Broadcast
Seeing God's Back - Part 2
Exodus 33:19-20
01/16/2024
19 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.
20 But, he said, you cannot see my face, for man
shall not see me and live.'' (ESV)
Moses, desiring to know more about God, asked, ``Please show
me Your glory.'' God replied:
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.''
God, in His love, grace, and mercy, knows that sinners
cannot see His full glory and live. In our sinfulness, we cannot
comprehend His holiness, nor can we begin to view His face. In
the same way we cannot look directly at the sun without damaging
our eyes, we cannot look at God without losing our lives.
However, God is merciful and will reveal Himself, as much as
He can, to those who have faith in Him. Jesus, the Son of God,
revealed that God so loved the world that He would sacrifice His
only-begotten Son in order that people would be saved from sin
and death. In Heaven, which is God's gracious gift to those who
are faithful to Him in this life, we will behold His face.
We do see God's face in Jesus, who hid Himself in our flesh
to live, die, and rise again for our salvation. In this way, God
gives us His undeserved love and mercy. Through Christ Jesus He
calls us to be with Himself, even as our first parents were with
Him in the Garden of Eden.
May you know the love of our Father through Jesus Christ,
His Son. Amen.