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Intention

We like to demand proof of God, but He offers us something better — not a spectacle to impress us, but a name we can trust.

Scripture

Moses said, “Now show me Your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord, in your presence.”

— Exodus 33:18–19

Reflection

During a season of mission work some years ago, I heard the story of a man who had suffered some kind of episode and become convinced he was supposed to look directly at the sun. By the time those he knew intervened, he had gone mostly blind and was in considerable pain and distress. The whole thing was deeply confronting — something I’ve never forgotten.

This man’s story provides a vivid picture of what’s at stake in Exodus 33, where Moses makes one of the boldest requests in the entire Bible.

Israel had just broken their covenant with God by worshipping a golden calf. Moses had been interceding desperately on their behalf — and God had agreed to go with them. But Moses wasn’t done. Having secured God’s presence, he pressed further.

“Show me Your glory,” he said to the Lord.

God’s response was blunt: “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” Staring at God’s glory, in other words, would be like staring directly into the sun. God’s glory isn’t something you just waltz into. Moses had the right heart, but he didn’t realise what he was asking for. He’d underestimated God’s glory.

But I think God loved the request anyway and wanted to honour it. So He made a way. Moses was to stand on a rock, tucked into the cleft, shielded by God’s own hand. Only when God had passed by would he uncover Moses’ face — and even then, Moses would see only God’s back.

The Hebrew word for “back” here isn’t talking about God’s backside. It means something more like God’s aftermath; His trailing glory; the lingering effect of God’s presence after He’s passed by.

Just as the sun’s glory can destroy a person’s eyes, so God’s glory would have struck Moses down dead. Instead, God would let Moses see an eclipse of His glory — just a little glimpse, not enough to be consumed.

But there’s something even better in this passage.

Look again at verse 19. Moses had just said, “Show me Your glory.” Curiously, God didn’t say He’d cause His glory to pass by. He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord.”

Do you see it? God’s glory is His goodness. God’s glory is His name.

God was giving Moses a reframe. He was saying: What you’re asking for would kill you. What I’m giving you is better — you’re going to know who I am.

Moses wanted proof. God gave him a name he could trust.

This substitute was deliberate. God’s glory isn’t a spectacle. God’s glory is His character, His goodness, His mercy — all of which is wrapped up in His name. That’s what was going to sustain Moses on the road ahead. That’s what will sustain us through the many challenges and uncertainties life is going to throw at us.

We are not so different from Moses. When life is difficult and the way ahead is unclear, we want proof. We want some kind of overwhelming manifestation that’s going to give us confidence for the journey ahead and confirm that God hasn’t abandoned us. And God’s answer is the same as it was on the mountain: I’ll give you something better than a spectacle. I’ll give you My name. I’ll show you who I am.

And in Christ, he has done exactly that. What Moses glimpsed from the cleft of the rock — the trailing edge of God’s goodness, just enough to sustain him — we see face to face in Jesus.

“The Word became flesh,” the apostle John writes, “full of grace and truth.”

The name proclaimed to Moses on Mount Sinai became a person. The goodness that passed before Moses on the mountain walked among us, and we beheld his glory.

You don’t need a spectacle. You need a name you can trust. And that name has been fully, finally, revealed in Jesus.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I have demanded signs when You are simply calling me to trust Your goodness and Your name. Thank You that Your glory is not a spectacle that would destroy me, but a character I can know and a person I can depend on. When the road ahead is uncertain, remind me of who You are — compassionate, gracious, and abounding in love and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Image courtesy of Unsplash.