Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 33:18

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

18. Shew me ] Here, as a modern English reader would expect, ‘make me to see,’ not as in v. 13, ‘make me to know.’

thy glory ] Thy full majesty.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18 23. Moses repeats, in a more definite form, his request of v. 13. He asks to be allowed to see Jehovah’s glory; but is told in reply that he cannot see this in its fulness ( v. 20); he may, however, have a glimpse of it, sufficient to disclose to him God’s moral nature.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Shew me thy glory – The faithful servant of Yahweh, now assured by the success of his mediation, yearns, with the proper tendency of a devout spirit, for a more intimate communion with his divine Master than he had yet enjoyed. He seeks for something surpassing all former revelations.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Exo 33:18

Show me Thy Glory.

Moses aspiration

It was a fine aspiration, worthy of the man who uttered it, and the occasion on which he spoke it–Show me Thy glory. It was the reaching out of a darker dispensation after gospel light–the reflections wishing to lose themselves in the great original. It was a man who had had great things given him, and therefore asked more. He had had law; he had had presence. And now from presence he mounts up to the only thing above it–glory, which is above presence. That is always a right field of aspiration–something beyond the present attainment, taking the mercy given as stepping-stones up higher. Do not be afraid of high spiritual ambition. Cultivate aspirations–they are little different from prayer–they are very elevating.

I. Let us see to what Moses aspired. What are we to understand by glory? Evidently it was more than law. There are three kinds of glory.

1. There is the glory of circumstances that addresses itself to the senses–the glory, to the Christian, of gold and of pearl, the glory of surrounding angels, the glory of beautiful ministrations, the glory of light.

2. Then there is moral glory–such as that of the Lord Jesus Christ upon earth (Joh 1:14).

3. The glory of the sense or consciousness that everything goes back to the Creator, encircling Him with His own proper perfections, the living of God in the adoration, gratitude, and service of His creatures. Moses saw all three. His prayer had an answer on the Mount of Transfiguration.

II. It was a very remarkable answer that God made to him. I will make My kindness–goodness, kindness, they are the same–My kindness pass before thee. Kindness is glory. For example, glory is a covenanted thing, but the only covenanted thing is love. I do not read of other things covenanted; but Gods glory must be in His covenant, therefore it is Gods kindness. The glory of God was in Jesus Christ. That was the manifestation of the glory of God–that is kindness. The glory of God is Himself. Now God is love–He has many attributes, but they meet to make love. And take this lesson. Kindness is greatness, goodness is glory. Really, it is no greatness, it is no glory to see faults. It is so easy, and it is so poor, and it is so mean to see faults, and talk of faults. But it is great, really great, intellectually great, morally great, to see excellencies. Kindness is glory–it is a heavenly truth–the kindness of God is His glory. And every one among us is really glorious in proportion as he is kind. And the one of kindest judgments and kindest words has the most glory because he is nearest to the likeness of God. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)

The influence on the human mind of the manifestation of Gods glory

Correct views of the Divine character lie at the foundation of true religion. The attributes with which the Divine character is invested have also a powerful influence on the mind. Carrying forward the same train of thought, we shall find that even under the full light of the system of Christianity, the peculiar aspect in which the Divine character is viewed will greatly modify Christian conduct and enjoyment. Thus, upon one may rest a sense of the terrible majesty of God. On another may rest a sense of awe and veneration, and the still small voice seem ever to sound in his ears, Be still, and know that I am God. To a third is presented most vividly the idea of holiness; and to a fourth, the idea, the triumphant thought, is, God is love. These various views must greatly modify our mode of approach before God.

I. First, then, let us consider the desire of Moses.

1. Did he desire to behold some grand and glorious manifestation of the Deity; some outward form or shape to represent the great Jehovah? Why should such be his desire? In the first place, he must have had correct views of the Deity–he must have known that God is a Spirit. Our tendency to attach form to the Deity arises from the limited nature of our faculties. We are principally influenced by external qualities; we judge by them; and though we know a spirit has not the ordinary qualities of matter, yet we can form no distinct conception without associating some of them. But, in the second place, why should he desire to behold such external displays of glory and power? He had worshipped at the burning bush. The sea had divided at his approach; the Divine presence, as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, had been his guide and protection; and, lastly, he had stood amidst the terrific scenes of Sinai until he exclaimed, I do exceedingly fear and quake.

2. May he have used the expression in the sense of the Psalmist where he says, The heavens declare the glory of God; desiring to understand more of creative power and skill? There can be doubt that he earnestly desired to know all that could be known in reference to the great work of creation.

3. Is it probable that he desired to behold the glory of God as manifested in his past government of the world? In this he had already been instructed.

4. Since, then, his prayer could not refer to external exhibitions of the glory of the Deity, or to His creative power, or past government of the world, it only remains for us to turn toward the future. And if we view the circumstances surrounding him, we shall see that by his prayer, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory, he desired to understand the merciful purposes of God toward the Israelites, and through them to the world. That the Almighty had great designs in view in reference to the Israelites,he had a right to infer, from what had already been done for them. As when an architect collects in one place a vast quantity of materials, we have a right to expect the erection of some magnificent edifice; so, from previous and vast preparation on the part of the Deity, some event of momentous importance might be inferred. Abraham had been called from his native land and from among his kindred; his sons had been trained under peculiar circumstances. What connection this had with the hope of a Messiah! Again, the circumstance through which he had just passed were of a most singular character. He had been upon the sacred mount. Israel had said, Let not God speak with us; and Moses had stood as their representative for forty days. But this very people who had heard the voice of God had turned to idolatry at the foot of the mount. What can be the measure of that mercy which is preceded by the preparatory act of the pardon of two millions and a half of people? His longing soul desires to know all the purposes of God. The act of mercy, just witnessed, kindled within him a greater love for God, a more earnest wish to fathom the depths of His goodness; and, with the vehemence of intense desire, he cries out, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory –grant me a full exhibition of Thy mercy and Thy love.

II. Let us next consider how far this desire was satisfied. In answer to this earnest prayer, the Deity replies, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, etc. (Exo 5:19). Again in Exo 33:21-23, Behold there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock, etc. And again it is said in Exo 34:5-7, And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. In this manifestation of the Divine character to Moses, a few particulars may be noticed.

1. He proclaimed the name of the Lord before him. This probably refers to such a general view of the Divine administration as exhibits the benevolence, holiness, and justice of God, intimately blended in the government of man.

2. He made all His goodness pass before him. This was probably a prophetic view of His mercy to the Israelites as a nation.

3. He showed him His administration as a sovereign: I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Here was explained the difference of the treatment of Israel and Canaan.

4. He gave him a prophetic view of the mission of Christ. This is indicated in the expression, Thou shalt see My back parts. The Hebrew word in this place translated back parts, refers to time as as well as to position. And many able commentators and critics have referred this passage to the incarnation of Christ. The revelation appears to have been given to Moses to strengthen his own faith, and to fit him for those arduous duties required of the leader of such a people. He is placed in the cleft of the rock, and before him passes, as though spread out on an immense canvass, the representations of the future.

III. We can now inquire why his petition was not fully granted.

1. From what has been already expressed, we are prepared to assume that it was not because in any manifestation there would be such terrific grandeur as should destroy human existence. For, first, Moses, we think, did not pray for external manifestations. These could be but symbols; and, however vast and magnificent the symbols might be, they never could adequately represent the Divine character. But, secondly, there is no intimation made, as we think, that if an exhibition were given, it would be one of terrific majesty.

2. The language employed in the text, Thou canst not see My face; for there shall no man see Me and live, does not express any reason why man is unable to bear a view of the Deity. It simply declares the fact that man cannot see the face of God.

3. The reason why man could not behold this and live, would not be because of its terror or majesty; but because the view of the riches of His grace, His compassion and benevolence would excite emotions of reverence, of admiration, of love, and of joy, too overwhelming for humanity to bear. Each manifestation of the benevolence of God called forth songs of joy and ascriptions of praise from those who beheld them in ancient times. Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. Now if, in these cases, a single view had such an effect, what would be the result if all the mercy and compassion of God, in its unbounded immensity and inexhaustible fulness, could, at one moment, be revealed to the human mind? Humanity could not bear the vision. To support this view we may reflect, that things exciting emotions, even of a pleasurable character, may extend so far as to become destructive, and that emotions of joy may in themselves destroy life. Light is pleasant, it spreads a halo of beauty and glory around the face of nature. The eye is never satisfied with the revelations which are made through its medium. Yet let that light, which thus spreads beauty around, fall upon the eye in the concentrated form of a ray from the meridian sun, and the power of vision is impaired, if not totally destroyed. The same is true of mental emotion. How the mind operates upon the body we cannot tell. But that the emotions of the mind do affect the body is universally admitted. Death from surprise, from fright, from terror, from all the depressing passions, has been by no means uncommon. In the every-day walks of life, who has not known of a case like this? A beloved son has left the home of fond parents to engage in commercial pursuits, or visit some distant place. By various causes his stay is prolonged, until at last the tidings reach his parents that he was wrecked off some rocky coast; or, that he perished in a fatal epidemic. They mourn for him as one that is lost; and they think of him only as in the spirit world. Years pass away, and though strangely preserved, his parents are not aware of his existence. He starts for home. Already he stands upon the hill that overlooks the scenes of his boyhood; the house, and trees, and shrubs, all stand as when he left; his heart exults at the thought of embracing his parents, and, thoughtless as to consequences, he hastily approaches. He opens the door. His mother gazes at him but a moment, cries, My son, my son, throws her arms fondly around his neck, and swoons away in his arms. And instances have occurred, in which, from that swoon, there has been no recovery. History informs us that, in the time of the great South Sea speculation in England, many, overjoyed by their success, became insane. At the restoration of Charles II., a number of the nobility were so affected by the recovery of their titles and estates, that they became diseased, and in a short time died. Leo X., one of the most renowned occupants of the Papal chair, was so rejoiced by a victory somewhat unexpectedly gained over his enemies, that he sunk beneath the excitement. The heir of Leibnitz, the celebrated mathematician, on finding that a chest, filled as he supposed with paper, contained a large quantity of gold, became so excited by the discovery, that he was seized with a fatal disease of the heart. If such, then, be the influence of joyful emotions, when arising from temporal subjects, will the effect be diminished by adding the revelation of the unseen and eternal? Can emotions excited by the view of the majesty, holiness, wisdom, and compassion of the eternal Jehovah be less strong than those excited by considering a small portion of the work of His hands?

As a general inference from this subject, we may notice what a sublime view is thus presented of the revelation contained in the Word of God.

1. It is a system of truth, in which, directly or indirectly, each separate truth leads to the great commanding truth of the being and attributes of God. This is the substance of revelation; God displayed in creation, in government, and in mercy to man. All other statements are but as secondaries revolving around their primary. The greatest minds may here be for ever engaged; but, like the parallel lines of the mathematician, there may be eternal approximation without perfect attainment.

2. But revelation is not merely a system of sublime truth. It is truth so presented as to affect our sensitive nature. It is not abstract speculation alone that is employed; our affections, our sympathies, are all enlisted. It is a system intended to operate upon man.

(1) It operates by presenting the grand, the lofty, the majestic attributes of the Divine character.

(2) It operates by inspiring man with what is termed, technically, the sympathic emotion of virtue. The performance of a brave, a noble, a patriotic, or a virtuous act, makes us desire to do the same. And when God reveals Himself as a God of mercy, employing His omnipotence in acts of compassion, there is a voice that whispers to the heart through every such manifestation, Be ye merciful, even as I am merciful.

(3) It operates by exciting gratitude and joy for personal salvation–for pardon, for regeneration, and for adoption into the family of the Most High. The grateful soul is ready to exclaim, What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me! . . . What am I, and what is my Fathers house, that I should thus be the subject of Divine love!

(4) A fourth effect of such revelation is, that the soul desires to dwell constantly as in the presence of God. In Him is all fulness–the treasures of wisdom and knowledge for the intellect, of grace and mercy for the soul. The world diminishes in value; eternity, with all its spiritual blessedness, gradually unfolds before the moral vision.

3. That such are the effects of the manifestation of Gods mercy, we are further warranted in believing from the history of distinguished individuals. Moses, when the name of the Lord was proclaimed before him, and His goodness passed before him, made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped. He adored and reverenced. And such was the influence of the manifestations he received, that his face shone with such glory that the people could not look upon him unveiled; or, in other words, the manifestations of goodness and of glory were carried to the utmost possible point at which his usefulness to the people of Israel could remain. When Daniel was showed in prophetic vision the return of the captive Jews, and when the succession of empire was revealed, and things that should happen in the latter days, he says, There remained no strength in me; and before he was able to hear the whole prediction the angel touched him to strengthen him. On the mount of transfiguration the disciples were so overwhelmed that they knew not what they said, or did not fully see the impropriety of their request, and yet were so enchanted that they said, Master, it is good for us to be here.

4. What an unfailing source of comfort and joy is opened for the Christian in the revelation which God hath given! His joy is not of this world, it is in God. The world may change, but God changeth not. Gods glory never faileth–the Christians spring of happiness never runs dry. It is a river of mercy, a river of grace, and he that drinketh of its water needs never thirst again for the turbid streams of earthly joy.

