Ep. 40. Exodus 33-34 | God’s Glory and a Shining Face

EPISODE 40

GOD'S GLORY AND A SHINING FACE: EXODUS 33,34

Once again, I have to limit my thoughts on this video, or you'd be here all day. I'll speak to two different ideas. First, I love how God reintroduces himself to Moses in this text, "the LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty." It isn't that I'm particularly drawn to the language of it as much as I am intrigued by its usage throughout the Bible.

Nehemiah gathered the people of God together and prayed. In the course of that prayer, he reflects on the sinfulness of the Hebrew people in the wilderness and God's response, saying, "You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

Joel, when considering the sin of the people of God, says to them, "'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster."

Enraged that God would show mercy to the wicked souls in Nineveh, Jonah says, "'O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."

In the Psalms, David says, "'Insolent men have risen up against me... But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." And again, "Bless the LORD, o my soul. He forgives all your iniquity, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies you with good. He made known his ways to Moses. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." And again, "The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all he has made."

When we consider these, and the ones I've certainly forgotten to include, how could we not rejoice in the God we serve? If this is how Moses knew God and Nehemiah, Joel, Jonah, and David, how can we think any less of him? Our God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Maybe we should believe this a bit more often.

Second, we absolutely have to consider Moses' shining face. Moses met with God and saw his glory, and his face shone with the glory of God. But it was a glory that was fading away, and it was a glory reserved for Moses. This is another case of one-half a picture. Here is the half picture that represents the Law of Moses. The Law once had glory, but the people were prevented from looking upon the glory of God. Moses hid his face with a veil. The second half of the picture is one of grace and the gospel. The good news of Jesus has so much more glory than the Law of Moses that the Law is left with no glory at all in light of the surpassing glory of the grace of Jesus Christ. And, thankfully, the good news of God is not for Moses alone and not hidden from us but revealed to us through the Spirit. Those Jews who still miss the truth of the glory of Christ miss him because a veil lies over their hearts. I'll touch on this again when we get to Second Corinthians. Law and Grace. Law and Grace. Law and Grace. It's everywhere.

ADDITIONAL READING: Joshua 5:13-15; Romans 9; Nehemiah 9:17; Joel 2; Jonah 4; Psalm 86; Psalm 103; Psalm 145; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18