"Show Me your Glory"

Exodus 33:12–23 ESV

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.’ 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.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 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?” 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.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 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. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

Last week in talking about the manna season

I breifly mentioned this passage of scripture

And to be honest, this particular passage of scripture has been working on me for well over a month now.

And I have been anticipaiting preaching it..

I want us to talk today about pursuing the preseence of god

What does it mean to pursue the presence of God?

What do I mean by that..

Hebrew

The most common hebrew term for pressence is PANIM

Its also translated Face..

And it implies a close and personal encounter with the Lord..

English

In English that word pressence is used to refer to people or things that are present..

They exist and are near or close..

When we talk about being in the presence of somone we are talking about being near them…

Normally as if they are in the same room…

“I was in the presence of the king”

Or so on..

Pressence is the term we use for someones proximitry to us..

when we are in someone presence they are close..

We can hear them..

smell them..

Even feel them..

So

So when we talk about pursuing the presence of god..

We are talking about pursuing a closeness to God…

We are talking about desiring a deeper understanding and relationship with God..

We want to be near to him..

And know him..

Not just a knowledge know him..

but an intimate know him..

Know his will..

his charactor..

His person..

His love..

We are pursuing him in all avenues of knowing him..

Context

When we come into chapter 33 of exodus, moses is in intersessory mode for the children of israel..

He is literally standing between the wrath of God and the the people..

Delivered

You see we know the story of the people of israel well.

throughout the book of exodus, God has been working to deliver them..

Both from pharaoh and from there themselves

We know God brougth them miraculously out of the land of egypt..

God conquered pharoah and his army..

He has richly provided for them in their jounry..

THEY HAVE BEEN THE HAND OF GOD..

Instructed

And now, Moses has been on the mountain receiving the instruction of god for the new covenant..

The covenant that God has made with the people os israel that HE will be their god and they will be his people..

and God is giving the design for the tabernacle..

The system of sacrificial worship..

And the law.

but while moses is away with god..

the people get crazy and anxious..

and they do something stupid..

The people had been stupid

In chapter 32 the people are tired of waiting for moses..

so they convince aaron to make them a golden calf…

and they begin to worship it..

BEFORE THE LAW OF AND SYSTEM OF THE COVANANT IS EVEN GIVEN..

THE PEOPLE BREAK IT..

Obviously this kindles the wrath of god.

and of moses..

and after clearing the camp of those who comited the sin..

Moses is not back on the mountain..

PLeading with God..

Interceeding

Leaving

God tells moses..

Moses..

You are going on with the people..

but my presence is no longer going with you..

because If I do..

I will kill them all..

Moses interceeds

But moses.. begins to plead with god..

and he tells him you must go with us!!

If your presence doesnt go I will not go..

And I want us to stop right there for a couple of moments and talk about this state..

Moses knew the importance and value of gods presence

Exodus 33:15 ESV

And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

Moses understood the importance and value of the presence of God

Importance

moses knew if he went on without god ..

it would not be good..

It was after all god who delivered the poeple

god who directed the people

god who did the signs and wonders in egypt

god who parted the red sea

god who provided the manna

God who protected moses..

IF MOSES AND THE PEOPLE LEFT WITHOUT GOD THEY WOULD BE IN GREAT TROUBLE..

HIS PRESENCE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY HAD..

But it wasnt just important it was valueable..

Value

Moses understood the value of the presence of god..

god told moses to go on..

He was willing to send them to the promise without him..

BUT MOSES DID NOT WANT THE PROMISE WITHOUT THE PRESENCE..

BECAUSE MOSES KNEW THE PRESENCE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PROMISE

Today

You see we have a lot of poeple today who want the promise..

but they dont care about the promise..

what do i mean?

They want the blessings of god..

but not the intmacy of god..

They want the emotional high of god

but not the humility of holiness..

They the signs the wonders and the miracles of god..

but they dont want the prayer and fasting and seeking of god..