5. If then the effect of the manifestation of Gods mercy and love be to elevate, to ennoble, and to rejoice the heart of man, why should not our minds dwell upon the Divine character? Christianity alone offers man knowledge and joy which can perfectly fill his expansive capacity, and for that knowledge and that grace unceasing effort should be made, and ceaseless prayer offered to the Most High. For this we may come boldly to the throne of grace.

6. And if the limit of manifestation of mercy is found in the circumstances of the creature and not in God, who shall attempt to say what glorious enjoyment awaits the celestial citizen?

7. Does it seem unreasonable that when life is about to be over, the Deity should withdraw His hand, and let such a view of His glory upon the mind, that the physical frame shall fall, and the unfettered spirit rise to the full enjoyment of beatific love? (M. Simpson, D. D.)

Moses sight of God

I. The request of man.

1. That man, as man, naturally looks for some special display of the Divine presence and attributes.

2. That man, as a sinner, needs an expression of Gods readiness to forgive.

II. The response of God.

1. That there are limitations to a full revelation of His glory.

(1) Human capacity and preparation.

(a) The bodily senses.

(b) The mind.

(2) The Divine pleasure.

2. That within these limitations there is given an abundant revelation.

3. That the brightest feature of the revelation is Divine love.

4. That from what we now behold, we are led to expect a still more glorious revelation hereafter. (B. Dale, M. A.)

Show me Thy glory

1. That God raises human society by the ministry of individual men.

2. That the individual man by whom He raises society, He qualifies by a close fellowship with Himself.

I. The profoundest cravings of the soul. Show me Thy glory.

1. This craving explains the existence of polytheism.

2. This craving implies a supreme existence.

3. This craving renders the prevalence of atheism impossible.

4. This craving reveals the grand distinction of human nature.

II. The grandest revelations of God. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.

1. The revelation of moral character.

2. The revelation of the sublimest moral character.

(1) Absolute love.

(2) Compassionate love.

(3) Sovereign love.

III. The necessary ignorance of man. Thou canst not see My face, etc. (Homilist.)

The sublime prayer of Moses

I. The immediate circumstances which preceded the prayer.

II. The prayer itself. Show me Thy glory. It is clear from the context that he meant, Unveil Thyself to my vision; let me see Thy essential majesty and splendour; remove all obscurity from my vision. We have to observe here–

1. The imperfection of the best saints. Imperfect in knowledge and judgment; fallible in our desires and devotions.

2. The beneficence and care of God for His people. Not only in giving, but in withholding. How important to ask according to His will. To refer all to His wisdom and love, and in everything to be able to say, He hath done all things well.

III. The answer returned.

1. The literal request was mercifully refused.

2. The spirit of the prayer was graciously answered.

Application:

1. Learn the lofty eminence to which true piety exalts a man. Intercourse with heaven.

2. The true breathings of the devout soul. Show me Thy glory. Everything else is tinsel.

3. A perfect acquaintance with Gods goodness is offered us in the gospel. Oh, taste and see, etc. (J. Burns, D. D.)

The Christians desire to see Gods glory

I. What is meant by Gods glory, which the Christian desires to see

1. It is glory, in His gracious conduct to sinners, in and through His Son.

2. It is His glory, as manifested to the soul in pardoning mercy and love.

3. It is His glory, as manifested to the soul, making him a partaker of the Divine nature (2Pe 1:4).

II. Where does the real Christian wish to see the glory of God?

1. In all His ordinances in this world, especially in the assembly of the saints.

2. Much of Gods glory is here to be seen. The glory of His wisdom, in devising the scheme of redemption, etc.

3. How glorious is the discovery here made of His justice and holiness, in the satisfaction made for sin by the death of His Son.

4. Here Divine grace is to be seen in its brightest lustre. In its

(1) freeness,

(2) condescension,

(3) sovereignty,

(4) riches.

5. Here is displayed the glory of Gods faithfulness to His promises.

6. The Christian desires to see the glory of God above (Php 1:23; 2Co 5:1-2).

III. Why does the Christian desire to see His glory?

1. He desires to see it in His ordinances here because

(1) The glory of God is transforming.

(2) It is reviving.

2. He wishes to see this glory in heaven, because it will there be

(1) most clear and full;(2) most satisfying;

(3) permanent and everlasting. (Theological Sketchbook.)

The presence of Christ

I. That the desires of religion intensify with its growth.

1. The more grace Moses found, the more he sought.

2. To surfeit, not to satisfy, is the nature of earthly good.

3. But here is satisfaction without surfeit.

II. That Christ is the medium of Divine manifestation.

1. The rock was an emblem of Christ.

2. Here God revealed Himself to Moses.

3. Man in Christ sees God and lives.

III. That Divine visions are attended with gracious effects.

1. Life is imparted by them.

2. Devotion is kindled by them.

3. Spiritual vigour is imparted by them.

4. Moral influence is gained in them. (J. A. Macdonald, M. A.)

Moses request, and Gods gracious promise

I. And what did Moses ask for? What was the desire of his heart? His prayer was, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. But, it may be said, had not Moses, on various occasions, seen the glory of God? The more of these heavenly treasures we possess, the more highly do we prize them, and the more eagerly do we seek for an increase. These are things that never deceive, never disappoint, never cloy. Our experience of them convinces us that they are solid, substantial, satisfactory. The capacity of the soul is expanded, and we are prepared for larger communications of purity and love. And they who have made the highest attainments in the Christian life, and have experienced most largely the efficacy of the Redeemers all purifying blood, will be found to be most anxious to rise still higher in spiritual blessings.

II. Gods reply to the request preferred by Moses.

III. But we have to observe, that the displays of the Divine goodness are made only according to Gods own will. And what is the character of these to whom the mercy of Jehovah will be extended? The penitent, the humble, the meek, the lowly.

IV. We observe, that there are certain displays of the Divine glory, which are granted to Gods believing people here below, on earth. A partial, indistinct, and necessarily defective view–a glimpse at the heavenly glory–a transient exhibition of the Divine excellence. And even before this was granted to Moses, a certain process was necessary: he must be duly prepared.

V. Still it must be granted, that the most eminent and most delightful displays of the Divine glory are reserved for the heavenly world. The eye of the disembodied spirit will be strengthened and fitted to gaze, with a steady and direct view, on the uncreated Sun. (W. P. Burgess, D. D.)

The object of a Christians desire in religious worship

I. When Christians then, desire to see the glory of God, it seems chiefly to imply the following things.

1. They desire to see the glory of an eternal independent God; they desire to see the only living and true God in His own inherent excellence and infinite perfection.

(1) That there is in the fulness of the Godhead an infinite and endless variety even for the employment of our intellectual powers.

(2) That the real and proper knowledge of the glory of God is by inward and spiritual illumination.

2. That the believer desires to see the glory of a gracious and reconciled God, not only infinitely glorious in Himself, but infinitely merciful to him. This view ought never to be separated from the former. Take away the Divine mercy, and the lustre of His other perfections is too strong for us to behold.

3. The believer desires to see the glory of God as an all-sufficient God.

(1) When the believer sees the fulness of God, then his anxiety, and distressing fears of every kind, are at an end. Does he want provision? The earth is the Lords, and the fulness thereof. Does he want friends? God is able to make his enemies to be at peace with him.

(2) I shall only add that the Divine all-sufficiency is to be considered as regarding our sanctification as well as comfort. And what courage does he derive from the fulness of Divine protection, the greatness of Divine power, and the faithfulness of the Divine promise!

II. I proceed now to make some practical improvement of what hath been said. And–

1. Let us admire the Divine condescension in admitting His saints to a discovery of His glory.

2. Let me beseech you to try yourselves whether this ever hath been your attainment, and whether it is your sincere desire.

3. I exhort you, in the most earnest manner, to diligence in seeking after real communion with God in His instituted worship. How highly are we favoured with light and liberty! How little are many sensible of their privileges!

III. I conclude by offering to those who would see the glory of God a few directions as to the best preparation for such a discovery.

1. If you would see the glory of God in His sanctuary, be serious in self-examination and the renunciation of all known sin. Holiness is an essential attribute of the Divine nature; and, therefore, He must be worshipped in the beauty of holiness.

2. In order to see the glory of God you must be clothed with humility (Isa 66:2).

3. In the last place; if you desire to see the glory of God, be fervent in preparatory prayer: if there is any blessing that requires importunity and wrestling with God, surely this high and happy privilege of communion with Him in His house must be of that kind. (J. Witherspoon.)

The desire to see Gods glory

I. What a child of God may have his eye to when desiring to see Gods glory.

II. Where would a saint see the glory of God or have it shown to him?

1. In many ordinances here. Where God records His name (Exo 20:24).

(1) The glory of His wisdom in contriving a way how heaven and earth might be reconciled, notwithstanding the wide breach made by sin; and how the seeming contrary pleas of Gods attributes might be adjusted.

(2) Here Divine grace is to be seen in its brightest lustre: in its freeness, pitying us without merit or motive, and against the highest provocation: in its condescension, pitching upon us, and resolving to save us, how unworthy soever: in its sovereignty, passing by angels, and providing a Saviour for men: in its riches.

(3) Here is displayed the glory of Gods faithfulness to His promises, and willingness to promote His peoples comfort.

2. A saint desires to see the glory of God in the state above, and without need of these present ordinances, even in heaven.

III. Why they desire this.

1. In ordinances here they desire this.

(1) Because the glory of God is transforming.

(2) The glory of God thus shown to His people is most reviving.

2. And as to heaven, the people of God desire, He would there show them His glory, and eminently–

(1) Because it will be most clear and full.

(2) The glory to be revealed above will be most satisfying.

(3) The manifestation there made will be permanent and everlasting.

IV. This desire they are to offer up in prayer to God. Desire is the life of prayer, and this is to be made known by way of request to God.

1. To testify our value for it. They that esteem it a favour to see Gods glory, are to show this by seeking after it.

2. Tis God only that can show us His glory, and make us to see it; that can fit us for the favour, and then vouchsafe it to us. Is this glory wont to be revealed and displayed in ordinances? make this your end in attending upon them to see it.

(1) Get into a state of peace and reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ; such only as are so are capable of beholding His glory.

(2) Desire and pray for some sight of this glory. (D. Wilcox.)

The glory of God

I. Consider, first, His natural attributes.

1. God is self-existent. All other beings are created, and created by Him. He is the great Parent of existence.

2. Reflect next upon His omnipresence. He fills heaven and earth.

3. Survey His power. He is almighty and can do everything. He can act without agents or instruments. All other beings, animate or inanimate, are but His instruments to fulfil His will.

4. View, lastly, the immeasurable extent of His bounty. All creatures in earth and heaven are replenished out of the storehouse of His beneficence.

II. But the glory of God derived from what may be termed, by way of distinction, His natural attributes, is not the highest description of His glory, or even that in which it properly consists.

1. His goodness. The goodness of God is that attribute by which all His other perfections are directed to the best possible end. It is that which renders His wisdom, power, and presence, not only not dangerous, but in a supreme degree beneficial, to the whole creation.

2. But the holiness of God forms another principal feature in His glory. He will by no means clear the guilty.

3. But is justice also a modification of goodness? Justice towards some is the security of all. Were an indiscriminate mercy to be shown to all, sin would prevail, and soon prostrate the mercy of God, and efface from the universe every trace of His goodness. (J. Venn, M. A.)

The glory of God illustrated

I. Let us consider what we are to understand by the glory of God. The glory of any moral agent is that intrinsic moral excellence which renders him worthy of approbation and esteem. This is never seated in the understanding, but in the heart. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he; and as God thinketh in His heart, so is He. God is love. And in this consists His real, intrinsic, supreme, moral excellence and glory.

II. To consider what is to be understood by Gods displaying all His goodness. His promise to Moses is very singular and very significant. I will make all My goodness pass before thee. That God may display all His goodness, He must do two things.

1. He must display His goodness to as high a degree as possible.

2. Gods displaying all His goodness farther implies His displaying it in all its branches, and agreeably to the various natures and characters of His dependent creatures. In particular–

(1) It implies displaying His benevolence towards all sensitive natures.

(2) In order to display all His goodness, God must display His complacency towards all holy beings. The goodness of the Deity naturally and necessarily inclines Him to love goodness, wherever He sees it.

(3) Another branch of Divine goodness is grace towards the guilty and ill-deserving. Such a display of Divine grace is absolutely necessary, in order to give a full display of Divine goodness. It must be observed–

(4) That another branch of Gods goodness is distributive justice, or a disposition to punish impenitent sinners according to their deeds.

III. That God, by thus displaying all his goodness, necessarily displays all His glory. But the truth of this will more fully appear if we consider–

1. That when God displays all His goodness, He displays all His moral character. The Supreme Being has no moral excellence but what is included in His goodness. God is love; all His goodness consists in love; all His love lies in His heart; and His heart is the seat of all His moral excellence.

