Skip to main content

15. Shielded From Glory


Exodus 33:12-23
Key Verse:  “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. But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’"
Exodus 33:19-20

How Holy the Lord God is!  How unholy we sinners are!  Even someone, who walked as closely as Moses did with God Himself, could not look upon his dear friend's face and live.  So often, we do not realize just how much our sin separates us from God.  Adam and Eve in the garden used to be able to look at God’s face.

Through this encounter, we begin to understand why God could not simply come, as He is, to live with us.  We can begin to understand why He chose to enter this world as a baby.  There is nothing harmful or threatening about a baby.  As a baby, God could be approached and touched.  He could be related to in a way that we could understand.  Who doesn't enjoy holding a baby, hearing its laugh and enjoying its presence while it sleeps securely in your arms?

By contrast, here on the mountain, we are caused to consider the fullness of God's glory.  It is immense and overwhelming.  It is so overpowering that when Moses came away from being near it, his face shone from the afterglow.  It is so intense, that to look at his face would mean instant death, even for the most righteous of us.  Yet, somehow, all of this glory and grandeur was hidden in the body of an approachable infant and brought forth in the darkness of a stable.  I'm frustrated at finding the right words to convey the wonder of the miracle that took place.  I've thought about stuffing a down sleeping bag into one of those tiny sacks, but even that doesn't do this miracle justice.

Maybe, by comparing the glory here with the baby in the manger, we begin to understand, just a little, how much God left behind to redeem us.  Perhaps, we can begin to understand the depth of His sacrifice for us.  How truly amazing is God's love!  And one more thing.  Most scholars believe that the “stable” in which Jesus was born was actually a small cave, either natural or carved out of a rock face.  This would mean that in being born as a human, God switched things around.  He put himself in the cleft of the rock, and invited humble shepherds to draw near and “pass by.”

Isaac Watts puts it this way: "Veiled in flesh, the God Head see.  Hail the incarnate Deity.  Pleased as man, with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel."  He may have been a baby to us, but to God the Father, He was still all that glory.  He may have become a man to us, but He still contained all that glory.  He may have been hung on a cross, but it was still all that glory that Moses couldn't look upon hanging on that cross for us as well.  What we see with our eyes isn't all that there is to see.  Jesus’ flesh shielded and protected us from God's glory just as God protected Moses on the mountain.  What a wonderful Savior He is.  Amen.

Show me Your Glory
Hymn: "A Wonderful Savior Is Jesus My Lord" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more