Shew Me Thy Glory

Temple Baptist Church - 10-7-2012
Exodus 33:12-34:8

Introduction:

A. An insurmountable task! In our text, Israel is at Mt. Sinai.

1. God used Moses to bring them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea to this place where God gave him the Law. God “handpicked” this man for the task ahead.”

2. Now, Moses has been given a seemingly insurmountable task of taking the nation of Israel through the great wilderness and into Canaan’s land. Moses is looking for assurance.

B. An awesome responsibility!

1. Do not send me alone! In verse 12, God had promised grace to Moses for the task but Moses is looking for someone to go with him. He understood the awesome responsibility because these were God’s people and knew that the way would be hard.


2. Show me thy way! In verse 13, Moses asked God to lead him. Moses was a ruler in Egypt and knew the “short way” to Canaan and, therefore, knew that the Sinai Peninsula was neither the easy way nor the shortest way to go.

C. A rebellious and stiff necked people!

1. They rebelled in Egypt! Exodus 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

2. They rebelled at the Red Sea. Exodus 14:11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

3. They rebelled at the waters of Marah! Exodus 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

4. They rebelled by making the calf at Sinai! Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

D. A twofold promise! Jehovah God, in verse 14, made a twofold promise to Moses:

1. The promise of His presence in a hard place. “MY presence shall go with thee!” That alone should be enough.

2. The promise of His rest in a hard place. “AND I will give thee rest! Resting in His presence in the hard places ahead.

E. Moses, in verse 15, simply said:

1. Do not let me go alone! If you will not go with me, do not let me go at all. Moses knew that the task was too great, the people too rebellious, and the way too long and hard for a man to lead this great people.

2. What an assurance! Verse 14. What a blessing it is to know that the Lord goes with His people through the trying times of life. I can honestly say that He has never left me no forsaken me nor will He leave or forsake you when troubles and trials come our way. He has promised His presence to us just as He did to Moses.

F. It is the grace and presence of God that separates you and me from the world. The world has no one to lean on when they feel alone as Moses felt but we have our wonderful Lord.

1. God gives His children the grace needed for the trial. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” God’s grace is abundant and sufficient for every day in every way that we travel. Often we fail the grace of God and complain or fear but that grace never diminishes.

2. God shows His person during each of our trials. Paul said, “Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.” God will stand with us as He did Moses and give us what we need every day for the trial or task at hand.

G. Then, in verse 18, Moses asked the Lord to give him a vision of the glory of God’s person.

1. This was not an unreasonable request because the task before Moses was so great that he needed the assurance that brings about rest.

a) I believe that this same request was made by John the Baptist when he sent two of his disciples and told them to ask Jesus if He was the one or should they look for another.

b) The glory of God is wonderful to see during the midst of a trial but getting a glimpse of Him before the trial is even better.

2. Moses asked to see His glory and the Lord promised to show Moses His goodness! The glory of God is manifested in the goodness of God when we need Him most.

H. God called Moses back to the mount, gave him the Ten Commandments again, and then placed Moses in position to see His glory. I believe that a biblical principle is established here: in order to see the glory of God, you must be in the right spiritual position as seen in verses 21-22.

1. Fellowshipping with Christ – “a place by me”

2. Standing upon Christ – “stand upon a rock”

3. Positioned in Christ – “in a clift of the rock”

4. Secured by Christ – “cover thee with my hand”

I. In verse 19 we find the phrase “all my goodness” and that “goodness” is proclaimed in 34:6-7.

1. The Glory of His Person. “The LORD, the LORD God” “LORD” is the Jewish national name for God. “JAH” or “the LORD most vehement.” The self-existing One; the eternal One; the I AM THAT I AM!

a. The Glory of God is found in His condescension! Psalms 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. (That God Almighty, who needs nothing or anyone, would even recognize a poor lost sinner like you and me is beyond comprehension.)

b. The Glory of God is found in His compassion! 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (He not only knows me but He also cares for me.)

2. The Glory of His Salvation. “merciful and gracious”

a. The Glory of God is found in His mercy. Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Mercy means that we do not get what we deserve. Every person in this church deserves nothing but hell! I am so glad that hell will never be my eternal home because of the great love and compassion of the Lord. He certainly has not rewarded any of us after our iniquity. If you are saved, you should thank God every day for His mercy.)

b. The Glory of God is found in His grace. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Grace means that we get what we do not deserve. Not only is hell not my eternal home but heaven is my eternal home! God has been more that gracious to all of us and, one day by God’s marvelous grace, we will step on “the other side” and experience all of the goodness of God for all of eternity.)

3. The Glory of His Longsuffering. “longsuffering” God not only saves and secures us through His wonderful grace but He also “puts up with us!”

a. The Glory of God is found in His longsuffering. Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. (He never gives up on us and l0ves us in spite of who and what we are. As we continue to love our children, He continues to love us. He’s still working on me!)

b. The Glory of God is found in His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Until seventy times seven” shows the forgiveness of God. As often and as many times as we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!)

4. The Glory of His Faithfulness. “goodness and truth” Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

a. The Glory of God is found in His goodness. Psalms 100:4-5 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5) For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (God is good to us all of the time. We have need of nothing today because of His goodness. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God. God is good!)

b. The Glory of God is found in His truthfulness. Psalms 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (What God says is right and He will never change His mind on the subject. He is the same today as He always was and will be the same tomorrow as He is now. You can completely depend upon Him!)

Conclusion: The glory of God is not found in our situations; the glory of God is not found in just His creation; the glory of God is found in His person!