2. When God displays all His goodness, He necessarily displays all His natural as well as moral excellence. But all these natural attributes derive their real glory from His goodness, without which they would be a blemish rather than a beauty in His character.

Inferences:

1. If God be a being who possesses and displays perfect goodness, then the religion which He has required of mankind is a reasonable service.

2. If God must display His goodness in order to display His glory, then by seeking His own glory He must necessarily seek the good of His creatures.

3. If God cannot display all His glory without displaying all His goodness, then the glory of God required the existence of natural and moral evil. All the goodness of God in all its branches could not have been displayed if natural and moral evil had not existed.

4. If the supreme glory of God consists in His goodness, then those who love any part of His character must necessarily love the whole.

5. If the supreme glory of God consists in His goodness, then those who dislike any part of the Divine character must necessarily dislike the whole.

6. If the goodness of God forms His whole moral character, then those who do not love Him supremely must necessarily hate Him supremely.

7. Does the glory of God consist in His goodness, or in His feeling properly towards all His creatures of every character?

8. If the glory of God consists in His goodness, then a clear view of His goodness would destroy all the false hopes of sinners respecting their good estate.

9. If the glory of God consists in His goodness, then we learn why sinners are represented as blind to His glory. They must feel as He does, in order to have a moral view of His moral excellence.

10. If Gods glory essentially consists in His goodness, then those who have seen His real glory in the least degree will desire to see more and more of it. This appears from the nature of spiritual discoveries, which afford peculiar satisfaction to those to whom they are made. (N. Emmons, D. D.)

The glory not to be revealed

I. That there is in the Divine nature an interior and hidden glory which cannot be revealed. The word glory is a large and comprehensive term, including all that is ineffably great and lovely in the Divine essence. This glory is everywhere revealed. The glory of God is not to be looked upon as something separate and distinct from His nature; but rather that nature in the sum and fulness of its perfection. And as His being is past finding out, so is His glory above the heavens.

II. That the sublimest manifestation which God has made of His glory is in connection with the great remedial scheme of mans redemption. It matters little whether we conceive of God as light, or life, or love. It is the light which reveals the life, and it is the life which expresses itself in the love. If God be love, then the highest manifestation of this love must be regarded as the highest revelation of His glory. It is the infinite and ineffable benignity of the Divine nature which renders its glory so engaging and attractive. Light is blended with love–greatness is inseparable from goodness–majesty is mellowed and modified by mercy. The Cross exhibits the only ground on which God and man can ever meet. If the Divinity has never inhabited humanity, man can never rise into communion with God. If the necessary and all-effective means do not exist for impressing His image upon us while we are on the earth, we can never see His face in heaven. To behold His glory we must partake His purity.

III. That notwithstanding this revelation which God has made of himself, they are the purer and the loftier spirits amongst us which are favoured with the more special manifestations of Divine glory. We assert it without fear of contradiction, that even Nature herself will withhold all her higher and more glorious revelations unless there be a correspondence or likeness between her own spirit and the spirit of those who would commune with her. So in the intercourse between mind and mind. In like manner God never reveals Himself in the depth of His glory to any man, till the man has first yielded his whole nature to the purifying and transforming power of the Spirit, and has thus taken on higher degrees of moral purity and perfection. It is only the pure in heart that can see God. As the Jew had his outward ceremonial ablutions, the Christian should have his inward spiritual purifications. An external reformation does not necessarily imply an internal renovation; but if the inner man is renewed and sanctified, the outer man must exhibit the effects of the change. We must be cleansed both in the flesh and in the spirit.

IV. That these deeper manifestations of Divine glory are not given as mere fruitless exhibitions, but to quicken the love and to increase the devotedness of those to whom they are imparted. The heart-throbs of piety have their expression in a life of enlightened and cheerful activity. We have each a work to do in the world, and for God; and to do it as the work of God ought to be done, we need not only the symbols of His presence and love, but the baptism of His Spirit–the plenitude of light and the fulness of grace.

V. That the revelation of this glory in the world to come will for ever fix the attention, and heighten the rapture, and energize the activity of the inhabitants of that blessed state. The brighter and the fuller the revelation, the more profound and fixed will be our attention. Every thought will be captivated, every emotion will be stirred, and the joy of the soul will rise into rapture, heightened and perpetuated for ever. (R. Ferguson, LL. D.)

The festive time

Come, and behold in this communication, asked for and obtained by Moses–

1. The crown of the Old Covenant.

2. The mirror of the New.

3. The promise and prediction that Gods glory, in its fulness, would in future be revealed.

1. The festive shouts that Israel raised in honour of the idol they first made are silent now, and the avenging sword, at Moses prayer, is now averted from the nations head. Only three thousand sinners have endured the righteous punishment deserved by many more–by nearly all. Moses feels himself, at last, no longer able to restrain his wish for further light: he prays the Lord to show whom He will send, and what He means to do with a nation that is still His own. Moses further states, most positively, that he would prefer to go no farther, than remain without the guidance of the Lord Himself; then, filled with joy and with astonishment, the man of God essays to take one further step, and gives expression to his hearts wish in the prayer, Show me now Thy glory. Who shall determine what it was that Moses understood, and felt, and wished, when he employed these words? We know, of course, that ere this time he had seen much more of Gods glory than all other men. The bush that burned, and yet was not consumed; the Red Sea moved out from its bed; the manna rained down from above; the arid rock changed to a source of living streams! Alone, upon the top of Sinai, and amidst most dreadful signs, he had received the law of God; moreover, with the elders of the Israelites, he had beheld the pavement which the King of Israel laid for the palace where He sits enthroned–what seemed transparent sapphire-stone (Exo 24:9-10). What more is it that this insatiable, this high-minded servant of the Lord desires? The Lord Himself gives answer to the question, when He (verse 20) in so many words declares, My face cannot be seen. That is to say, Moses has hitherto but heard the voice of Him that spake out of the cloud; now he beseeches that the veil of mystery shall be removed, and that he may be shown the face of God, beaming with heavenly light. Say not that this request comes from a narrow mind; above all, do not say that it is unbecoming and irreverent. It was the very multitude of promises which he had just received that gave him all the greater boldness to ask more, and to express a bold desire that long had slumbered in his pious soul. Up till this time the angels had been called to mediate between him and the Lord; but now he would approach the Lord directly and immediately. One aspect of that nature Moses has already looked upon, when he received the law; but he thinks there are still other aspects, hitherto concealed from him, and his spirit cannot rest till he has also looked on these. It certainly may be impossible to gratify the wish of Moses to the full. What mortal would be able to behold the face of God, and yet not be immediately consumed by the intensity of glory there revealed? Nevertheless, as far as possible, at least the spirit of this pious prayer shall be observed, though Moses shall not find it literally fulfilled. Not Gods face in itself, but only the last fold seen in His royal mantle–such is the most, the only thing that He can show to any creature upon whom He will confer the highest privilege! Thus there is pointed out once more, not merely the unlawfulness, but also the absurdity of the idolatry of which the Israelites had just been guilty. The Lord Himself, by His free grace, seeks to restore the broken covenant, and to reveal Himself towards the mediator of the Old Covenant not merely as the Great Invisible, but as a God in whom compassion flows. Imagine the emotion of the man of God, and how he must have watched throughout the sleepless night for the expected hour! On Sinai, at the bush, Moses was taught to view Jehovah as the Infinite; at the giving of the Law, as the God of spotless holiness; but here, moreover, as the God of everlasting mercy. This revelation forms the bond by which God joins Himself once more to Israel; and unto Moses, as a compensation for the fact that his most earnest prayer has not been answered to the letter, there is promised the fulfilment of his earlier request–that the Lord Himself will go with the nation. Moses desires to see; but God desires, above all things, to make him hear and follow Him. But what he now hears is the grandest revelation ever made by God under the Old Economy. Truly, there is no wonder, then, that Moses tarries other forty days upon the mountain-top in heavenly ecstasy; and that his countenance beams forth with heavenly glory, when, bearing in his hands two tables made of stone, the pledge of the renewal of Gods promises, he leaves the consecrated ground. Happy Moses, unto whom, at least on one occasion, it was granted, even on this side of the grave, to contemplate to such a large extent the glory of the Lord!

2. Happy Moses: are these words found on your lips too? Then surely you will joy when you remember that the privilege, accorded in those days to him, is equally attainable by every Christian now. Come, give us your attention still, while, in the revelation, viewed already as the crown and glory of the Old Economy, we also let you see the mirror of the blessings of the New. The glory of the Lord is shown us in another way, but with no less of clearness than before. Is this too strong a statement? Only look to the person of the Redeemer, the work of redemption, the guidance of the redeemed; and then see whether you have any ground for feeling envy towards Moses in his privilege. Show me Thy glory! It was more than a mere personal want to which Moses gave expression in this prayer. It was the wish that lived, consciously or unconsciously, within the heart of multitudes, in whose eyes this whole earth, with all its glory, was too poor and small to satisfy the deepest wish felt by the longing heart. Men felt that God–yes, God Himself–must needs appear on earth, if earth were to become a gate of heaven. Oh that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow at Thy presence!–such was the strong expression of the feeling in the prophets heart (Isa 64:1). And lo! the heavens did open when the fulness of the time had come: The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father (Joh 1:14). He who is very God was manifested in our human flesh: but what is here shown to Moses, viz., that God is a Spirit, God is Light, God is Love–how plainly may we read this in the Gospel, as if written there in heavenly characters, when we look to the revelation of Gods glory in the Son of His love! No man hath seen God at any time: the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him (Joh 1:18). How Gods unspotted holiness beams towards you, in Him who well can ask a friend and foe, Which of you convinceth me of sin? (Joh 8:46) who always sees the Father, just because He ever does what is well-pleasing in His eyes; who prays without ceasing, but in no case for the forgiveness of His own sins; and who awaits His being glorified, not as a favour, but an undisputed right! And the love of God:–but where shall I find words with which I may describe the love of Christ, Divine in origin and splendour, but a splendour which is tempered by its covering–a lowly, human form? But that glory does not shine forth from His works alone, nor does it merely manifest itself in what He says; it beams upon us from the splendour seen in His whole mien. And that appearance, too, exhibits as calm majesty as God does when He shows Himself to Moses here: He does not cry, nor raise His voice, nor cause it to be heard in the streets; but when we look on Him, we feel like Moses when the cloud passed by before his eyes; surely we see in Him more than the hinder portion of the royal train–we see Gods greatness in the face of Him who was God of God and Light of Light, whereunto no man can approach, but who has yet come near and lived in humble servant-guise. If here the revelation given by God is made to Moses only, it is now, in Christ, bestowed upon the poorest whom the Holy Ghost has taught to see the Father in the Son. If here, through Moses, God reveals His nature to one single people, now the light arises over all the nations that but sat in the darkness heretofore; for here, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all (Col 3:11). And how much more impressively that voice sounds when we venture on a second step, and meditate on Gods redeeming work! What is the sin which, in Gods eyes, polluted Israel, compared with the abominable sins which stand against a whole lost world–against you and me–before the God of unspotted holiness? We all deserved that God should turn away His friendly countenance from us, as from that people; and that He should not guide us by an angel, but, instead, give us the portion of the fallen ones. And yet, what is even the assurance of Gods pity and His grace that Moses learned, when we compare it with the matchless fact that the Beloved of the Father dies for His worst enemies, and that God in Him not merely shows us heaven opened, but unlocks to us the heaven we forfeited? It is just here especially that we, no less than Moses, fail in finding words with which we can express our thoughts; but this we feel, that, louder far than anywhere besides on earth, the voice out of the cloud is found re-echoed from the cross. Now let us take one other look at the guidance of the redeemed, who, like Moses, found favour in the sight of God. Does it need much to show that, in this too, the glory of the Lord is seen almost at every step? But ye who are the Lords redeemed have an experience that speaks more strongly still; for not merely do ye live by His long-suffering, but ye continue in His favour and in fellowship with Him; and ye learn by experience, like Moses, that He never puts to shame or pours contempt upon the humble prayer of faith. And surely you, too, know full many a spot, as Moses did the crevice in the rock, where you sit gladly down, there to review the way by which the Lord, in His eternal faithfulness, has thus far been conducting you? I hear you say already that the sum of your inquiries is comprised in this: the voice out of the cloud has been the voice addressed to me through all my life on earth!

