What an awesome thing for one to ask of the Lord! Show me your glory! Did Moses really understand what he was saying? Show me the glory of the Almighty God! In order to understand what he was asking, let's look at the word glory. I have discovered three possible meanings for the word - four, if you wrap them all together in one.
1. Show Me Your Splendor
One possible meaning or aspect of the word is splendor. Show me your splendor, majesty; your beauty; your outward glow and shimmering light.
If I wanted to see the splendor of an earthly monarch, they might have to duck into the nearest dressing room beforehand. The Queen of England would adorn herself in royal robes and receive the jeweled crown on her head. She would take up that golden orb in one hand and possibly a diamond crusted sceptre in the other. At this point I would be able to see her, in all of her splendor.
The Lord, however, contains his own splendor!
The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.
He wraps himself in light as with a garment.
He stretches out the heavens like a tent.
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
...His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
(From Psalm 93:1. 104:2, Job 9:8, Daniel 7:9)
2. Show Me Your Power
Glory can also refer to power. Show me your power! Show me your miracle-working, signs and wonders. When answering Moses' request, the Lord said, "When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:22-23
The word back could also be rendered the after-effects of his radiant glory as he passed by. It's as though God was saying, "I'll show you the glowing trail that I leave behind, because I emmenate so much energy and power from within myself!" After the miracles in Egypt, the Red Sea, the manna, sweet water from bitter, the cloud and pillar of fire, I think Moses was already familiar with the supernatural power of God!
3. Show Me Your Goodness
The Lord's response to Moses' request was, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..." Exodus 33:19. God is good, in morality and in quality! He is perfect, and the perfect standard for all that his good and perfect!
4. Show Me Your Self!
The word we've been looking at, glory, is from a Hebrew word that literally means weight. Something weighty. In science we think of the mass of an object. So the glory is the full weight, the substance of what something, or someone is!
The NIV Commentary says,
In response to Moses’ request to see God’s “glory,” God said that he would “cause all [his] goodness to pass” before Moses. By his “goodness” (GK H3206) is meant his whole character and nature. A further aspect of God’s glory was the proclamation of his name. The name of God includes his nature, character, person (Ps 20:1; Lk 24:47; Jn 1:12), doctrine (Ps 22:22; Jn 17:6, 26), and standards of living (Mic 4:5). Here his name includes his “mercy” and his “compassion.”
Show me your glory! Show me the full weight of who and what you are!
Let this be your prayer this week.
Lord, show me your Splendor!
Lord, show me your Power!
Lord, show me your Goodness!
Lord, show me your Self!
Lord, show me your Glory!
Today as I started my day I was in this daze as I have been for almost a year now (perhaps longer). Having lost my mother to cancer in the year 1998,three brothers, one nephew, homeless,wayward children, just stuff in my life that has tried to steal me away from my father but has had no sucess, I still deal with much sorrow. However my God shows me his glory in the best way he knows to reach my inner soul and my inner heart, as I was driving along the freeway i noticed a man sittting far beyond a desolate area and the Lord said go over there and talk to my son, I pulled over and I met this indian man he was drunk it was early in the morning and he was working at quenching his pain as I use to do I am a recovered alcoholic. We visited he and I he kept telling me I was an angel, but befor it was all said and done I realizes that God had sent me an angel. I lost my brother to the streets and ultimately to a drug over dose, so God knew I needed to see that thought I have pain in my life there are others that hurt worse the I do. I came back to look for this angel as i had gone off to get him food and clothes, I couldn't find him, I wasn't suppose to, God showed me his glory by sending me yet another angel, this one I did get to feed and show him Gods glory. I praise God for loving me enough to call me his own and I thank God for showing me his Glory each and every day of my life.
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