Exodus 33:18-20 (NIVUK)
18 Then Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’
19 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. 20 But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’
In a bold move in the book of Exodus, Moses asks to see God’s glory, to see him face to face. God refuses, but out of compassion, for his glory is too much for a human to take in. Instead he gets Moses to stand in a cleft in a rock, and covers his face while he walks by. Once he’s passed, he removes his hand, and Moses gets to see him from behind, a safe glimpse of his glory. What’s this got to do with Christmas, you may wonder, all we be revealed this week, but for now, give thanks for the glimpses of God that we do get, and worship him for his glory.
Father, nothing matches your brilliance, from the most talented human, to the brightness of a furnace, and to the mighty energy of the stars. In wonder, we give you glory.
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