3. The festive time of Moses life becomes, lastly, to us a prophecy of the future revelation of Gods eternal glory. When you, like Moses, must depart, you should not fail in making the acknowledgment that you have seen, at least in some degree, the glory of the Lord. But that something, though we had the power to multiply it even a thousand-fold, what is it when compared with the far greater, the entire amount of what believing hearts desire? Our deepest need, our highest blessedness is, not to hear the voice of God, but to behold the Lord Himself; but that is just the very wish denied us here on earth, even as in Moses case. Nay, more; we do not even stand, like Moses, on the top; we dwell, like Israel, scattered in tents at the foot of the mount of Gods glory. We walk by faith, not by sight: such is the motto of the New as well as of the Old Economy; and it is well for us that this grand principle is never modified. How should we ever be prepared for heaven if, in this life, the school of faith were now already closed? And what surprise of pleasure could the future bring us, if this day or yesterday beheld each enigma sufficiently explained? How very little after all is it that I have seen! must Moses frequently have said when he looked back upon that morning. We hope for the salvation of the Lord, but how wide the difference between the living hope and the desired enjoyment! We have moments of presentiment, of spiritual intercourse, of (I might almost say) immediate contact between the Eternal Spirit and our own; and at such times a voice comes whispering, Thus shalt thou see hereafter. Yet something always intervenes between this heart of ours and God; He lays a covering hand upon the eyes of His most faithful worshippers, that they may not yet fully see the truth; nevertheless, they make their own conjectures with regard to it, they constantly draw nearer it, and almost seem to grasp it with their hands while they engage in prayer. So is it here; so must it be on earth; but so it will not always be. With Gods hand laid upon our eyes, we grope along for days or years in deepest gloom until we reach deaths vale . . . then the Lord passes by before us, while the chilly breath of him who is the King of Terrors blows upon our face. Show me now Thy glory: thus faith entreats with almost faltering lips; and never, God be thanked, did Heaven continue silent at the last prayer breathed on earth. The Lord, as it were, makes all His goodness pass once more before His dying friends, since He is truly gracious towards those to whom He is gracious. More closely than at any time before does He approach, while He proclaims His name before us,. . . then He lifts His covering hand from off our eyes, and lo, we see! Come, follow me a little longer, while, in closing, we address three questions to your heart and conscience.

1. Have you, too, ever yet desired what Moses sought so eagerly? Ah! if each one of you were plainly asked, What is your chief desire? how many, nay, how few, Lord, could lay their hand upon their heart and say, I desire nothing more earnestly than living, personal communion with God! Perhaps, indeed, an evanescent wish for something higher, better, may not be unknown to many here, especially when earthly things bring disappointment, and the future is concealed from sight. And when some-times–although, of course, we are unwilling to believe this true of every one of you–the souls necessities assert themselves, and that soul has begun to cry for God, oh, what a constant tendency there is to seek peace where it cannot possibly be found; how every kind of artifice is tried to smother heart and conscience when they cry; how frequently, like Israel at the foot of Sinai, we sit down smitten, chastised, and stripped of all that formerly adorned us, but without true penitence, without true longing after God!

2. Have you, too, already seen what Moses saw? There is no doubt of that, if you have really, by faith, beheld the Christ of God; but, on the other hand, how many are there here at whom the Lord can ask, as once at Philip, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me? Or are there not those who are carried off by a most fatal spirit of the times, and who will not believe what they do not first understand? If you indeed desire that such a witness shall apply at least to you, do not forget that you, like Moses, must especially concern yourself with these three things–a clear eye, a pure heart, and constant prayer. The eye of faith is the organ of the soul, by which we see the glory of the Lord in Christ; and He Himself must open that for us. One little speck of dust may cause such floods of tears as to conceal the sun from you; the dust of earth but hurts the eye that would behold the glory of the Lord! Oh, how much of the carnal still remains in us to be destroyed, in order that the spirit may be truly fit for even the least amount of living fellowship with God! Like Moses, keep that festive season of your inner life in constant memory; and if Heaven hears your thanksgiving, let earth enjoy its fruits!

3. Have you already done what Moses did? The sequel of the history informs you of the earlier, but also of the later influence of what was now revealed. Bowing in deepest reverence, and well assured that he has found grace in the sight of God, the mediator of the Old Covenant repeats the prayer, Let the Lord, I beseech thee, go among us, for this is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance (Exo 34:9). Oh, What a glorious, but also blessed, calling to be like the man of God in this point too! Does it not strike you how, in pleading here for Israel, he does not speak of their sins, but of ours, and puts himself upon a level with those rebels? Now, it is true, we must, like him, descend the mount and enter the dark vale; but what is it that we can need, if but we have the Lord with us, and our whole nature, like His shining face, gives evidence of our close, friendly intercourse with God? Even as He veiled that strange, mysterious lustre from the eyes of Israel, we too must often hide, from an unholy world, the blessed mystery of our own inner life; but when we go into the solitude, and there approach Gods throne of grace, how priceless is this privilege, that we believers may, like Moses, cast off every covering, and then find our refreshing in His kindly light. (J. J. Van Oosterzee, D. D.)

A daring prayer

It was a daring prayer offered by Augustine when he said, Lord, hast Thou declared that no man shall see Thy face and live?–then let me die, that I may see Thee!

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 18. Show me thy glory] Moses probably desired to see that which constitutes the peculiar glory or excellence of the Divine nature as it stands in reference to man. By many this is thought to signify his eternal mercy in sending Christ Jesus into the world. Moses perceived that what God was now doing had the most important and gracious designs which at present he could not distinctly discover; therefore he desires God to show him his glory. God graciously promises to indulge him in this request as far as possible, by proclaiming his name, and making all his goodness pass before him, Ex 33:19. But at the same time he assures him that he could not see his face – the fulness of his perfections and the grandeur of his designs, and live, as no human being could bear, in the present state, this full discovery. But he adds, Thou shalt see my back parts, eth achorai, probably meaning that appearance which he should assume in after times, when it should be said, God is manifest in the flesh. This appearance did take place, for we find God putting him into a cleft of the rock, covering him with his hand, and passing by in such a way as to exhibit a human similitude. John may have had this in view when he said, The Word was made flesh and dwelt AMONG us, full of grace and truth, and WE BEHELD HIS GLORY. What this glory was, and what was implied by this grace and truth, we shall see in the succeeding chapter.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

i.e. Thy glorious majesty, the brightness of thy countenance, some such manifestation of thyself as becomes thy excellency, and such as shall be seen in the other life; or that glorious shape which, together with a human voice, thou hast now assumed. But for the essence of God, as that was and is and ever will be invisible to bodily eyes, 1Ti 6:16, so a man of such great reason and deep knowledge in Divine things, and universal learning, could not be ignorant of it, and therefore would not desire it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

18-23. I beseech thee, show me thygloryThis is one of the most mysterious scenes described inthe Bible: he had, for his comfort and encouragement, a splendid andfull display of the divine majesty, not in its unveiled effulgence,but as far as the weakness of humanity would admit. The face, hand,back parts, are to be understood figuratively.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Not any visible lustre, splendour, and brightness, as a symbol of the divine Presence, that he had seen, Ex 16:7 nor the glorious essence of God, as Maimonides b, which is invisible and cannot be seen, and of which Moses could not be ignorant; nor the glory of the heavenly state, which also he must know he could not see until he came thither; but he seems to mean some visible glorious representation of God, such as he had never seen, though he had been with him so long on the mount in the cloud, and heard his voice, and saw some appearances of brightness and glory, yet not in any form that he could frame any idea of; perhaps he may mean the Angel of God’s presence, called his face, the promised Messiah and glorious Redeemer and Saviour, in whom there is such a bright display of the glory of the divine perfections; yea, is the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person; and this favour was granted him, with some proper limitations and restrictions; for though this request was, no doubt, sincere and upright, it might be attended with frailty and weakness; yet it is not utterly denied, but with some explanation is allowed, and perhaps was the highest favour ever granted to any before the incarnation of our Lord, at least in so full and glorious a manner as this was; Moses having by his suit obtained much, wants more and is emboldened to ask it, and in a good measure had it, as the following words show.

b Yesude Hatorah, c. 1. sect. 10.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Moses was emboldened by this, and now prayed to the Lord, “ Let me see Thy glory.” What Moses desired to see, as the answer of God clearly shows, must have been something surpassing all former revelations of the glory of Jehovah (Exo 16:7, Exo 16:10; Exo 24:16-17), and even going beyond Jehovah’s talking with him face to face (Exo 33:11). When God talked with him face to face, or mouth to mouth, he merely saw a “similitude of Jehovah” (Num 12:8), a form which rendered the invisible being of God visible to the human eye, i.e., a manifestation of the divine glory in a certain form, and not the direct or essential glory of Jehovah, whilst the people saw this glory under the veil of a dark cloud, rendered luminous by fire, that is to say, they only saw its splendour as it shone through the cloud; and even the elders, at the time when the covenant was made, only saw the God of Israel in a certain form which hid from their eyes the essential being of God (Exo 24:10-11). What Moses desired, therefore, was a sight of the glory or essential being of God, without any figure, and without a veil.

Moses was urged to offer this prayer, as Calvin truly says, not by “ stulta curiositas, quae ut plurimum titillat hominum mentes, ut audacter penetrare tentent usque ad ultima caelorum arcana , ” but by “a desire to cross the chasm which had been made by the apostasy of the nation, that for the future he might have a firmer footing than the previous history had given him. As so great a stress had been laid upon his own person in his present task of mediation between the offended Jehovah and the apostate nation, he felt that the separation, which existed between himself and Jehovah, introduced a disturbing element into his office. For if his own personal fellowship with Jehovah was not fully established, and raised above all possibility of disturbance, there could be no eternal foundation for the perpetuity of his mediation” ( Baumgarten). As a man called by God to be His servant, he was not yet the perfect mediator; but although he was faithful in all his house, it was only as a servant, called (Heb 3:5), i.e., as a herald of the saving revelations of God, preparing the way for the coming of the perfect Mediator. Jehovah therefore granted his request, but only so far as the limit existing between the infinite and holy God and finite and sinful man allowed. “ I will make all My goodness pass before thy face, and proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee ( see at Gen 4:26), and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Thou canst not see My face, for man cannot see Me and live.” The words , although only connected with the previous clause by the cop. , are to be understood in a causative sense, as expressing the reason why Moses’ request was granted, viz., that it was an act of unconditional grace and compassion on the part of God, to which no man, not even Moses, could lay any just claim. The apostle Paul uses the words in the same sense in Rom 9:15, for the purpose of overthrowing the claims of self-righteous Jews to participate in the Messianic salvation. – No mortal man can see the face of God and remain alive; for not only is the holy God a consuming fire to unholy man, but a limit has been set, in and with the and (the earthly and psychical body) of man, between the infinite God, the absolute Spirit, and the human spirit clothed in an earthly body, which will only be removed by the “redemption of our body,” and our being clothed in a “spiritual body,” and which, so long as it lasts, renders a direct sight of the glory of God impossible. As our bodily eye is dazzled, and its power of vision destroyed, by looking directly at the brightness of the sun, so would our whole nature be destroyed by an unveiled sight of the brilliancy of the glory of God. So long as we are clothed with this body, which was destined, indeed, from the very first to be transformed into the glorified state of the immortality of the spirit, but has become through the fall a prey to the corruption of death, we can only walk in faith, and only see God with the eye of faith, so far as He has revealed His glory to us in His works and His word. When we have become like God, and have been transformed into the “divine nature” (2Pe 1:4), then, and not till then, shall we see Him as He is; then we shall see His glory without a veil, and live before Him for ever. For this reason Moses had to content himself with the passing by of the glory of God before his face, and with the revelation of the name of Jehovah through the medium of the word, in which God discloses His inmost being, and, so to speak, His whole heart to faith. In Exo 33:22 “My glory” is used for “all My goodness,” and in Exo 34:6 it is stated that Jehovah passed by before the face of Moses. is not to be understood in the sense of beautiful, or beauty, but signifies goodness; not the brilliancy which strikes the senses, but the spiritual and ethical nature of the Divine Being. For the manifestation of Jehovah, which passed before Moses, was intended unquestionably to reveal nothing else than what Jehovah expressed in the proclamation of His name.

The manifested glory of the Lord would so surely be followed by the destruction of man, that even Moses needed to be protected before it (Exo 33:21, Exo 33:22). Whilst Jehovah, therefore, allowed him to come to a place upon the rock near Him, i.e., upon the summit of Sinai (Exo 34:2), He said that He would put him in a cleft of the rock whilst He was passing by, and cover him with His hand when He had gone by, that he might see His back, because His face could not be seen. The back, as contrasted with the face, signifies the reflection of the glory of God that had just passed by. The words are transferred anthropomorphically from man to God, because human language and human thought can only conceive of the nature of the absolute Spirit according to the analogy of the human form. As the inward nature of man manifests itself in his face, and the sight of his back gives only an imperfect and outward view of him, so Moses saw only the back and not the face of Jehovah. It is impossible to put more into human words concerning this unparalleled vision, which far surpasses all human thought and comprehension. According to Exo 34:2, the place where Moses stood by the Lord was at the top (the head) of Sinai, and no more can be determined with certainty concerning it. The cleft in the rock (Exo 33:22) has been supposed by some to be the same place as the “cave” in which Elijah lodged at Horeb, and where the Lord appeared to him in the still small voice (1Ki 19:9.). The real summit of the Jebel Musa consists of “a small area of huge rocks, about 80 feet in diameter,” upon which there is now a chapel that has almost fallen down, and about 40 feet to the south-west a dilapidated mosque (Robinson, Palestine, vol. i. p. 153). Below this mosque, according to Seetzen ( Reise iii. pp. 83, 84), there is a very small grotto, into which you descend by several steps, and to which a large block of granite, about a fathom and a half long and six spans in height, serves as a roof. According to the Mussulman tradition, which the Greek monks also accept, it was in this small grotto that Moses received the law; though other monks point out a “hole, just large enough for a man,” near the altar of the Elijah chapel, on the small plain upon the ridge of Sinai, above which the loftier peak rises about 700 feet, as the cave in which Elijah lodged on Horeb (Robinson, Pal. ut supra).

