THE REVELATION OF GLORY
Scriptures: Exodus 34:1-9; John 17:1-5
The Glory of God is perhaps one of the most amazing revelations of God Himself. To get to know; to get a glimpse of; to understand God’s Glory can be the deepest, most profound and life changing experiences ever, of any believer. We are going to ascend three mountain tops; share the experiences of three persons; give ear to three voices between earth and heaven, witness three revelations – all leading to one magnificent and empowering Truth that bursts forth with such power and passion; guaranteed to change our life’s direction, reinforce our dedication and deepen our devotion towards our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Out there on the cold and bitter night preceding His crucifixion, Our Lord Jesus cries out: Father, glorify me so that I may glorify You!
The word, glorify, theologically lends itself to several interpretations, perhaps rightly so. In simple terms, to glorify is to magnify, to make an awesome and spectacular display, something magnificent surrounded by radiance and vibrance bringing out a grandeur and a greatness; the ultimate.
John in 1:14 says…and we beheld His glory….full of grace and truth…
We see a connect between Jesus, His glory and …Truth!
What is this mystery, this secret, this profound Truth linked to His glory?
To understand this we need to make our ascent to the top of Mount Sinai. After the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, faithful to his promise, God brings His people to the foot of Mount Sinai. We see Moses making two ascents up Mount Sinai. In his first descent down the Mount with the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, we see Moses hurling the tablets of stone to the earth to be broken into pieces as a violent reaction to the sinful idolatry and wanton behavior of God’s people. The Ten Commandments representing the First Covenant Law between God and His people is broken. Moses, who symbolically represents the Law, is broken as well! He is broken in spirit, body, mind and soul. Now God’s people will have to face the unquenchable wrath and judgment of God.
We hear Moses’ cry to God. His plaintive plea resonates down the hills and vales. O God! My mission is your mission. My people are your people. When the world sees us, they see us as your people. Have mercy upon us.
And then Moses makes a strange request. Lord, I want to see your glory!
What is the reason for Moses, at this strange and disappointing turn of events, wanting to see God’s glory?
It is because he is so distraught; so broken; so vulnerable; defenseless; helpless, clueless and directionless he turns to the only One he can trust and depend upon. I want to see your glory God because I want to know you more and more ; understand you more and more; serve you more and more; love you more and more; live for you more and more; to be a witness for you more and more…….and this can happen only if you reveal more of yourself to me!
This desire is not spurred by curiosity but by his sense of mission. What he seeks is not a physical encounter but a spiritual revelation; a drawing aside of the veil. To come into the full knowledge and understanding of God as God!
It is indeed heartening and encouraging to read that God agrees to Moses; conditionally! I will place you in the cleft of the Rock. You will be hidden, protected in this cleft as I pass by. I will cover you with my hand so that no harm comes upon you. You will not be able to see my face, but my back. All my goodness shall cross by and you shall be a witness to what has passed by.
God is our Rock, our refuge and strength. The Rock that was One, is now cleft, even as Our Lord Jesus Christ, earlier one with the Father; now comes down to restore fallen man. As God passes by, he promises that his hand will cover Moses. The hand that is nailed to the cross will be the hand that covers him ; the blood that is shed from this pierced hand will be the atonement to cover man’s sin whilst God’s judgment passes through; but what Moses will witness will be the goodness of God, the salvation; he will get a glimpse of God who ‘has already accomplished and fulfilled’ what needs to be ‘accomplished and fulfilled’!
When Moses as a wandering shepherd had his first encounter with God on Mount Sinai, he was instructed to remove his sandals. The God he was meeting reveals himself as a ‘Holy God’ – everything to be in order, right and proper. A Holy God, a Righteous God. However, in his second climb up Mount Sinai, Moses experiences God in a new dimension – a Merciful God. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy!
When Moses pleads with God –‘Lord, I pray thee, go among us……’ it is not a prayer for attendance but acceptance. It is not asking God for his presence amongst his people but to demonstrate his possession over his people; the covenant is no longer one engraven on stone but one imprinted in the heart. Moses spends forty days and forty nights with God in Mount Sinai, each day experiencing a new aspect of God. This knowledge, this understanding, this revelation is a glimpse of God’s glory. The testimony, the evidence of having witnessed and experienced God’s glory is that Moses’ face now shines with the reflection of the glory that has shone upon him and he quietly covers his face with a veil. Man cannot seek God’s glory through another man. It is only God who chooses to reveal.
In the Book of I Kings 19 we find another man of God whose experiences, emotions and emptiness resonate with what we just witnessed in Moses in Exodus 34. Elijah, the mighty prophet who single- handedly took on King Ahab, the fierce and blood thirsty prophets of Baal and a whole nation plagued with idolatry and degeneracy now broken in spirit, body, mind and soul. In despair he cries: I am no better than my fore-fathers – implying Moses. I am ready to die, I cannot go any further. This is the end of the road.
