Tag: Romans 8:31-32

Session 2: Moses and God’s Glory

Understanding the nature and character of God is essential for knowing how to praise Him. Why? Because what God does flows out of who He is—which means that if He is good, then His ways are good. If His ways are good, then His answers are good—even when they’re hard.

Our natural tendency is to view God’s character through the lens of our circumstances, instead of the other way around. If we’re going through a hard time, then we see God as harsh. Or, if we’re going through a trial, then we assume He must be angry. Or if we aren’t getting what we want, then we see the Lord as unjust or unkind.

However, knowing God’s character helps us to see our circumstances through a different lens. It enables us to focus on His unchanging nature instead of our ever-changing situations. Let’s see what we can learn about the Lord from two encounters Moses has with Him. Both occur while Moses leads the Israelites in the desert after fleeing Egypt.

“Then 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. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:18-23, NIV)

The glory of the Lord is hard to describe. I’ve seen glimpses of it in a brilliant orange-pink sunrise and have felt its intensity when gathering with others for worship (especially after being apart for so long during the pandemic). Pastor John MacArthur explains, “The glory of the Lord is the expression of God’s person. It is any manifestation of God’s character, any manifestation of His attributes in the world, in the universe, in His glory. In other words, the glory is to God what the brightness is to the sun. The glory is to God what wet is to water, the glory is what heat is to fire…it is the product of His presence, it is the revelation of Himself. Anytime God discloses Himself, it is the manifestation of His glory.”1

In Exodus 34 Moses has another experience where God describes His nature and character further:

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’” (Exodus 34:6-7, NIV)

Let’s break down these two passages to discover more about God’s character and nature so that we can praise Him more specifically.

God is good. His goodness is so intense that it would overwhelm us to experience it in its fullness, as we see with Moses being hidden in the cleft of the rock. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV)

God is merciful. He doesn’t give us the consequences we deserve. We see this most clearly in His willingness to send His son to save us from our sins. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV)

God is compassionate. He is concerned for us and cares for us. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)

God protects us. He placed Moses in the cleft of the rock for his own protection and does the same for us in different ways. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4, NIV)

God is gracious. He gives us blessing and favor we can’t earn. Through Christ, He makes it possible for us to receive salvation in spite of our sin. God shares His riches with us at Christ’s expense. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32, NIV)

God is slow to anger. God is patient with us. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV)

God is abounding in love. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, NIV)

God is faithful. He is always there for us and always ready to receive us. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5b, NIV)

God is forgiving. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7, NIV)

God is just. He will right every wrong in His perfect timing and punish the unrepentant. “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV) “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, NIV)

Which attribute of God stands out to you? Praise Him for it in your prayers! Then, try following the example of Moses and ask the Lord to show you His glory or other aspects of His character you’d like to experience. Let Third Day’s “Show Me Your Glory” inspire you today by clicking here.

1. John MacArthur sermon “The Glory of the Lord” Dec 14, 1980 as quoted from Jackie Hill Perry in Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today’s Culture, Lifeway Press, 2020, 175.

The first three paragraphs of this post were adapted from Courtney Doctor’s article “Hope for Waiting Hearts.” Click here to read it.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Tears welled up in my eyes as I rounded the corner onto my street and spied my front porch. Two small Christmas trees with twinkling lights stood on either side of the door, replacing fall pumpkins that had been there when I left. Pulling into the driveway, I felt physically and emotionally depleted. The previous five days had been consumed with sifting through the contents of my childhood home–44 years worth of our family’s belongings. Decorating for Christmas had been the last thing on my mind.

Losing my mom to cancer in October has created a significant life shift for me. After dealing with the initial shock and grief of her passing, my siblings and I focused our energy on planning a family graveside service and an online celebration of her life. Once those events passed, the dread of dealing with her affairs and belongings became a reality. So, as my neighbors hung lights on their houses and brought trees inside to decorate, I began meeting my sister daily to clean out our mom’s house. The project drained me and required all of the time and energy I would normally focus on preparing for Christmas.  I didn’t realize how depleted I was until the end of that first week when I arrived home and saw the Christmas trees outside our door. My husband had ushered in the holiday cheer I couldn’t seem to find on my own. The sight of the twinkling trees brought comfort and tears of gratitude in the midst of heavy grief. 

Later, as we decorated the tree inside, the contrasting events of the week overwhelmed me, and the tears started flowing again. Soon, I was crying too hard to hang ornaments. Abandoning the tree, I sank onto the couch, laid my head on my husband’s chest and sobbed. It had been tricky balancing my grief, sorting the belongings in my childhood home, and launching into the Christmas season without my mom. In the background, I was also lamenting how COVID-19 would change the holidays by preventing gatherings with other family members and friends.

Grieving is hard and tiring work. And even if you didn’t lose a loved one this year, it’s likely you’re mourning a loss related to 2020’s pandemic and all of the ripple effects it has caused. So, it may not feel like there’s much to celebrate this Christmas. And yet, as much as we love the gatherings, gifts, decorations, and celebrations, they aren’t the heart of the season. They’re just the signposts of it. At the center of the Christmas is Jesus, God in the flesh who came to dwell among us.

This year is going to look different for many of us. For me, it will be my first Christmas Eve and Christmas day without my mom or extended family at the table with us. And it will also be the first time in 27 years that my husband and I don’t travel to see the other side of our family, thanks to COVID-19.  We have a lot to grieve, but we still have hope. It all goes back to that baby born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. 

Throughout this month I’ve been reading a daily advent devotional that is keeping me tethered to truth. Each entry includes Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments that highlight specific aspects of Jesus. The book focuses on the prophecies Christ fulfilled and the blessings we receive because of Him. It’s reminding me there’s still hope and joy for us, even in 2020. So, whether you’re enjoying all the trappings of the season or hurting deeply this Christmas, Jesus’ birth deserves celebrating. Here are a few truths that have especially encouraged me recently:

-Jesus brings light into our world that no darkness can overcome (not even a pandemic or a loss you’re experiencing): “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

-Jesus came to seek those who have no purpose or direction: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

-Jesus became a man and died for us, so we can be cleansed from sin and have access to God Almighty: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

-Jesus came to defeat the devil: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8b)

-Jesus came to bring us victory over death: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-26)

-Jesus came to show us perfect love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17, NIV)

-Jesus assures us future glory despite our present suffering: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us… What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:18 & 31-32)

-Jesus gives us peace unlike any peace the world offers. Because of Him, we have nothing to fear: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

This year some of the jollier Christmas songs aren’t resonating with me very well. But when I heard “Behold Him” by Francesca Battistelli, I discovered one that captures my feelings perfectly. I hope it encourages you today too.

*The devotional I’ve been reading is Advent 2020 Jesus Christ is Born created by shereadstruth.com.

*All Scriptures quoted from the New International Version.