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Verses 18-23:

It is implied (Ex 34:29) that this episode took place on Mount Sinai, when Moses returned to receive the Law once again from Jehovah.

Moses pleaded with Jehovah to be allowed to see His glory. This was not a prayer to see His likeness, but a plea to understand His Being and character. Jehovah’s reply shows that the deepest revelation of His grace is not in his national, but His individual dealings, in His sovereign mercy (verse 19), Ro 9:15, 16.

No human being dwelling in the flesh, is able to see the “face,” the full outshining of the glory of Jehovah. But in reply to Moses’ prayer, God provided a way that he could have “a foretaste of glory Divine.”

There was a rock nearby, with a cleft therein. Tradition says this was the same rock in which Elijah later hid his face in his mantle and worshipped, 1 Kings 19:9. Moses stood upon this rock (or in the cleft of it). Jehovah covered the cleft with His hand as His glory passed by. This protected Moses from the danger of death. The text implies that Jehovah declared the fullness of His glory, His Name (reputation), as He passed by the cloven rock where Moses was safely hidden.

When the danger was over, Moses looked out from his hiding place to see Jehovah’s “back parts.” This was the luminous reflection of what Jehovah really is, and it was all Moses could bear to see.

The text supplies a beautiful picture of God’s provision of safety for every believer, who is hidden in the “Rock of Ages, cleft for me.”

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

18. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory Thus far the desires of Moses had been confined within the limits of moderation and sobriety, but now he is carried beyond due bounds, and longs for more than is lawful or expedient; for it is plain from his repulse that he had inconsiderately proceeded further than He should. He desires that God should be revealed to him more closely, and in a more manifest form than before. Still it is not foolish curiosity that impels him to this, which so often tickles men’s minds, so that they daringly attempt to penetrate into the deepest secrets of heaven; for he had no other design than to be animated to confidence, whereby he might more cheerfully go on with his charge. But that the desire itself was improper though its object was correct, we learn from the reply of God, wherein He shows that it would be injurious and fatal to Moses, if he should obtain that which he seeks as great privilege. (370) How, then, will it be with us, if the vanity of our nature tempts us to investigate God’s glory more deeply than is right? Wherefore let this passage act as restraint upon us, to repress the speculations which are too wild and wanton in us, when we desire to know what God would have concealed from us. This is the rule of sound and legitimate and profitable knowledge, to be content with the measure of revelation, and willingly to be ignorant of what is deeper than this. We must indeed advance in the acquisition of divine instruction, but we must so keep in the way as to follow the guidance of God.

(370) This interrogative sentence is entirely omitted in Fr.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

MOSES REQUEST TO SEE GODS GLORY, AND GODS REPLY TO IT.

(18-23) Not till he had received full assurance of the peoples restoration to favour did Moses prefer any request for himself. Then, however, he made use of the privilege granted him to speak with God, as a man speaketh unto his friend, in order to obtain a blessing for which his spiritual nature craved, and than which he could conceive nothing more desirable. Shew me, he said, I beseech thee, thy glory. All that he had yet seen of God was insufficientonly raised his desire, only sharpened his appetite to see more. He craved for that beatific vision which is the final reward of them that are perfected in another world. God could not grant his request in full, for it is impossible so long as we are in the flesh that we should look on God and live. No man hath seen God at any time (Joh. 1:18). But He granted all that could be granted. He made all his goodness pass before Moses; He gave him a fresh revelation of His name (Exo. 34:6-7); and He even let him see some actual portion of His gloryas much as mortal man could possibly beholdmore than any son of man had ever beheld beforemore, probably, than any other son of man will ever behold until the consummation of all things (Exo. 33:22-23).

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

18. Show me thy glory Moses grows bolder with every new word of grace from Jehovah, and now, like Jacob at Peniel, (Gen 32:29, note,) cries out for a revelation of the divine glory. He yearns for a disclosure of the God of Israel more full and glorious than had ever yet been made; something more wonderful than the burning bush, more personal than the devouring fire in the mountain, and more visible to sense than could be had through thick darkness or cloudy pillar .

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Moses Requests To See Yahweh’s Glory -And Does So In The Only Way That Is Possible Even To Him ( Exo 33:18-23 ).

Now Moses is emboldened. He has been privileged to see Yahweh more fully than any human being since Adam. He has seen Him along with the elders of Israel (Exo 24:10). He has been with Him on the Mount in personal session. He has seen Him in the pillar of cloud at the Tent of Meeting. But always He has been partly hidden. Now he begs, as His friend, that he may see His full glory.

To speak of ‘contradiction’ when speaking of seeing God is not to appreciate the great problem of what it means to see God. There are many levels of seeing God, from seeing him in the heart, through seeing Him in the cloud, through seeing Him as fire, through seeing His splendour like the splendour of the sun, up to the ultimate of a vision so brilliant that a man expires at the sight (1Ti 6:16).

But as Yahweh explains, Moses does not know what he asks. To fully see Yahweh’s ‘face’ could only be disaster for him, for he would immediately expire. No human flesh could bear the sight. But He promises him that he will see the hinder part of His glory. That is something he may survive. By this Moses probably saw more of Yahweh’s glory than any before or since, until the greater Moses came (Deu 18:18).

We may analyse this passage as follows:

a Moses asks to have Yahweh’s glory shown to him by Yahweh (Exo 33:18).

b Yahweh replies, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exo 33:19).

c Yahweh tells Moses that he cannot see Yahweh’s face and live. For man shall not see Him and live (Exo 33:20).

b Yahweh tells him that there is a place by Him, and Moses will stand on the rock, and it shall come about that while His glory passes by He will put Moses in the cleft of a rock, and will cover him with my hand until He has passed by.

a Then He will take away His hand, and Moses will see His hinder part (literally ‘back’), but His face will not be seen (Exo 33:21).

We note that in ‘a’ Moses asks to see Yahweh’s glory, and in the parallel he will see the back part of His glory. In ‘b’ Yahweh promises to make His ‘goodness’ and the proclamation of His name pass before him, and in the parallel He explains that His glory will pass by him. And ‘c’ is central in stressing the central truth that no one can see Him in His full glory and live.

Exo 33:18

‘And he said, “Show me, I pray you, your glory.”

Moses had seen much of the glory of Yahweh, although only as partial revelation, but it has filled him with a yearning to see more. If Yahweh is his friend let Him show him His glory. Let him be privileged as no man has ever been.

Exo 33:19-20

‘And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” And he said, “You cannot see my face and live. For man shall not see me and live.”’

God’s reply is that He will show Moses all that it is possible for him to see without expiring. He will show him His goodness and beauty. He will show Him all that His name means of grace and power, of love and friendship, proclaiming His name and very nature to His friend. He will show him His graciousness as revealed through His sovereign activity. He will show him the fullness of His compassion and mercy. But He cannot show him His face. That would be no kindness. That would reveal no friendship. For none can see Him full face and live. Notice how the description of His glory is so widely embracing. It is not just sheer light. it is aesthetic beauty, it is moral purity, it is glory of being, it is compassion and favour, it is mercy and love, it is all these and more.

“ I will make all my goodness pass before you.” He will be permitted a sight of the sheer goodness and beauty of God, an awareness of His holiness and of His moral glory, the full beatific vision.

“ And I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you.” To know someone’s name was to know him fully. And Moses will know His name as proclaimed by Yahweh Himself. And when Yahweh speaks all is clear. He will have a full revelation of what Yahweh’s name means, of what He is. He will appreciate the very nature of God (see Exo 34:5).

“ I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” These further promises link with the proclamation of His Name. His being gracious and showing mercy will be part of the proclamation of His name. Moses will be made aware of His sovereign power as it is revealed in the exercise of His graciousness and mercy, His all encompassing grace and mercy, that which He bestows on His chosen. He will through it recognise and be aware of the supremacy of Yahweh as the ultimate in sovereign graciousness and mercy. He will see His action in coming days showing abundant, sovereign graciousness and mercy to many, yes, to the thousands whom He will choose (Exo 34:7). All that a man can see of this he will see (see Exo 34:6). He will know His name.

All this is Moses to know and experience, not necessarily all at once, but gradually as he is able to take it in. (See for example Exo 34:5-7). For knowledge of God takes a long time to absorb. But there is a physical limit to what even he can know.

“You cannot see my face and live. For man shall not see me and live.” But see His full face, His full glory he cannot. For no one can see it and live.

So do we learn about the full favour to be shown to Moses, and the extent beyond which it cannot go for his own safety. And we also learn that the glory that one day we shall see in His presence is beyond telling and beyond physical endurance.

Exo 33:21-23

‘And Yahweh said, “Look there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock, and it shall come about that while my glory passes by I will put you in the cleft of a rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by, and I will take away my hand, and you will see my hinder part (literally ‘back’), but my face shall not be seen.”’

If Yahweh is speaking from the cloud outside the Tent of Meeting it is clearly pitched near a rocky place. And Yahweh directs him to come there and stand on a rock, necessarily out of sight of the camp. Then when His glory begins to pass by He will put Moses in a cleft of the rock and cover him with His hand. For no earthly protection will be sufficient. Such is His glory that only the divine hand can prevent it from blasting him where he stands. Then will the full glory of Yahweh be revealed, and once it is safe He will remove His hand and Moses will see the aftermath, as much as a man can bear. But he will not be able to see His full glory. He will only be able to imagine what it must have been from what he does see.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Moses Sees God’s Glory – Note these insightful words by Sadhu Sundar Singh.

“Man also has a natural desire that he should see Him in whom he believes and who loves him. But the Father cannot be seen, for He is by nature incomprehensible, and he who would comprehend Him must have the same nature. But man is a comprehensible creature, and being so cannot see God. Since, however, God is Love and He has given to man that same faculty of love, therefore, in order that that craving for love might be satisfied, He adopted a form of existence that man could comprehend. Thus He became man, and His children with all the holy angels may see Him and enjoy Him (Col. i.15, ii.9). Therefore I said that he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father (John xiv.9-10). And although while in the form of man I am called the Son, I am the eternal and everlasting Father (Isa. ix.6).” [98]

[98] Sadhu Sundar Singh, At the Master’s Feet, trans. Arthur Parker (London: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1922) [on-line]; accessed 26 October 2008; available from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/singh/feet.html; Internet, “I The Manifestation of God’s Presence,” section 2, part 1.

Exo 33:18  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Exo 33:18 Comments – Benny Hinn teaches that when Moses asked to see God’s glory, it was immediately after he had been on the mount for forty days. He could ask this question and receive a positive reply from the Lord because there was nothing else left of Moses’ flesh. He had crucified his flesh during those forty days and had nothing left of this world’s desires. He has emptied himself of earthly desires and his passion was now for fellowship with the Father. Moses had paid the price and received his reward, for God did pass before Him. [99]

[99] Benny Hinn, This is Your Day (Irving, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.

Exo 33:19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Exo 33:19 Scripture References – Note:

Rom 9:15, “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Exo 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Exo 33:21  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Exo 33:21 Comments – Jesus is our rock who allows us to stand before God by grace.

Exo 33:22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

Exo 33:22 “that I will put thee in a clift of the rock” Comments – Figuratively speaking, God places us in the clift of the rock through Christ Jesus so that we can enter into God’s presence, lest we be consumed at God’s presence because of our sins. Jesus is our rock.

Exo 33:22 Comments The Scriptures record other accounts of men standing in the presence of God. Moses stood in the tent in behalf of the children of Israel as their intercessor and spoke with God face to face (Exo 33:9-11) and Elijah stood on Mount Horeb and experienced the presence of God (1 Kings 19:33).

Exo 33:9-11, “And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

1Ki 19:13, “And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

Exo 33:23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Chapter 34

Exo 34:6-7 Scripture References – Note:

Num 14:18, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.”

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

EXPOSITION

THE REQUEST TO SEE GOD‘S GLORY, AND THE REPLY TO IT. Having obtained the full restoration of the people to God’s favour, Moses felt emboldened to ask a boon for himself. He had already been admitted to closer communion with God than any one of the race of man since Adam in Paradise. But what had been granted him, instead of satisfying, only made him desirous of something further, something closer, something than which nothing more close could be imagined. So he asks to see the unveiled glory of God (Exo 33:18). He asks, that is, to see exactly that which man in the flesh cannot see, or at any rate cannot see and live. But, of course, he does not know this. God, in reply, tells him he shall see all that can be seen of himmore than anything which he has seen before. He shall see “all his goodness”he shall have another revelation of the name of God (Exo 33:18); and, further, he shall be so placed as to see as much as mortal man can behold of “his glory”God will pass by him, and when he has passed, Moses shall be allowed to look after him, and see what is here called “his back.” This was probably some afterglow or reflection from the Divine glory, which language must have been as inadequate to describe as it was to embody the “unspeakable words” heard by St. Paul in the “third heaven,” and declared by him “impossible for a man to utter” (2Co 12:4).

Exo 33:18

Show me thy glory. The glory of God had been seen by Moses to a certain extent, when God “descended in fire” upon Mount Sinai (Exo 19:18). It had been seen with more distinctness when he was called up and “went into the midst of the cloud” (Exo 24:18). But he felt, nevertheless, that he had not as vet really beheld it. He longed for that ineffable blessing of the full “beatific vision,” which is promised to us after death, if we die in the faith and fear of Christ (1Co 13:12). “Increase of appetite doth grow by what it feeds on”and the veiled splendours that he had been allowed to see only made him hunger the more for the unveiled radiance that he had not seen as vet.

Exo 33:19

I will make all my goodness pass before thee. It is not quite clear what this means, or how it was fulfilledwhether the reference is to the revelation of God’s goodness in Exo 34:7, or to the entire experience that Moses would have of God in his later life. It is against the former view, that, if we take it, we can assign to the ensuing clause no distinct and separate sense. I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. See Exo 34:5, Exo 34:6. And I will be gracious to whom I will be graciousi.e; I am not bound to do all this for thee. It is of my free grace that I do it. I intend, however, to be gracious, and show mercy to thee, because thou hast found favour in my eyes.

Exo 33:20

No man can see me and live. The inability proclaimed in these words is not an absolute inability to see God, but an inability to see and survive the sight. Jacob, when he wrestled with the angel, marvelled that he could see God, even in that intermediate way, and live (Gen 32:30). It may well be that actually to see God, while we are in the flesh, would kill us.

Exo 33:21

Behold, there is a place by me. No sufficient indication is given by these words, or by any other words in Scripture, of the exact locality of the manifestation to Moses. The so-called” traditions “are worthless; and we can only say that the scene was probably some portion of the upper part of the Ras Sufsafeh.

Exo 33:22

I will put thee in a clift of the rock, The “clift” has been identified with the “cave of Elijah” (1Ki 19:9); but the words used are different; and even were they the same, no identity could be established. It is rather in the broader lines of their missions and characters that resemblance is to be sought between Moses and Elijah than in the minuter details of their careers. Cover thee with my handi.e; “at once conceal thee and protect thee.” Without these precautions, it is implied, the nearness of the Divine Presence might have had injurious effects.

Exo 33:23

Thou shalt see my back parts. Literally, “my back.” The anthropomorphisms of the passage are numerous and strongthey must, of course, be regarded as accommodations to human ideas. After the Divine Presence had passed by, Moses was to be permitted to look out, and would see so much of the Divine glory as he would be able to bear; but still something far short of that which he had desired to see. The explanation that “the back of God” means “his worksthe consequences of his activity” (Kalisch) is fanciful, and not borne out by the context. My face cannot be seen. See above, Exo 33:20; and. compare Joh 1:18; Joh 6:46; 1Ti 1:17; 1Jn 4:12.

HOMILETICS

Exo 33:18

The craving for close communion with God,

may be considered

I. AS BASED ON A NATURAL INSTINCT. Man without Godwithout the consciousness of being sustained and upheld by an eternal omnipotent beingcan have no strength or confidence in the present, no hope in the future. He is a feeble part of the vast mechanism of a great incomprehensible universea form which matter has assumed for a timepowerless to shape his futurethe sport of circumstance. From this his better nature revolts, and, like some marine organism, throws out tentacles to seek a hold on some firm solid object without him. God is the only such object truly firm and stable; and hence man may be said to have a natural desire for God. As soon as the idea of God is in any way brought before him, he feels that it exactly answers an instinctive craving of his nature. His soul goes out to itseizes itappropriates itrests on it as a sure prop and stay. Intellectually, the idea clears up the riddle of the universe; morally, gives a firm foundation to right and wrong, explains the authority of conscience, and supplies a motive for virtue; even physically it has a value, reducing the infinitude of nature within limits, and furnishing a reasonable origin to nature’s laws.

II. As A TEST OF SPIRITUALITY. Man needs the idea of God, and cannot be satisfied without it; but whether, having got it, he shall thrust it into the background, or ever more and more cling to it, and seek to realise it, depends on his spiritual condition. Adam and Eve, after they had sinned, “hid themselves from the presence of God amongst the trees of the garden” (Gen 3:8). The Gergesenes “besought Christ that he would depart out of their coasts” (Mat 8:34). The guilty conscience cannot bear the near presence of the Most High, shrinks from the keen inspection of the all-seeing Eye, would fain skulk and hide among the bushes. The worldly heart is indifferent to the thought of Godturns away from it in the presentreserves it for a more convenient season. Only the spiritually minded delight in dwelling on the thought of Godseek him constantlycrave for communion with him. Only they can say with sincerity-” As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psa 42:1, Psa 42:2). They, however, can, and do say this continually. And the more communion they obtain, the more they desire. It is after Moses had entered into the cloud, and “spoken with God face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exo 33:11), that he beseeches him to “show him his glory.” We cannot while on earth obtain the full communion for which our spiritual nature craves. We cannot therefore while on earth be satisfied, but must ever be craving for something more, ever crying”Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!” Only in heaven, if we be found worthy, shall we “see face to face, and know as we are known” (1Co 13:12).

Exo 33:22

Clifts in the rock. God has many places of safety”clifts in the rock”where he puts us when trials approach. “As our day is, so is our strength.” Bereavemeat comes upon us, and he elevates us on a pinnacle of faith to which we had never before mounted. Poverty and disgrace fall on us, and he gives us insensibility to them. Pain comes, and he enables us to see that pain is exactly the chastening we want, and to thank him for it. We do not cry out, with the Stoic, “How sweet!” for “no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous” (Heb 12:11); yet we have the spiritual strength to cry out to him”How kind! How gracious!” The best “clift in the rock,” is that cleft in the “Rock of Ages,” which the soldier’s spear made, wherein, if we please, we may lie hidden from every danger that can assail us.

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee!”

HOMILIES BY J. ORR

Exo 33:18-23

Shew me thy glory.

On this incident, remark

I. THE GOOD MAN THIRSTS FOR EVER FULLER MANIFESTATIONS OF THE DIVINE GLORY. The more he knows of God, the more he would know. The nearer he gets, he presses nearer still. He “longs” to see God’s power and glory” (Psa 63:2). He prays to see as much of it as may be possible to him on earth. He will only be satisfied when admitted to the full vision of it in heaven (Psa 16:11; Psa 17:15; 1Jn 3:2).

II. GOD‘S GLORY IS TWOFOLDESSENTIAL AND ETHICAL.

1. God’s essential glory. This is the glory which pertains to his existence. It is compared in Scripture to the white dazzling light”light which no man can approach unto” (1Ti 6:16).

2. God’s ethical glory. This is the glory of his character. It was revealed when God proclaimed his “name” to Moses (Exo 33:19; Exo 34:5-8).

III. MAN, IN HIS PRESENT STATE OF EXISTENCE, CAN RECEIVE THE VISION OF GOD‘S ESSENTIAL GLORY ONLY UNDER GREAT LIMITATIONS. The full discovery of it would slay him (Exo 33:20). Moses beheld it but partially, hid in a clift of the rocksaw but its reflection (Exo 33:21-23). Even thus to perceive it implied an exaltation of the consciousnessan opening of the spiritual eyesnot vouchsafed to ordinary men. A mediate revelation is at present all that is possible to us. We have this in the reflection of the Creator’s glory in creation (Psa 19:1, Psa 19:2).

IV. GOD‘S ETHICAL GLORY ADMITS OF BEING REVEALED WITH MUCH GREATER FULNESS.

1. No barrier, either to the revelation or the perception of it, exists in physical conditions. It is glory of character. It is discerned by the same faculties by which we discern spiritual beauty and goodness in the characters of our fellow-men.

2. God has revealed it. We are not straitened in him. He has kept nothing back. He has made his goodness pass before us. He has revealed his name. The Divine Son is a perfect embodiment of the moral glory of the Father (Joh 1:14).

3. The sole barrier to the perception of it is the limitation of moral capacity in ourselves. It is in ourselves we are straitened. We lack the purity of heart necessary to give right spiritual discernment. Our perception of the glory of truth, righteousness, holiness, love, and mercy in God, will be in precise proportion to the degree in which these qualities are formed in our own natures.J.O.

Exo 33:19

Divine sovereignty.

On this note

I. GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE EXERCISE OF HIS MERCY. He dispenses it to whom he will. He is free and unconstrained in its bestowal. The sinner cannot claim it as a right. He is not entitled to reckon upon it, save as the free promise of God gives him a warrant to do so. He dare not dictate to God what he shall do. God is sovereign as respects

(1) The objects,

(2) The time,

(3) The manner,

(4) The measure of his mercy.

He gives no account of his matters to any one. He allows none to challenge him.

II. GOD‘S SOVEREIGNTY IS BEST STUDIED ON ITS SIDE OF MERCY. This is the easier and more approachable side. It is the least disputable. It does not raise the same dark and knotty problems as the other side”Whom he will he hardeneth” (Rom 9:18). The contemplation of it is purely delightful and consolatory. It is, besides, the side to which the otherthe side of judgmentis subordinate. See this sovereignty of God illustrated in the history of Israel

(1) In the initial choice of the nation in Abraham.

(2) In the deliverance from Egypt, with its attendant circumstances.

(3) In the forming of the covenant at Sinai.

(4) In the restoration of the people to favour after the covenant had been broken.

III. GOD‘S SOVEREIGNTY IN THE EXERCISE OF MERCY IS NOT ARBITRARINESS. (See on Exo 6:14-28.) It has, as there shown, its self-imposed limitations and inherent laws of operation. It is holy, wise, and good. It aims, we may believe, at the ultimate salvation of the largest number possible, consistently with all the interests involved.J.O.

HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG

Exo 33:1 -32

The restoration to Divine favour completed.

This is a chapter which, beginning very gloomily, ends very gloriously. In the beginning Jehovah seems as if bidding farewell to the people for whom he had done so much; but at the close he is seen giving a revelation to Moses their leader, which must have sent him forth to resume his arduous work with greater encouragements than he ever had before. It is therefore very interesting to trace how this change was brought about.

I. WE SEE THE PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT TO A MEASURE OF PENITENCE. We cannot assume that this penitence went very deep, so far as the general apprehension of unworthiness of conduct was concerned. But there was this depth in it, that the people perceived they had done something wrong, something insulting to Jehovah, something very dangerous to their own prospects. And how had this been brought about? Simply by the statement of Jehovah that he would not go up with those who had hitherto been his people. He would not gothe real truth was that he could not go. The sin of the people, their reckless, thoughtless trifling with holy things made his presence among them a peril. Something, indeed, had to be done to get these people from Horeb to Canaan, and settle them in possession; but that could be done by a sort of exercise of physical force. So much Jehovah could do for these Israelites, howsoever idolatrous they became. But his great blessing for them was not in the mere possession of Canaan, with its temporal riches and comforts. The temporal riches of Canaan were no more than those of any other land, save as God himself was in the midst of those who possessed the riches. What a humiliating thing to consider that God had to threaten withdrawal from his people in a sort of exercise of mercy. Suppose for a moment that the people had continued obdurate, what would the end have been? They would, indeed, have gone forward and got Canaan, and then sunk back, so that Israelite would have had no more importance in the history of the world and the development of God’s purposes than Amorite, Hittite, or any of the other tribes mentioned in Exo 33:2.

II. CONSIDER THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEPARATED TABERNACLE. In all probability this was the tent of Moses, and if so, we see at once a beautiful mingling of grace with necessary severity. Moses was prompted to separate from the people, but not to depart from them. Jehovah could not come down in the pillar of cloud into the midst of the camp; and for this no reason needs be sought other than the peril to the people flowing from his holiness. Thus there was everything to fill the minds of the people with a suitable mingling of humility and hope. Moses, true type of the greater Mediator yet to come, gave a point where God and the people could meet together. Jehovah will not depart, unless, so to speak, he is driven away. These people could not bear his presence; and yetapparent contradictionthey could not do without him. Individual Israelites made it plain by their seeking Jehovah that they could not do without him; and he in his never-failing loving-kindness and pity, provided for such. The fate of the nation was trembling in the balance; but ample access and counsel were secured to the individual believerse There was a definite and favoured place for every individual who in his need sought the Lord. National trouble did not eclipse, it rather intensified and aggravated, individual trouble and need.

III. NOTE THE POINTS OF INTEREST IN THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN MOSES AND JEHOVAH WITH WHICH THIS CHAPTER CONCLUDES.

1. There is what we may call the holy boldness of Moses. There is an illustration here of the importunity and great confidence with which God’s people should persist in their approaches to the throne of the heavenly grace. Only just before God had spoken in great anger; and Moses, when he became aware from his own observation of the extent of the people’s transgression, approached Jehovah with the utmost deference. Pat as time went on, and he was able to take all the elements of the position more and more into consideration, he felt himself shut up to persistent waiting upon God. A return to God’s favour and guidance is the only way out of the difficulty; and therefore Moses cannot but be bold and pertinacious in doing his best to secure that way.

