Men, even though God answered Moses’ request to show him His glory, he was only allowed to see God’s back parts for God said, “There shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). The actual seeing of God’s rear or back parts would have been very special to Moses. However, I am sure that when God proclaimed who He was in the essence of His character that this would have meant far more to Moses than anything else.
Moses realized that the full revelation of the goodness of God’s character would take more than a life time to comprehend. God’s glory cannot be limited to a moment of time. It will take the ages to come for God to show us “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).
To know the glory of God is not just a onetime experience, but a life time and beyond experience. To know who God is in a daily experience is what it takes to know the glory of God. As the hymn writer says:
More about Jesus would I know
More of His love to others show,
More of His saving fullness see
More of His love who died for me.”
In Philippians 3:8-14 the apostle Paul mentions that the ambition of his life was to know Christ and then he states that he was PRESSING ON for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Hosea 6:3 says: ”Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.” The moment we plateau or flatten out, thinking we know Him sufficiently, we are in a dangerous place. Knowing God and making Him known should be the greatest joy and fulfillment of our lives.
How can we possibly make known the glory of God if we do not increase in the knowledge of God? The glory of God is an inexhaustible treasure of the finest gold. There is no end to His glory.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell