God’s Glory Shone in Goodness

Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99

 In our Exodus passage we have Moses asking God to see God’s glory. God says,  “I will make all my goodness pass before you” and God tells of this goodness of being gracious and showing mercy. God also tells him God’s name YHWH.

This is not enough for Moses. He wants to see God’s face. God tells him this is impossible, but he makes a way for him to see God’s back. For no one can live seeing the glory of God’s face.

Psalm 99 talks about the awesomeness of God enthroned upon the cherubim and God’s holiness. The psalmist talks about the power of God who can let the earth shake. Due to this power let the people tremble. But the psalmist doesn’t stop there he talks about the goodness of the Lord, lover of justice, establishing equity, executing justice and righteousness in Jacob.

He tells how God spoke to the priests and prophets. They like Moses felt God’s presence and in response they kept God’s decrees and statutes. God forgave them in mercy but was an avenger of their wrong doing with God’s justice.

We like Moses can never see God’s face but due to Christ bringing us salvation we can have a relationship with God. But like a child to a loving parent, we still have a healthy respect for one who can hand out mercy and justice.

God finds a way for us to see God’s goodness in how God provides our needs and in the kindness and love from other God’s children. Those who worship the awesome God and glorify God by attempting to show God’s face to others by shining in love and kindness and advocating for justice and mercy in the world. Amen

 

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