THEY WANT THE PROMISE BUT THEY DONT CARE ABOUT THE PRESENCE..

MOSES

But moses knew if he took the promise it would mean nothing about the presence

Because the presence was the real prize..

Jesus

look at what Jesus said in the new testament..

He said the kingdom of heaven was like a pearl of great price..

a man found it and sold everything he had to buy it..

the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure found in a feild..

a man found it and sold everything he had to buy the field..

why?

because the kingdom of heaven is th emost valuable thing we can have..

The presence of god..

intimacy and closness with our creator

is more valuable than anything else..

What does gods pressence cost you?

Are you willing to pay the price?

Why is gods presence so valuable..

Moses knew that God presence marks us as Gods people

look at what he says in verse 16

Exodus 33:16 ESV

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?”

closeness and intimacy with god is a mark that we are the people of god..

In moses day..

The other people groups knew who israel was..

not because of moses..

but because god..

Later in the promised land when they would role into cities to take over the land..

the people knew them by their god who fought for them..

Closeness with God is the halmark of being a child of god..

Presence

There is another definition of presence we didnt talk about..

And its the existance of a substance that cannot be seen..

Its the intagable quality..

that their are clear signs something is their..

but you cant see it with th enaked eye..

the other senses know..

Have you ever had a time when you knew somone was in the room just because you felt them?

When you walk with god.

His presence marks you..

Poeple know..

Hes one of them christians..

You see how he acts..

or maybe they ask..,

whats different about you?

Moses

The people knew when moses had been with god..

they could literally see it..

Well talk about that in a moment..

but Gods presence marks gods people..

Not only was it a marking for the people..

It was a confirmation that God would do what he said he would..

Moses moses knew that gods presence was the confirmation that God will do what he has said.

Look at 17-18..

God tells the moses I will go..

and I will show you favor..

and moses asks for confirmation..

BUT NOT JUST CONFIRMATION..

HE DOESNT JUST WANT ANOTHER YES..

HE WANTS A GREATER REVELATION..

Exodus 33:17–18 ESV

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.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

Show me your glory...

The presence is proximity..

but the glory is a deeper revelation..

Its the manfestation of god in the natural that can be seen..

Its the lumonousness, the light that iminats from god..

Moses didnt just want to be close to god..

He wanted God to reveal himself in a way that would forever change him..

that would prove to him.. WHO HE WAS..

And that he would do what he siad he would..

Hunger

whens the last time you asked god to show you his glory..

his phyical manifestation..

when you asked god to reveal himself in such a way that you would be changed..

a depth you could never fully comprehend..

whens the last time you longed for more of him..

deeper understnading of him..

and you asked him..

Havnt

most christians have not..

most are content to be like the people..

we see the cloud from the distance and thats enough..

but God wants to reveal himself to you..

He said seek and you will find me..

knock and it will be open..

ask and it will be given..

draw near to me and I will draw near to you..

God reveals himself to moses in a deep way

Exodus 33:19–23 ESV

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. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

god reveals himself to moses in one of the most intimate ways scripture records in the old testament..

he comes down..

and hides moses in the rock..

and allows him to see the back of his robe..

a physical sight of god..

and the bible says it forever changes him..

Moses was forever changed

Exodus 34:29–33 ESV

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Moses face was shining from the expereince..

And it was noticable by others..

He had to wear a viel..

GODS PRESENCE CHANGES EVERYTHING..

IN HIS PRESENCE WE ARE HEALED.

IN HIS PRESENCE WE ARE SAVED..

IN HIS PRESENCE WE ARE RESTORED..

IN HIS PRESENCE THEIR IS JOY..

IN HI PRESENCE THEIR IS LIFE…

HIS PRESENCE CHANGES US..

The treasure in the field (Ending)

Matthew 13:44 ESV

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

what are you willing to give up to have the presence of god in your life in such a tangable way..

are you willing to pay the cost to see the glory of god?