Show Me Your Glory (Exodus 33:12-23)

Show Me Your Glory

 

Exodus 33:12-23

 

In Greek mythology is a character named Icarus. His father Daedalus was an inventor and architect. Daedalus built the Labyrinth for Minos, the king of Crete. Later, however, he and his son Icarus were imprisoned in the Labyrinth. In order to escape from the prison, Daedalus made wings for himself and his son with feathers collected from birds, and fixed the wings onto their bodies using wax from beehives. And he warned Icarus that he should not fly too low or his wings would be wet with sea water and he would fall, and not to fly too high or the wax of the wings would melt by the heat of the sun and he would fall. However, Icarus, so excited with flying the sky, rose high toward the sun. And as warned by the father, the wax of the wings melted, and he fell down into the sea and was drowned to death. Daedalus’ warning to Icarus not to fly too low or too high may give a wisdom to people in the world. It is because people in the world live “I.” And it is because they pursue “my life.”

 

The wisdom taught in the Bible is different. It is because people in the Bible live “God,” not “I.” And it is because they pursue “God” even at the risk of “my life.” Moses in the Exodus ignored Daedalus’ warning by flying too low and flying too high. He prayed for the people of Israel who sinned. “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Exodus 32:31-32) Moses knew that the people’s idol worshipping was too grave to be forgiven by God. Now in order to avoid being killed by God together with these sinful people, Moses should have kept himself away from the people. Moses, however, stayed with the sinners. Even he sat at the front line and demanded that God should punish him first if he would not forgive the people. After all, God had to step back. We see Moses’ another flying, which is flying too high. He requested God, “Now show me your glory” (33:18). To this request, God said to Moses, “You cannot see my face, for not one may see me and live” (20). Didn’t Moses know this fact? In Genesis 32:20, Jacob, one of Moses’ ancestors, wrestled with God and won the name Israel, and called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Moses must have known what he was requesting. At this time again, God granted Moses what he wanted, passing his glory while saving Moses’ life by putting him in a cleft in the rock and covering him with God’s hand. In this way, Moses flied too low and flied too high at the risk of his life. It was because he followed God.

 

This can be found also in Jesus’ life. Jesus was crucified largely for two reasons. One was that he received sinners, served them, and ate and drank together with them. Another reason was that Jesus claimed that he was “the Son of God.” John 5:16-18 says, “So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his defense Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’ For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” Here, Jesus’ breaking the Sabbath refers that Jesus healed a man invalid for 38 years lying by the Pool of Bethesda. He was a sinner. In John 5:14, Jesus said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Jesus ran the risk of his life in order to serve the man lowest in the world, who was a sinner, an invalid for 38 years, and even a mental invalid. In verses 19-47, Jesus explained long how he is God’s son, and how God is his Father. Jesus said to the Jews, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.” Jesus was always with God the Father in the highest, and following God’s will, he served sinners in the lowest. And after all, this risky life led Jesus to death on the cross. The Jews lived a life quite contrasted to that of Jesus. They judged, despised, and shunned sinners. On the other hand, they were not much interested in God.  Their heart was far from God and their teachings were merely human rules (Matthew 15:8-9). They pursued “a safe life.” They didn’t lower themselves down to sinners, and they didn’t ascend toward God. They stayed in the secure and comfortable castle of “self-righteousness.” For them, Jesus was a heretic, threatening their peace and safety. It was because they only pursued their own lives.

 

We can see that Moses had largely two prayers. One was seeking “God’s favor” for the people of Israel. And the other was seeking “God’s face” for himself. Despite the people’s idol worshipping, God said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” (33:1-3). God is saying, “I will give them the promised land, but I will not go with them.” The people of Israel might feel sorry about God’s decision not to go with them, but at least, they saved the fortune to get “the land flowing with milk and honey.” For Moses as well, it would be meaningful for him to lead the people into Canaan and become their king there. However, Moses didn’t think so. In his view, it was not God’s favor to get the land flowing with milk and honey. God’s favor that the people needed was “God’s being with them.” In verses 15-16, Moses said to the Lord, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Yes, it was. The only thing that distinguished the people of Israel from other people on earth was God’s being with them. This was God’s favor that Moses was seeking for his people. He prayed, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people” (13). All of what Moses was praying for himself and his people were about God. He kept pulling God down into the people, and asking God to be with them. He said that without this blessing, nothing else could be a blessing. The more sinful the people were, the more earnest Moses’ prayers were. It was because God’s favor was their only hope.

 

Moses also sought God’s face. He said, “Now show me your glory.” To this request, God said to Moses, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence” (19a). This promise was fulfilled in Exodus 34:5-7. As Moses prepared two stone tablets and went up to Mount Sinai as commanded by the Lord, God came down in the cloud, and passing in front of Moses, he proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” However, there were more words of God concerning Moses’ request to show God’s glory. God said to Moses, “But you cannot see my face for no one may see me and live.” Considering that God passed his goodness in front of Moses, it sounds like God’s goodness is one thing and God’s face is another. God didn’t allow Moses to see his face or his glory directly. Rather, he revealed his plan of how to show his glory while protecting Moses from death. God would stand Moses on a rock, and when his glory was passing by, God would put him in a cleft in the rock and cover him with God’s hand until God had passed by. Then, God would remove his hand, and Moses would see God’s back. We don’t know exactly how God’s back looked like to Moses, and what it implies that God showed his back to Moses. Still we can say that God’s back is also a part of God’s body along with God’s face, and God granted Moses’ request to its maximum that could be granted.

 

It is said that the etymological meaning of Icarus is “follower.” In a sense, Moses was Icarus, following God to see his glory that might bring death to him. This can be considered impious. Even the seraphs in heaven covered their faces with their wings before the Lord on his throne (Isaiah 6:3). But Moses wanted to see God’s face and that was his earnest desire. And God didn’t rebuke his desire but showed Moses his best favor. How could this happen to Moses, who is just one of many human beings? I believe one of the reasons was that Moses was so empty and so receptive to God. Exodus 34:29-30 says, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” Icarus flied high close to the sun, and he fell down to the sea. But Moses flied high close to the sun, and he became like the sun. Icarus flied with man-made craft. But Moses flied with God’s mercy and power. Moses stayed at the lowest and he looked up the highest. He owned just one thing, which was his name known by God. His existence was nominal apart from God. He was empty but one desire, which was God. He desired God’s favor, God’s way, God’s glory, God himself. In this way, he seated himself at the lowest and desired the highest glory of God. All of God’s people did the same. Jesus on the cross committed his spirit into the Father’s hand (Luke 23:46). Martyr Stephen, when he was about to be stoned to death, saw heaven open and the Lord Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55). St Paul, in his last days in the Roman prison, said, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2Timothy 4:8a). This is how we follow Jesus, emptying me and filling it with the glorious hope in heaven with Jesus. I pray that we may serve the lowest in the world, while seeking the highest glory of God in heaven. Lord, show us your glory! Amen!!!