The Glory of God Revealed
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
Exodus 33:18–23
Moses’ one desire this day was to see God’s glory, but God knew that Moses wouldn’t be able to see him and live. God is so perfect, so holy, so set apart that in our sinful state, we cannot stand before him and survive. God grants Moses’ request, he makes a way for Moses to see his glory without dying instantly. He sets Moses in the cleft of a rock, covers him with his own hand, and will pass by so Moses can see him.
A “cleft” is a split in a rock, one caused “by a cutting blow” (dictionare.com). We see here God’s glory can only be seen when Moses is covered and protected in this broken rock.
“as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 9:33
Paul is referencing both Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 here in Romans; 2 more prophesies that were fulfilled in Christ. When Jesus came to earth, taking on human form, God was finally able to walk among us for the first time since Adam and Eve sinned. We were able to see him face to face. In Christ, we get to see the glory of God through every miracle, every act of mercy, every moment of friendship, every word spoken, and ultimately, when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, fully revealing God’s glorious grace to make the ultimate sacrifice to save us. The broken rock in Exodus foreshadowed our broken Christ on the cross. The Cornerstone, the Sure Foundation, the Rock of Ages.
