Friday, October 23, 2009

Ex. 33:18

"And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." Ex. 33:18

Ah! Now it will happen. We shall have an eyewitness and know what God looks like. Moses has the boldness, the confidence, the perfection necessary to actually see God's face. Praise the Lord of Moses. We shall vicariously experience the viewing of GOD!

What's that? Uh, Moses didn't see God's face? Oh, that's right. God told Him that no man could see His face and live! Still, God wanted to honor Moses' request. So, He told Moses that when His glory marched by, He would put Moses in the cleft of a rock and put His hand over Moses to protect him. Then, after the glory of the Lord had passed, God would take His hand away and Moses could see the back of God. Ah! That's the story. So we won't get to see God's face, but we can have a report on what the back of God looks like!

Let's have it! Bring it on! Uh, Moses doesn't say a thing about it? Why? There must not have been that much to write about. But this is assured: Moses was transformed. How do we know? Read on. "It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him." (Ex.34:29) Moses' face shown with the glory of God! He had a total visual transformation! Incredible!

I have observed people who, before their salvation were torn and twisted with the stresses of life. After their salvation, their physical features relaxed and the inner beauty that now dwelt within them showed through the outer shell. This, too, is a transformation - a physical transformation. We all know of someone who has been healed by the hand of God after the doctors said there was no hope. They have been transformed by the glory of God.

You and I may or may not have had such a physical transformation, but we have certainly had a transformation of the inner being. Where once we were dead in spirit, driven to destruction by the sins we had committed, we were cleansed and made alive. Our cinder-black, burned out souls were recreated and given new life by the breath of God - His Holy Spirit Am I right? Yes, I hear those shouts of "Amen!"

Moses continued to wear the veil in front of the people of Israel. At first it was because the glory shown so bright on him that the people were frightened. Later, according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:13, he wore the veil to keep the people from seeing that the physical manifestation of God's glory was fading. Paul continues by telling us that this should not be our experience. Our features should show the glory - and that glory should intensify as we draw ever closer to the Father. Paul says the veil is taken away from us because the world needs to see Jesus, God the Son, in us! And what is the glory of the Father? Remember what His very essence is? That's right. Love.

Let's God's love shine in and through you every day. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.

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