Beholding the Fullness of God

Have you ever thought about what it must have been like for Moses to see God! To actually see God. We struggle with the concept of actually beholding God. We often point to Exodus 34 as when Moses sees God. The result of Moses seeing God was that His face shown like the sun. His countenance was so radiant that the people asked him to wear a veil until it wore off a little because it was so bright. What an incredible privilege.

But beholding God's fullness wasn't just a one time act for Moses. In fact it was a process that had started over 3 months earlier on this very mountain at a bush on fire. When God asked Moses to go back to Egypt and deliver the children of Israel, Moses asks God on what authority He should do this. God's response was "I Am who I Am". Not a very descriptive designation. As we've been learning in our study in Exodus of late, God wasn't just going to tell them who He was, He wanted them to experience it for themselves. He wanted not just to tell them, but to show them.

This leads us to an important point. God reveals Himself to us in seasons of our lives. We want God to show us who He is all at once, but it doesn't work that way. Exodus 34 is just the latest in a series of revelations of God's glory. It's a lifelong invitation into a journey of God continually revealing Himself to Moses and this people for a specific purpose. This and a few other lessons along the way are all the things I learned from my study of Exodus 34 & 35.

Highlight:

'The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, “the Lord .” The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord — the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped. Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.” ' Exodus 34:5-9

Explain:

Exodus 34 reveals the heart of God in a unique and powerful way. This people had committed a very grave sin. While they waited for Moses to descend the mountain with God’s instructions, they got impatient which lead to their idolatry and they crafted for themselves a golden calf and called it a god. They even claimed that it was what brought them out of Egypt, even attributing the power of the only one true God to a golden calf. God’s anger is kindled against them but after Moses’ pleading with God we see His incredible mercy.

The highlighted portion opens with God descending once again to meet with Moses, this is significant because originally He had wanted to wipe them out much less descend to be with them again symbolically through Moses. When He does descend before them He reveals Himself as “the LORD.” This was the name God gave to Moses that started all of this. That burning bush 3 months earlier on that same mountain, when God said I AM that I AM. God meant not just to tell them but to show them (Exodus 6:3).

That revelation of God was not just His supremacy and HIs ability as seen in the plagues. It wasn’t just His provision seen in the manna and the water. It wasn’t just His protection seen in the fire by night. It wasn’t just His direction seen in the cloud by day. It wasn’t just His deliverance seen in the parting of the Red Sea. It wasn’t just His power seen on the mountain.

Now “the Lord” is seen in His forgiveness, His compassion. The text reads, “THE LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the 3rd and 4th generation.”

God means to show them, not merely that He is a God of power and provision and direction and deliverance, He means to show them He is a God of compassion and forgiveness and faithful love in the face of their idolatry. When they forget Him, He will forgive them.

One more point of this must be considered. For God to be sent in His fullness, we need to recognize that He will not leave the guilty unpunished. For those who are guilty He will punish them, either through the sacrifice of the Lamb or through the shedding of their blood. For those who experience God’s forgiveness, it will mean the slaughter of the perfect Lamb (Jesus on our behalf). Hebrews 10:27 - “According to the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.” For us to experience the forgiveness of our sins, blood has to be shed, the blood of Jesus for us.

Then and only then can experience God’s forgiveness, compassion, and faithful love. What a gift for us to consider.

Apply:

The only way to apply this is to do as Moses did. This is the God that Moses beholds and He falls to His knees and worshipped. Moses recognized the opportunity that was before Him in worshipping this God and asks for the forgiveness God is offering.

He worships this God. Look at what God means to do with this stiff-necked people. V. 10 - “I am making a covenant, I will perform wonders in the presence of all your people that have never been done in the whole earth or in any nation. All the people you live among will see the Lord’s work (note there’s His name again), for what I am doing with you is awe-inspiring.” (Exodus 34:10)

God’s forgiveness, His power, His provision, His miracles, His compassion, His direction all points to who He is. We are the stage upon which God declares to the world who He is and our response is to obey and to worship. It is awe-inspiring as God Himself put it.

Respond:

Jesus thank You for Your forgiveness, for Your compassion, for Your faithfulness, for You direction, for Your power, for Your provision, for Your deliverance, for Your sacrifice, for Your love, for who You are in our lives. You displayed all of this in Your people Israel, and You display it every day in our lives as well. May we live in the full wonder of Your awe inspiring work on the stages of our lives and may our hearts sing with worship to You!