2. He makes the most out of God‘s favour to him as an individual. Not only have the people been apostate and reckless, but their very apostasy and recklessness bring out into stronger relief the clinging obedience of Moses. He has done well, and, more than that, Jehovah has approved him; and now, therefore, he pleads that the approval may not be in word only, but in deed; not in the promise of some future and distant recompense, but in deliverance from a present difficulty near at hand. Moses is not slow to avail himself of every legitimate consideration which he may plead with God. There were times when he would have been the first to allow and indeed affirm his unworthiness before God; but God had counted him worthy, and in his present need he avails himself of God’s gracious regard to gain as much as he can for his needy brethren. Thus some slight hint is given to us of the way in which, for Christ’s sake, God regards men. God had made it plain to Moses that he regarded him; and in effect Moses says, “If this regard be real, I will try it by large requests for my people.” So let us feel that from the undisputed regard of God for the person, obedience, and everything belonging to his well-beloved Son, there will also come a regard to all the intercessions of that Son on behalf of a world so much alienated from God; and yet the more it is alienated, only the more in need of his mercy and deliverance.

3. The determined manner in which Moses associates himself with his people. He and Israel were as one. He may not in so many words speak of them as his people; on the contrary, he very emphatically alludes to them, in addressing Jehovah, as “thy people;” but we feel that underneath mere expressions there lies this natural and beautiful resolution, not to be separated from those who were one with him in blood. He felt that if Israel was to be frowned upon, he could not, so far as his consciousness was concerned, be favoured; and so we are led to think of the intimate association of Jesus with the children of men. Human nature is his nature; and however unworthy and polluted human nature often shows itself, however low it may sink in forgetfulness of its original constitution and purpose, the fact remains that the Word of God became flesh, and the consequent kinship and claim must ever be recognised.

4. The cry to God for a revelation of his glory. Much intercourse Moses had enjoyed with Jehovah, and often had he heard the voice that gave commandment and guidance. Indeed, as our minds go back over the past experience of Moses, and we consider how much he had been through, this strikes us at first as a somewhat puzzling request:”I beseech thee show me thy glory.” But the puzzle rises rather from unspirituality in our minds than from anything in the circumstances of Moses himself. Consider well the point to which he had attained, the distance which there was between him and his brethren, heart-infected as they still were with image-worship, and there will seem little wonder that in the heart of this lonely servant of God there should rise desires for what strength and satisfaction might come to him from the vision of God. He had asked much for his people, and it was fitting that he should ask something for himself. And he asked something worthy, something pleasing to God, something of highest profit to himself, even as Solomon did later on. He asked that he might no longer have to deal with a voice as behind a vail, but might see the face from which that voice came. The request was right and acceptable; but it could not be fully granted. What a fact to ponder over! What a humbling and yet hope-inspiring fact that sinful man cannot look upon the glory of the Lord and live! What of Divine glory is manifested to us has to be manifested in a way that is safe; and surely this is part of the salvation wherewith we are saved, that by-and-bye, when all pollution is cleansed away, we may be able to bear visions and revelations which, if they were to be attempted now, would only destroy us.Y.

HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART

Exo 33:1-11

Mercy vailed in judgment.

I. GOD‘S SEPARATION FROM THE PEOPLE AND ITS EFFECTS.

1. The separation.

(1) In wrath he remembers mercy. They will receive the land, but for the fathers’ sake and his oath’s sake, not because he has delight in them. God’s goodness is not always a proof of his being pleased with us, any more than his chastisements prove his auger. The former may be a loud call to repentance.

(2) The reason for God’s absence; his presence would be judgment, not mercy:”Lest I consume thee in the way.” If God’s face be hidden, and the sense of his presence and guiding gone from us, his next revelation may be judgment.

2. Its effects.

(1) The people mourned. It was no satisfaction that God and they were no longer to walk together.

(2) Other delights lost their attractiveness:No man did put on his ornaments.”

(3) They were troubled by fear of judgment, for the Lord had said, “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment and consume thee.” These are the effects of the Spirit’s work to-day. The same cry is lifted:”Flee from the wrath to come.”

II. THE SEPARATION OF GOD‘S PEOPLE FROM THE MIDST OF SURROUNDING SIN AND ITS RESULTS.

1. Its necessity as a testimony to God‘s separation from sin. This is the duty of the Church to-day:”Come ye out from among them and be ye separate.” The tabernacle of the congregation, meant though it be for all, must be pitched “without the camp.”

2. The results.

(1) Moses’ example led others to declare themselves on God’s side (Exo 33:7).

(2) The people “looked after Moses.” Yearning for the light of God’s face is stirred up in the hearts of men by those who go forth to meet with him,

(3) God manifests himself to the separated (Exo 33:9). A living Church is ever the means of revealing God’s reality.

(4) The people worshipped “every man in his tent-door.” A true Church will send forth a cry for mercy from the homes of the sinful.U.

Exo 33:12-23

Intercession and its reward.

I. THE INTERCESSOR‘S POWER.

1. God, who had disowned Israel, and refused to go with them, consents to go with him:”My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” The first step in successful intercession for others is the receiving of power to serve God among them. This is the dropping which foretells the shower.

2. God is brought back by persistent asking into the midst of Israel:”I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken” (Exo 33:17). We must not be content till our whole desire is given us. He can make not only our words a power to others, but also his own presence felt by them.

II. THE INTERCESSOR‘S PLEAS.

1. God’s love to himself:”Thou hast said I know thee by name,” etc. The realisation of our personal interest in God’s love is the basis of intercession for others. It gives confidence that God will hear us. It gives hope. He who has blessed us can also bless them.

2. God’s relation to them for whom he entreats:”Consider that this nation is thy people.” We can urge on behalf of the vilest that God created them, and gave Christ to die for them.

3. That God’s presence and favour are needful to make himself and the people what God desires them to become:”So shall we be separated.” They can be consecrated only by the might of God’s revealed love.

III. THE INTERCESSOR‘S REWARD: THE VISION OF GOD‘S GLORY.

1. “And he said, Show me thy glory.” The lifting up of availing prayer for others quickens our desire to know more of him with whom we speak.

2. The full vision of God is for the sinless life. The splendour of the Divine purity would slay us. John fell at Christ’s feet as one dead.

3. How the fuller vision granted in the present may be had.

(1) By listening to the proclamation of the Lord’s name in his word.

(2) We can see the glory which has passed us. God’s deeds reveal him.

4. The place of vision:”A rock,” “by me.” Taking our stand upon Christ, the glory of God’s words and deeds breaks upon us.

5. The place of safety, “in a clift of the rock.” Only in the riven side of Jesus the vision of God is not to condemnation and death, but to justification and life.U.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Exo 33:18-23. He said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory, &c. Moses, having obtained from the Lord a merciful remission of the dread penalties denounced upon the Israelites, proceeds now to request a confirmation of his grace by a sight of his glory. Again, condescending to his petition, the Lord promises to make all his goodness pass before him, &c. Exo 33:19 from which one would conclude, that the glory which Moses was desirous to see, was some display of that mercy reserved for thousands, in future times to be fully exhibited, and which alone can give comfort to repenting and returning sinners. Confirmative of this idea, we find that Christ’s manifestation in the flesh is called his glory:The Word was made flesh, says St. John, and tabernacled among us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, Joh 1:14. Heb 1:3 and if, as we have endeavoured to prove, the name of JEHOVAH refers to the MESSIAH, this interpretation will receive new strength; and a sufficient reason is given why God proclaims the name of JEHOVAH before him; adding that prophetical declaration respecting the future and free dispensation of his blessings by the gospel; “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy;” see Rom 9:15. I would observe once more, that goodness (Exo 33:19.) being immediately opposed to glory, (Exo 33:18.) and God’s discovery of himself (ch. Exo 34:6.) being that of his goodness; it follows, that glory can only be understood as referring to his goodness: and, indeed, such was the situation of things with Moses, that one cannot well conceive him requesting any other view of God, than a display of him as that merciful and forgiving Saviour, whom he now so entreated for a sinful people. The subsequent part too of this vision, plainly proves, that it was a representation by action of something future: (see notes on Genesis 22.) for, when the Lord says, Exo 33:20. Thou canst not see my face, something very different must be understood from those expressions where it is said, that Moses spake face to face to the Lord; as indeed, the whole of the history discovers that Moses, in the mount especially, had the nearest intercourse with God. By God’s face, therefore, which Moses was not allowed to see, might be meant the full and clear discovery of his mercies in redemption; as by his back-parts, Exo 33:23 might be meant such a partial and imperfect view of those mercies, as was adapted to the present state of things, and was sufficient for the comfort of himself and the people: but see more in note on Exo 33:14. That the face and back-parts of God must not be taken in a literal sense, is granted by every one: and, therefore, if the reader agrees not with me in the interpretation I have given to this very obscure passage, he will at least pardon the attempt to elucidate the difficulty as much as possible. If, now that the glory of God in CHRIST is discovered so fully, we see only through a glass darkly; direct vision or sight, face to face, (1Co 13:12. Isa 52:8.) being reserved for another state; Moses, under the Jewish dispensation, might well be allowed only a sight of the back-parts; i.e. a more obscure and distant view of God’s mercies in redemption. Should this whole interpretation be rejected, it may be proper to add, that the common one is, that Moses desired to see the unveiled and immediate majesty of God; which God declaring no human eye could bear, promises, by laying his hand upon him, to conceal the dangerous effulgence of his glory; so that he should see only his back-parts, or some such rays of that glory as would not prove destructive. But, from ch. Exo 34:6 it is evident that the glory discovered, was what Moses and the Israelites now most wanted; his goodness and forgiving mercy.

REFLECTIONS.Mercies received are an earnest of greater in store: one prayer answered, is the encouragement for renewed supplication. While we are not weary of asking, God is never weary of granting. Moses had obtained one favour for the people; now he seeks another for himself.

1. He begs to see God’s glory; some more eminent display of it than had yet been manifested to him. They who have tasted of God’s grace, are longing with Moses to behold his glory, yea, to see him face to face.
2. God is pleased to grant him all that could then be granted. The full blaze of uncreated glory even the angels cannot bear, and much less man, who is a worm. But he shall see as much as he can endure, and live. God will make his goodness pass before him, and shew him some glimpse of the transcendent brightness of his train, while hid in the cleft of the rock from the intolerable blaze. Note; (1.) The glory God does most display, is his free and infinite mercy. (2.) All our views of God in this world, are poor and imperfect. It is reserved for the felicity of a better state, to see him as he is, and to know even as we are known. (3.) Whoever hopes to come to this beatific vision, must remember that there is no way to enjoy it, but by being found in Christ, as Moses in the cleft of this rock which represented him. Lord, I beseech thee, shew me the glory of thy grace in the face of Jesus Christ on earth, and bring me to behold its most transcendent brightness in thy Presence in heaven!

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

DISCOURSE: 111
GODS GOODNESS HIS GLORY

Exo 33:18-19. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee.

NO man can have ever contemplated the intercession of Abraham in behalf of Sodom and Gomorrha, without being astonished at the condescension of God, who would permit a worm of the earth so to encroach upon his goodness, and so to make every fresh concession a foundation for yet further petitions. Somewhat of the same kind we behold in Moses when interceding for Israel, when God had threatened to destroy them for worshipping the golden calf. He had, by his importunity, prevailed on God to promise that he would suspend the execution of his judgments on them; and that, though he could no longer vouch-safe to conduct them himself, he would send an angel, who should lead them in safety to the promised land. Having succeeded so far, he prosecuted his work of intercession, till he had prevailed on God yet further to bear with them, and to continue to them his presence and guidance as he had hitherto done. And now, having found Jehovah so infinitely condescending to him when importuned for others, he determined to urge a petition for himself; a petition, which, under any other circumstances, he could never have dared to ask: and it was no less than this, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
His success in this petition will form the first part of our present subject: and some reflections arising out of that success will close it. Let us notice,

I.

His success in this petition

The petition itself must be first explained
Respecting its import, commentators have differed: some having imagined that it proceeded from weakness and infirmity, as if he had needed further evidence of Gods presence and favour. But a due attention to Gods reply will remove all doubt respecting the precise meaning of his servants request. Moses had enjoyed many visible tokens of Gods presence: in the burning bush; in the bright cloud which conducted Israel out of Egypt; on the burning mount, where he had been admitted into the immediate presence of the Deity; and at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, whither God had descended on purpose to honour him in the sight of all Israel, and spoken with him face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend [Note: 11.] ; Jehovah had appeared to him. How then, after so many manifestations of the divine presence, could he say, Shew me thy glory? I answer, In all those manifestations he had seen only a symbol of the Deity: now therefore he desired a sight of the Deity himself. He knew that the Deity was visibly seen in heaven: and he did not know but that he might also be visibly seen on earth: and therefore he made this the subject of his request.

Gods gracious reply to him shews clearly that this was the thing desired: for he said to Moses, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live [Note: 0.]. Human nature, in its present shape, is incapable of sustaining so bright a vision; as the unprotected eye is of gazing upon the meridian sun. And therefore, whilst God approved of the petition as proceeding from an ardent desire after a more perfect knowledge of him, he told him that in its full extent it could not be granted; not because of any want of condescension in the Deity to grant it, but for want of a capacity in Moses himself to sustain it.]

The answer of God to it will be now clear
[I will make all my goodness pass before thee; so that, though the full effulgence of my glory will be veiled, all that can be endured by thee, and that will profitably correspond with thy petition, shall be granted. In respect of the effulgence of my glory, I will favour thee with such a view of my back parts (for my face thou canst not see) as shall give thee as full a conception of my glory as thou art capable of in thy present state; and, by an audible voice, will make known to thee my perfections, which thou art more concerned to know, and by an acquaintance with which thy soul will be far more enriched, than it could be by any manifestation of my God-head, however clear or bright! Accordingly, God put him into a cleft of a rock, and covered him there with his hand whilst he was passing by; and then withdrew his hand, that he might have such a distant and mitigated view of his back parts, as might be seen without the utter destruction of the beholder [Note: 023.].

This vision God accompanied with a distinct and audible annunciation of his own attributes, as a God of infinite majesty, of almighty power, of unbounded mercy, and of immaculate and inexorable justice; all of which perfections were illustrative of his goodness [Note: Exo 34:5-7.]. Here it is of importance to observe, that Gods justice, no less than his mercy, is an essential part of his goodness. As in human governments the exercise of justice, however painful to those who by their violations of the law have incurred a sentence of condemnation, is beneficial to the whole community; so is it in the divine government, which, if it allowed impunity to transgressors, would be disparaged and dishonoured.

The particular perfection of sovereignty is supposed by many to be in direct opposition to the attribute of goodness; and is therefore denied by them as having any existence, or at least any exercise, in the divine government. But, the very moment that God says to Moses, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, he adds, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy. This perfection, therefore, in conjunction with all the rest, must be considered as constituting an essential part of the divine character, and as properly illustrating his goodness.

And here let me remark, that it is not in any single perfection that Gods glory consists, but in the united and harmonious exercise of all. God is light, we are told [Note: 1Jn 1:5.]. Now light consists of many different rays, some of a more brilliant, and others of a more sombre aspect: and we can no more detach from it those which are of a darker hue, than those which are more bright and vivid. It is in the union and just admixture of all, that light consists. And so it is with respect to the divine glory; to which all Gods perfectionsthe more forbidding or terrific attributes of sovereignty and justice, no less than the more endearing perfections of love and mercyare necessary. And this view of the divine glory fully answered the wishes of Moses, which a more literal compliance with his petition, even if it could have been endured, would not so well have satisfied.]

A more distinct explanation of the particulars contained in this answer to Moses will more properly arise, whilst we make,

II.

Some reflections arising out of his success

Behold here,

1.

The excellence of the Gospel

[In the Gospel, all that was vouchsafed to Moses is imparted to us with tenfold advantage: because, whilst a fuller insight into the revelation itself is granted to us than was ever vouchsafed to him, we can contemplate it at our leisure, and without any such emotions as would tend to embarrass our minds. Behold then, I say, that Almighty God, who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see [Note: 1Ti 6:16.], is become visible to us in the person of his Son: as it is said, No man hath seen God at any time: the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him [Note: Joh 1:18.]. The Lord Jesus Christ, having in himself all the fulness of the Godhead [Note: Col 2:9.], is, on this very account, called the image of the invisible God [Note: Col 1:15.] ; because Jehovah, who in his own essence is invisible to mortal eyes, is become visible to us in the person of his Son, who is the brightness of his Fathers glory, and the express image of his person [Note: Heb 1:3.] ; insomuch, that whoso hath seen him, hath seen the Father [Note: Joh 14:9.]. In truth, this was the mystery, which Moses probably did not understand at the time; the mystery, I mean, of his being put into the cleft of the rock. For, that rock was Christ [Note: 1Co 10:4.]: and it is in Christ only that Gods perfections can find scope for exercise towards sinful man, and be all displayed in united splendour. But in Christ, mercy and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other [Note: Psa 85:10.]. Come then, Beloved, come to the Gospel, even to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God! come there, and behold in it, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, that you may be changed by it, even as Moses was, into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2Co 3:18.] ! You are privileged beyond all the prophets, not excepting even the Baptist himself: for St. Paul says, that what no eye had seen, nor ear heard, neither had it entered into the heart of man to conceive, (no, not even the eye, or ear, or heart of Moses himself,) God had revealed unto the Christian Church by his Spirit [Note: 1Co 2:9-10.]. And by that same Spirit, working in and by the word, will God reveal it unto you also, even all the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ [Note: 2Co 4:6.].]

2.

The power of faith

[Faith is justly called the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen [Note: Heb 11:1.]. It penetrates into the highest heavens, and beholds Him that is invisible [Note: Heb 11:27.]. It sees God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God [Note: Act 7:55.], able to succour, and ready to reward, his faithful people. Yes; though now we see not our adorable Saviour with our bodily eyes, yet, believing in him, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory [Note: 1Pe 1:8.]. We need not envy Moses: for, great as his privilege was, it was not to be compared with ours. His eyes were gratified with a glorious sight, no doubt; and his mind was instructed with audible sounds: but he saw not the truths realized; nor did he fully comprehend the things revealed to him [Note: 1Pe 1:10-12.]. But we have seen our God incarnate; and have beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father [Note: Joh 1:14.]. We have seen in his atonement all the perfections of God harmonizing and glorified: and we understand clearly, how God can be just, and yet the justifier of sinful men [Note: Rom 3:26.]. We know him to be a just God, and yet a Saviour [Note: Isa 45:21.]: and live in the sweet assurance, that he is not only merciful, but faithful also, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [Note: 1Jn 1:9.]. The world at large, indeed, and multitudes even of the Christian world, have no experimental sense of these things: and the reason of their blindness is, they have not faith (for all men have not faith [Note: 2Th 3:2.] ): but to believers, Christ manifests himself as he does not unto the world [Note: Joh 14:22.] ; and so enables them to behold his glory, that they are changed by it into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2Co 3:18.]. Blush, then, ye who see in Christ no beauty nor comeliness for which he is to be desired [Note: Isa 53:2.]: know, that it is the result of unbelief, by which the devil has blinded you [Note: 2Co 4:4.]: and that, if ye will believe, ye shall see the glory of God [Note: Joh 11:40.] ; ye shall see it, not only in the exercise of his power, but also in the display of all his goodness.]

3.

The efficacy of prayer

[Wonderfully is this illustrated in the passage before us. But shall we suppose that God is less condescending now than in the days of Moses, or that he will not answer prayer at this time as well as then? Know ye, that God is the same gracious God as ever: with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning [Note: Jam 1:17.]: The prayer of the upright is still his delight [Note: Pro 15:8.], as much as at any period of the world: and that those who come to him in his Sons name, he will in no wise cast out. On the contrary, he tells us, that we may ask what we will; and it shall be done unto us [Note: Joh 15:7.]. There is no limit to his answers to believing prayer, except such as his own glory, or our capacity, have imposed. It is not in him that we are straitened, but in our own bowels [Note: 2Co 6:12.]. How, then, should we urge the petition of Moses, and say, O Lord, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory! Let us have but one thing to desire of the Lord; and let that be, that we may behold his glory [Note: Psa 27:4.]: let us go into his presence: and say, with David, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee; my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory [Note: Psa 63:1-2.]: and God will draw aside the veil that intercepts our views of him; yea, he will come down from the habitation of his holiness and his glory [Note: Isa 63:15.], and present himself before us, saying, Here I am [Note: Isa 58:9.]. He would even fulfil to us his promise, hearing us before we ask, and answering whilst yet we are speaking to him [Note: Isa 65:24.]. O that we would plead with him as he has commanded us to do [Note: Luk 18:1; Luk 18:7.], and give him no rest [Note: Isa 62:7.], till he answer us in the desire of our hearts! And let us not imagine, that he will be offended at the largeness of our petitions: for he is as willing, as he is able, to do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we can ask or think [Note: Eph 3:20.]. Let us open our mouths ever so wide, he will most surely fill them [Note: Psa 81:10.].]

4.

The blessedness of heaven

[When Peter beheld his Lord transfigured upon Mount Tabor, he said, It is good to be here. And if such a view of Christs glory, with his bodily eyes, was so delightful, what must it be for our disembodied spirits to be introduced into his immediate presence, and to see him as he is [Note: 1Jn 3:2.] ! What views shall we then have of the perfections of the Godhead all uniting and glorified in the work which he accomplished on the cross! Truly that heavenly city, where he abides, has no need of the sun or moon to lighten it; for he will be the light thereof [Note: Rev 21:23.], and with his glory shall every soul be filled. If we account Moses happy when favoured with his transient visions of God, what shall we be, when around his throne we behold him in all his glory, and look forward to a never-ending duration of our bliss! O that we could contemplate more the blessedness of that state; and live more in an habitual preparation for it! Lift up your hearts, Brethren; for the blessed period is nigh at hand. Be looking for it, and hasting to it [Note: 2Pe 3:12.]: and let nothing short of that have any glory in your eyes, by reason of the glory that excelleth. Take now already the golden harps into your hands; and begin the blissful song. Emulate to the utmost of your power those who are gone before you: and soon you shall join the countless choir in singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Observe, Moses had been long in the Mount with God, and yet now desired fresh communications of the divine presence. Reader! mark this down as a sure testimony of having tasted God’s graciousness, that the soul longeth for more. Psa 63:1-2 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Exo 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Ver. 18. Show me thy glory. ] None ever knew God’s glory; our cockle shell can never comprehend this sea: yet it may be apprehended that it is incomprehensible.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

he = Moses.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Exo 33:20, Psa 4:6, Joh 1:18, 2Co 3:18, 2Co 4:6, 1Ti 6:16, Tit 2:13, Rev 21:23

Reciprocal: Gen 16:13 – Thou Exo 33:13 – that I Psa 63:2 – To see Psa 119:68 – good Psa 138:5 – for great Isa 35:2 – they shall Eze 1:28 – This Mic 7:18 – that Mat 17:4 – it is Luk 9:32 – they saw Joh 12:41 – saw Joh 14:8 – show Rom 5:2 – the glory

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

THE DIVINE GLORY

Shew me Thy glory.

Exo 33:18

It was a fine aspiration, worthy of the man who uttered it and the occasion on which he spoke. It was the reaching out of a darker dispensation after Gospel light, the reflections wishing to lose themselves in the great original. It was earth longing after heaventhe restlessness of earth longing for that which should be Divine, the rest of desire.

I. There are three kinds of glory: (1) the glory of circumstances; (2) moral glory; (3) the glory of the sense or consciousness that everything goes back to the Creator, encircling Him with His own proper perfections, the living of God in the adoration, gratitude, and service of His creatures. Moses saw all three. His prayer had an answer on the Mount of Transfiguration.

II. It was a very remarkable answer that God made to him. I will make My kindness pass before thee. Kindness is glory. The glory of God was in Jesus Christ. That was the manifestation of the glory of Godthat is, kindness. God is love. He has many attributes, but they meet to make love. All Gods attributes unite together, and His glory is His goodness.

Rev. Jas. Vaughan.

Illustration

(1) The prayer is an uttered desire for a fuller, clearer conception of Gods unspeakable love to man in the redemption through Christ. His soul may have yearned for richer, spiritual, personal manifestations of God as an individual Saviour, amid so many grand material exhibitions of Godhead, so many splendid ritual services in the Tabernacle. His mind is apparently directed to one glory absorbing all the varied and multiplied gloryGods distinguishing, crowning glory before all worlds and all intelligences. Nor does he pray for a manifestation of the longed-for glory for any other eye than his own. Like focal points of richest brightness me and Thy glory present themselves. What is so much desired is a personal, private revelation of Gods grace to His servant.

(2) Moses prayer sounds presumptuous, but it was heard unblamed, and granted in so far as possible. The precise meaning of the petition must be left undetermined. Only this is clear, that it was something far beyond even that face-to-face intercourse which he had had, as well as beyond that granted to the elders. We should hear in Moses cry the voice of a soul thrilled through and through with the astounding consciousness of Gods favour, blessed with love-gifts in answered prayers, and yearning for more of that light which it feels to be life.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

Exo 33:18. I beseech thee, show me thy glory Thy glorious majesty, the brightness of thy countenance, some such manifestation of thyself as becomes thy excellence, and such as shall be seen in the other life, or the highest I am capable of seeing on earth. Moses had lately been in the mount with God, and had had as intimate communion with God as ever any man had on this side heaven, and yet he still desires a further acquaintance. Show me thy glory Make me to see it; so the word is: make it some way or other visible, and enable me to bear the sight of it. Not that he was so ignorant as to think Gods essence could be seen with bodily eyes, but having hitherto only heard a voice out of a pillar of cloud or fire, he desired to see some representation of the divine glory, such as God saw fit to gratify him with.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy {g} glory.

(g) Your face, your substance, and your majesty.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes