Show me Your Glory

I am reading through the book of Exodus. In chapter 33 Moses makes an interesting request of God. It is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it seems frightening to request what Moses requested; yet it is this very thing for which all Christians long. Second, this request shames me. I am not sure that I always want to ask this. What a pitiful realization about myself. Lastly, Moses' bravado encourages me to pursue the Lord, seeking forgiveness and grace.

So, what does Moses request of God? He asks God in verse 18: "I pray You, show me Your glory!" (NASB) What an amazing petition! The solicitation, however, is infinitely less amazing than the answer! The Lord follows Moses' question with the following in verse 19:

"And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.""

God replied this way for a reason. It was not just a collection of sentences. He was not just filling a void. He was describing His glory to Moses! Not only that, but He was also gracious enough to provide this account for us in His word. What glory - God communicating Himself to His creation!

Upon further examination of God's reply, we see something startling in His response. God replies to Moses' request by revealing Himself. First, He makes 'all His goodness' pass before Moses! Well, there is no 'badness' with God. Therefore, 'all of My goodness' must be all that He is. Everything about God is good. He has no evil. He cannot even desire evil. Therefore, God Himself passed before Moses.

Second, God proclaims His Name before Moses! In the Old Testament, a person's name included all that the person was or represented. They did not compartmentalize and subdivide their life the way we do today. They understood that what a person does in leisure is related to what a person does at work. Their whole life was connected. So, in response to 'all of His (My) goodness' passing before Moses, God proclaimed His own Name. God proclaimed all of Himself! What a good lesson for Christians today! Where God is there is proclamation of His name! His Name is all that He is. Therefore, proclaim all of God, not just what you think someone may like or want to hear. His glory is all that He is!

Third, the Lord explains the essence of Himself in the short phrase 'and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.' What a marvelous statement! God will give His grace to whomever He chooses and will lavish His compassion on whomever He chooses! God will do what He wants! The Lord further substantiates this truth in Isaiah 46:9-10:

"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God , and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times thing which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'"

The glory of God is that He does whatever He wants! What He wants is to bring Himself all the glory! Because He is perfect, He is the most glorious and deserves all the praise and honor from all things! What is even more impressive is that He will accomplish it! Whether the salvation of believers or the condemnation of unbelievers, it is according to His pleasure. He extends mercy and compassion as He wills. What a great God we serve!