Here we see a beautiful turn to an otherwise gruesome end. God encourages Elijah to go the extra mile. Covering this extra mile demands an arduous journey of forty days and forty nights. To reach a spot destined by God. The same spot that Moses stood hundreds of years back. The cleft of the Rock which God had prepared for Moses is where Elijah is going to discover himself…..and God!
When God questions Elijah: What are you doing here? It is a question put to Elijah to search his own heart; his thoughts, his intentions, his feelings, his questions, his conclusions. Elijah confesses. I am alone. I am abandoned. I am helpless, clueless and directionless. I am no longer able to fulfill the mission you have given me. Your people, the people of Israel have forsaken the covenant, thrown down the altars, and slain the prophets with the sword.
God now offers Elijah a unique opportunity. He is going to reveal his glory. Elijah, go forth and stand upon the Mount before the Lord. With great anticipation Elijah seeks to get a glimpse of God. There is a mighty whirlwind. Elijah is thrilled. He is going to see God. But to his disappointment God isn’t there. Elijah continues to wait. Now there appears a mighty fire. Elijah knows for sure that God as a consuming fire is going to reveal himself. He is again disappointed as he is not able to see God. He continues his vigil. All of a sudden, there is a tremulous earthquake shaking the foundations of the earth. Elijah knows that his waiting is not in vain. He is going to now see God. To his utter dismay he finds no trace of God.
God does not and will not reveal himself the way you wish or expect of him. In fact, he does exactly the opposite. He meets you at the other end of the spectrum, the diametrically opposite side, in the most unexpected/least expected manner. Not in the midst of sound and fury; but as a gentle whisper. He may appear is a sound so soft, so subtle, almost imperceptible. A sound that is of the same level of gentle stillness. A sound that Elijah can hear only when he covers himself with his cloak. The cloak, the Tallit, the prayer shawl which is the individual’s tent, tabernacle……meeting place with God. Under these contradictory and conflicting circumstances Elijah encounters God through the voice of His Holy Spirit. Even as God begins to reveal himself, Elijah falls on his face, worships God with humility and repentance.
God’s glory is revealed in all its might and splendor. God commands Elijah: Continue your journey! Finish your job! I have set the timelines and milestones and already put in place those who are to accomplish the mission….but through you! A revived, renewed, recharged Elijah sets off with redoubled energy. In this last leg of his journey he is going to achieve much more than all that he has done earlier.
In Matthew 17, we find our Lord Jesus on top of a mountain, possibly Mount Tabor. He is accompanied by Peter, James and John. The disciples witness a spectacle they have never seen, heard of or possibly imagine. The Transfiguration. This brilliant and glorious light engulfing our Lord is not some bright reflection but a radiance that comes from within Him. The disciples are getting a glimpse of God’s glory. They also witness the presence of Moses and Elijah, who had earlier sought to get a glimpse of God’s glory. Their prayers had indeed been answered, and their respective missions accomplished. They are now talking to Jesus who is yet to accomplish his mission possibly witnessing how God had enabled them to fulfill their missions they had earlier believed impossible.
What comes out incredibly true is that Our Lord Jesus, as Son of Man, finds himself in almost identical circumstances in which Moses and Elijah stood at their points of time in history. As Our Lord Jesus prepares himself for his final journey which is to end on Mount Calvary, as Son of Man, he looks forward to His Heavenly Father’s affirmation that He is with him. And down from the clouds comes the voice: 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him! ‘Our Lord Jesus knows that the ultimate glory of God is now going to be revealed; in the most unexpected and least predicted manner. On a Roman Cross; the ultimate symbol of hopelessness and shame.
In John 17:3, our Lord Jesus prays to the Father: ‘And this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do…………..’
Jesus’ prayer is both prophetic and confirmatory since he has already surrendered himself to fulfill his mission – to drink of the Father’s cup to the dregs. Earlier, Jesus had told his disciples and the crowds: When I am lifted up, I will draw all men towards me. All those who are lost will be found; all those who are in darkness will now enter light. The mystery, the secret behind ‘Eternal Life’ is to know God, the only true God, to know Jesus Christ sent by God. Eternal Life therefore is to know; to have the perfect knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. The deep, intimate knowledge between a husband and wife in marriage. To become one with Jesus Christ; one in body, one in mind, one in spirit.
Eternal Life therefore is not a function of space or time. It is not something to do with the quantity but the quality of existence. Revelation of God is the Glory of God. Jesus’ glory was ultimately revealed not on a throne but on the Cross. When we come into this knowledge, understanding, appreciation, love, wonder….we realize that we too can get a glimpse of God’s glory when we follow the path of the Cross. The path of faith, the path of hope and the path of glory.
Amen and God Bless.
Sam Chandar
