits of that salvation as we receive Christ to ourselves.
Yet we remain intimidated by other passages of Scripture where the LORD moved/acted/spoke, and are unwilling to acknowledge God’s ability to do the same for us today –
• Christ raised Lazarus (John 11), Jarius’ daughter (Mt 9:18-26; Mk 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), and the son of the widow at Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-17): but we are afraid to acknowledge God’s ability to do something this profound for us today
• God took Enoch and Elijah to heaven without them dying – possibly in preparation for their roles in the end times: yet we do not consider the possibility that God might also be preparing us for our roles in the end times.
• We are commended to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness: yet we fail to claim the second half of Matthew 6:33 that “all these things will be given to (us)”
• We see Joseph, Paul, Silas, John the Baptist in prison, and their endurance and excellence in the face of these persecutions in the Bible: yet James 1:2 is so difficult to grasp today “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”
• And we see Moses experiencing genuine fellowship with the LORD: yet the presence of God seems so far away, and unattainable.
In Exodus 33:18-23, we read about Moses so boldly seeking God’s presence that he asks for something that God is unwilling to deliver. Yet God responds in a way that shows us a true insight into His “Goodness.”
Then Moses said, “Please, let me see Your glory.” He (The LORD) said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He (The LORD) answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The LORD said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23)
When God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” He was making it clear to Moses that He would do this because “HE” was pleased to do this. Moses didn’t have the right to know God, any more than we do. Our only “right” is to be judged one day before God. Paul acknowledged this concept from Exodus as he wrote in Romans 9:16 “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.”
We can be bold in our prayers – and God is honored when we ask Him for great things. But God is GOD, and He is in the Almighty! …but God is good too. And He is merciful. Even though Moses was asking too much when he asked to see God’s glory, the LORD was honored by such a bold prayer and provided a way for Moses to take in all of God’s glory that He chose to reveal of Himself.
Is Exodus 33:18-23 another one of those passages that we are unwilling to apply to our lives today? Are we unwilling to acknowledge that God is able to respond to us in the way(s) that He responded to Moses? Was Moses the Biblical example of a man with whom God had an exclusive relationship; of which we are supposed to be jealous, or in awe? Or is God also honored by our bold prayers? Is God willing to show us His goodness and mercy – to the same full measure that He extended to Moses?
What right do we have to pick and choose from the Bible which passages can apply to us, and which ones we will exclude? When we do so, we are limiting what God will, (or is willing to) do in our lives?
“God – Please let me see Your Glory!”