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Dec 21, 2024 06:00am

The Draw to Glory

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The journeys and experiences of Moses in the Exodus never cease to intrigue me. I watch as Moses is methodically transformed over the course of his call to lead the children of Israel to more and more reflect the character of the God He worships. Throughout this experience, he is exposed to an increasing amount of God’s character and God’s glory. It seems that with every experience that draws him nearer to God and every exposure to God’s glory, Moses finds himself hungry for more. Even when standing on Mt. Horeb with the presence of God descended on the mountain, it stirs in Moses a desire for more. So much so that he requests from God to see His full glory. While God was able to allow Moses to see a glimpse of His glory, for Moses’ own protection God could not allow Him to see His full glory without ending his life. Scripture is clear that no man can see God’s face and live.

As I ponder this, it makes me painfully aware that this is not the type of glory that mankind naturally seeks. It is very evident that mankind tends to seek their own glory and fulfillment of their own desires more than we seek the glory of God. I have heard people say, if God just had skin on and I could see and touch Him it would be easier. But the truth is, just like Moses, we can see glimpses of God’s glory all around us, if we are looking for it. His glory is on display in nature all the time and all around us. His glory and majesty can be seen in all that is His handiwork. Whether you’re looking at the sea of stars in the sky or the sunrise or an ocean or a snowcapped mountain or the brilliant colors of a rocky mountain or the complexity and wonder of the systems that make up the human body. The children of Israel had the same opportunity to see God’s glory as Moses did early on in their Exodus journey but they refused to engage. Scripture says that they were afraid to draw near to God and so they relegated the task of approaching God to Moses. This is certainly understandable since the glory of God tends to accentuate how sinful we are and demands a higher standard of behavior and thoughts. One that is righteous and holy as He is.

I believe that this discomfort is the same reason that many times we pursue our own desires and our own glory rather than seeking God. This allows us to set our own standards, satisfy our own flesh, and view ourselves as better than whomever we may be comparing ourselves. This results in a glorification of ourselves rather than God. The problem with self-indulgence and self-glorification is that it is temporary and has an appetite that is insatiable. Constant effort, constant need to prove oneself, and constant satisfaction of fleshly desire becomes exhausting and according to scripture leaves us empty and unfulfilled. Scripture also tells us that if we are seeking our own glory, the temporary unfulfilled experience is the only reward we will receive. Even more than this empty “reward” James 4:2-3 says that when we seek self-gratification it leads us to covetousness, quarreling, and even murder. James goes on to say that we ask God for the wrong things because God will not give us things that are not for our good and not for His glory.

But scripture also assures us that when we seek the glory of God in our lives and as we share Jesus with others that God will reward us and we will not be disappointed. Moses came to understand this as he drew nearer to God and learned more about Him. It doesn’t mean that Moses and the Israelites didn’t endure hardship, but as Romans 8:18 says, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” when Christ returns, and we are set free from the presence of sin and its curse for the remainder of eternity. I believe that as Moses spent more time with God and the more that God revealed Himself to Moses, the more Moses realized this truth as stated in Romans. Until that time, we, like Moses will continue to desire more and more to see God’s full glory. The difference in this hunger for more of God and the hunger created by pursuing our own glory is that self-glorification, because it is of the flesh, seeks to enslave us and constantly show us our inadequacy. Pursuing God’s glory on the contrary gives us the freedom to pursue excellence according to God’s standard while knowing that any failures have been covered by the blood of Jesus which means His righteousness has replaced our unrighteousness. The only requirement for this gift is that we confess our sins to God and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for our sin. Then we must repent or turn from our sin and commit ourselves to living for Christ who sacrificed Himself for us. As we draw near to God, His Holy Spirit guides us in holy living and we have the privilege of seeing more and more of God’s glory. The draw to the glory of God brings hope.