Text: Exodus 34:1-35, Exodus 40:34-38, 2 Corinthians 3:7-18
It was late afternoon as I boarded the non-stop flight back to Nashville, anxious to get home after a week in unfamiliar territory.
The plane settled into a rhythm, and I leaned my head back and glanced out the window. In an instant, I was captivated. We were flying above what looked like an ocean of clouds. Colors of the sunset sprayed one side of the world in a hundred shades of pink and orange. It was so mesmerizing I could barely blink. I wanted to see more. I wanted to stretch the window wide so I could experience the fullness of the sky’s beauty. It was too vast for me to capture from my limited viewpoint.
As I sat back and closed my eyes, vibrant colors remained etched in my mind. I was in awe of the wonder and glory of God. But as wondrous as these images and experiences may be, they are only glimpses of Him, evidence of His infinite greatness, which is far too big for us to fully comprehend (Isaiah 55:9).
I can’t begin to imagine how Moses felt as the glory of God radiated from a cloud above the mountain where he stood. Beckoned by the Lord Himself, Israel’s leader obediently approached with nothing but blank tablets in his hands—new tablets to replace ones shattered in the wake of Israel’s idolatry (Exodus 34:1-3; 32:19). God, in an overwhelming display of mercy, offered them a clean slate (Exodus 32:33). He remained faithful to His covenant and led His people to the land of promise, by His glory and grace.
As the weight of pure holiness hovered above Moses, God declared the power of His name. Scripture tells us, “Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped” (Exodus 34:8). He lingered there in God’s presence for 40 days.
Like the moon reflecting the brilliance of the sun, Moses’ face soaked up the radiance of God’s light until a visible glow permeated his countenance. He’d seen only a glimpse of God’s glory, but descended that mountain more certain than ever of Yahweh’s flawless character and covenant love.
From a mountain to a sacred tent, God’s glory remained near as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. Time and time again, Moses approached the Lord as Israel’s advocate then stood before a trembling nation as God’s mouthpiece. Moses led the people faithfully, but he was powerless to save them. He spoke to God on their behalf, but he could never close the gap that separated them from God’s presence. While Moses played an integral role in redemptive history, the story was always bigger than him (Hebrews 3:3).
We know the rest of the story.
In Christ, the glory of God came down and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The veil that once darkened our eyes was torn away by the power of redemption (Hebrews 10:19-22). Jesus is the greater Advocate, the One who stood in our place and offered Himself as our substitute. Wrapped in eternal light, He now stands before the Father on our behalf and covers us with the radiance of His righteousness.
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
-Hebrews 1:3
Written By Ali Claxton
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38 thoughts on "The Glory of God"
God allowed a “do-over”. PTL. ❤️
Amen! He’s the God of many chances. He ever pursues us.
Love this, “Like the moon reflecting the sun, Moses’ face soaked up the radiance of God’s light until a visible glow permeated his countenance.” Oh that I may soak up His radiance until it is seen on/in me!! And love that Christ sat down. It is finished. Amen.
Yes, indeed….Amen!
That feeling you get when you find yourself in love. The overwhelming emotions that constantly have you giddy with anticipation. I remember when I found myself head over heals for my husband, my parents often remarked that I had the “glow” of a girl in love. I find that to be true for so many, I think to wedding days as well. The bride anxiously awaiting the “first look” and the groom nervous, yet eager in anticipating their bride … ah, the look of love. Falling in love naturally produces physical and emotional reactions that have our hearts spinning with a unique joy, which becomes illuminated in our expressions, how we carry ourselves, even our appearance, our confidence … Hope & Joy become the makeup in our bags. Moses’ “visible glow” has me thinking to relationship with God. Time in His presence and Moses literally reflected God’s greatness, His love and His goodness. Our relationship with Him can produce the same for us and we don’t have to climb a mountain to gain this. Because of Christ we can daily sit side by side our God, our Savior in the comfort of our homes, our cubicles, our cars, anywhere. We can find ourselves so in love, so in relationship with Christ, that in spending time with Him our faces can not hide our affection. We should be women so in love with Jesus that His light and glory naturally permeates all we do, leaving those around us, the world to say … “There goes a woman in love. I want what she has”.
Beautifully said. I want to be that woman. Thank you B.
I love this! So true too. If we could focus as much time on Christ as we do our significant other, or find as much joy in Him as we do with our “loves” I bet we’d all be more in love with Christ! Thanks for sharing this comparison. Definately hit home for me as I am getting married in Aug and am right smack in the middle of wedding planning bliss.
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“Be careful to not make a treaty with those who live in the land…” This verse reminds me that we are, indeed, not meant for this world. It is so easy to be tempted to take a peek, see what’s going on around us, perhaps we will just take a little taste, what can it hurt? But God has called us to be set apart.
What must Heaven be like? After only 40 days in the presence of God Moses’ face was shining. The brightness and glory of God in His dwelling place is too much to comprehend. The absolute beauty and peace that must surely be exuded is truly overwhelming to think about. I doubt if Moses wanted to leave that mountain. The power of God, His very presence, is what we all long to see and experience.
God has given us HIS SPIRIT. We, or at least, I don’t fully understand the power I have. This same power that Moses witnessed lives inside every true Believer. We should be bold and courageous. We have the only true God and we fail so many times to call upon this power when we need it. I pray today that all of you, myself included, experience and remember and know God in all His fullness and power. If we let Him reign completely we can have the same awesome experience Moses did. God bless all of you. ❤
Well said. Amen!
“Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.” This verse caught my attention. Sometimes I tend to think that the Israelites were so much better off than me – having God´s presence visible before them. But actually they didn´t know beforehand when to leave or whether to stay. Their first action in the morning would be to look over to the tent in order to know whether the cloud was still resting or whether it was time to pack and leave.
God didn´t give Moses a time schedule so he could count the days they would stay and make plans. He needed to seek Him every morning anew to know what was His plan for the day. And that´s exactly how He acts with us today, isn´t it? No large overview over the coming year but His daily guidance whenever we seek Him … :)
I love this. It ties in with the verse in Psalms that says His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. God gives us just enough light to see for the next step or two, not a spotlight to see way far out into the future…we truly do need to depend on Him for daily guidance!
Thank you. Yes every day, moment by moment, we should be seeking God.
Absolutely fantastic truth. We should be reminded each and every day to look to God for guidance to serve and bring him glory. Great point (and I often feel jealous of those who saw Jesus or God in person yet remember how blessed I am to live in Christ’s resurrection!)
‘…offering them a clean slate.’ It hit me right in the heart. A new chance, a clean slate, new carvings on tablets of stone. How gloriously merciful and forgiving is our great God!
Sometimes when I read she reads truth the message God has for me is different to the truth pulled out in the commentary. I always pray and read scripture and reflect before I read the commentary and today the verse that God spoke to me most was
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
I need to find contentment in rest. The Israelites had to wait until God decreed it was time to move and I’m sure were frustrated at times when there was so much to be done but God was adamant the seventh day was for rest. Just wanted to share incase this resonated with anyone else today!
Thank you, I find the same thing some days.
Yes! I noticed how God made a point to say that this included harvest time- which is likely their busiest time of year.
The same verse was one that jumped out at me as I read. We live on a farm, and as the saying goes, you have to “make hay when the sun shines.” Planting and harvest times are critical for the farmer, critical for an income. To rest on a good-weather day, not “wasting” it, means trusting God’s provision, similar in a much smaller way to letting the land lay fallow every seventh year, as God also commanded.
Rest is hard for me as well! I’m a busy body and feel so unaccomplished if I am just doing “nothing” BUT this also means that sometimes I am “too busy” to rest in His word. Praying that we both learn to rest in Him!
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