Exodus 33:19, commentary and pictures

God answered Moses' plea to see His glory by promising to let all His goodness pass before him and to announce His name and character as fully as a mortal could bear. That glory is His goodness itself, that He is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. He is gracious to whom He will be gracious and shows mercy on whom He will show mercy, freely choosing by His own sovereign will, yet He will by no means clear the guilty, so His justice in punishing sin is also part of His glory. Because no one in mortal flesh can look on His unveiled face and live, He sheltered Moses in a cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand while He passed by. It was Christ who made this answer, and who afterward came to earth on the same mission to declare the Father's name by clothing divinity with humanity and giving Himself in suffering and death to save the lost, so that steadfastly beholding Him transforms believers into His merciful, holy likeness.

Moses's Plea for Glory

After Israel's idolatry at Sinai with the golden calf, the people feared that God had withdrawn His presence, and Moses interceded for Israel and pleaded for God's favor and for His presence to go with them on the journey to Canaan. In that encounter Moses brought his fear and burden to God while facing the people's repeated complaints, and God strengthened his fainting heart and continued to hold the nation as His people. God's answer to that pleading was the promise to make all His goodness pass before Moses and to proclaim His name, including His graciousness and mercy given according to His own sovereign will.

Not satisfied with the promise of the divine presence alone, Moses kept asking for further revelation of divine favor and larger things for himself and Israel and would not cease his importunings. Thirsting for greater tokens of blessing after his intercession had been fully answered, holding fast the promises and living in close communion until emboldened to ask for still greater things, he prayed to see God's glory in order to know God so he could represent Him to the people in all his work. That divine revelation and commission made Moses great and strengthened his leadership for carrying that goodness to the world and making God known.

The request came not from idle curiosity, selfishness, or ambition for worldly distinction, but from a whole-souled longing to know God more, to commune with Him and feel His presence near in every emergency. He sought a clear view to carry with him on his discouraging mission, and to communicate the blessing to all with whom he came in contact to honor and glorify God. God did not turn away or rebuke the unprecedented prayer as presumption asking too much, but favored it with a firm answer and graciously granted it. Reaching higher and still higher for clearer revelations of that character remains the privilege of believers, since closeness to God enables people to see more clearly the displays of His power.

Glory as Goodness Revealed

The answer came when Moses asked to see the divine glory, and the glory promised was all the divine goodness passing before him in the proclamation of the name of the Lord. That goodness is character itself, freely opened to mortal capacity, with grace and mercy extended by sovereign will to whom He wills. No one in mortal flesh can look upon the unveiled face and live, so Moses was shielded in a cleft of the rock to see the back parts but not the face. It was an exceptional favor to a fallen human being, granting only as much of the glory as could be endured. To comprehend that character as Moses did moves to bowed worship, adoration and praise.

To proclaim the name is to portray who God is before the beholder, revealing glory by setting forth character. The promise was fulfilled when God passed by and declared His name, further unfolded in Exodus 34:6 as merciful and gracious, patient, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving sin while not clearing the guilty. That passing and proclaiming makes clear that mercy, love and goodness belong to Him, the same character afterward revealed by Jesus in compassion and love toward people. Earlier displays of glory in deliverance from bondage, passage through the sea, bread from heaven, water from the rock, and guidance by cloud and fire had only kindled desire for a greater manifestation, which was then granted.

Sovereign Gracious Merciful Character

The goodness promised to pass before Moses is the divine character itself, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth and loving-kindness, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, full of compassion, patience, kindness and inexpressible love. That proclamation of the name declares who God is, unfolding further what it means for all His goodness to be revealed to a mortal. To comprehend that character as Moses did brings haste to bow the head to the earth in worship, adoration and praise.

Yet with that forgiveness He will by no means clear the guilty and does not treat guilt as though it were innocent. His justice in punishing sin is also His glory, made known even as Moses was hidden in the cleft before carrying out justice upon the idolaters. Mercy, patience, kindness and truth therefore stand together with righteous judgment in the one revelation of goodness.

He is gracious to whom He will be gracious and shows mercy on whom He will show mercy, freely choosing by His own sovereign will whom to treat with grace and mercy. That freedom to extend grace and mercy as He wills belongs to the proclamation of His name and to the passing by of His glory. The revelation was an exceptional favor to a fallen human entrusted with leading Israel, granted while Moses was shielded from seeing the face which no one can see and live.

That merciful revelation explains why He forgave Israel and bore long with the rebellious for the sake of the repentant among them and for the glory of His name. His pardoning goodness as Sin-bearer, in constantly pardoning iniquity and sin through mercy, forbearance and longsuffering, is the plan and ground of salvation, which is love. It refutes the misrepresentation of Him as only justice visiting the transgression of the sinner without mercy, showing His true character to be goodness, love and compassion, so that if man will confess his sins the Father will pardon him. In that glory Moses saw the plan of salvation in Christ, whose self-sacrifice and death fulfilled what the sacrificial offerings represented, bringing mercy and justice together.

Sheltered Vision of Glory

No mortal in this present state can look upon the unveiled face of God and live, so Moses was promised only as much of the divine glory as he could endure, beholding His back parts but not His face. The answer was gracious rather than rebuke, granting a revelation of character while shielding him from the full sight that no one can see and live. This was an exceptional favor to a fallen person, fulfilled when he was summoned again to the mountain summit.

With the hand that made the world and holds the mountains, with His own creating hand, God placed Moses, a mere atom of humanity and creature of the dust, in a cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand while His glory and all His goodness passed by, so His glory would not consume him and his life would not be extinguished. That passing of goodness was what Moses wanted and what he needed, coming as he was about to carry out justice on the idolaters. The impress of that passing glory left his face shining with reflected glory so brightly the people could not look upon it when he returned.

The revelation was an excellent glory and close access to speak as with a friend, granted to Moses as to no other person on earth, an exceptional favor to a fallen human being entrusted with leading Israel. Above all else it gave him the assurance that God would hear his prayer and that the divine presence would attend him and give success in the work before him. This he counted of infinitely greater worth than all the learning of Egypt and all his attainments as statesman and military leader, since no earthly power or skill or learning can supply the place of God's abiding presence.

He could receive this only after forty years of humble shepherd discipline in the mountain solitudes had pruned his impetuous, ambitious spirit, lessened confidence in self and in the highest Egyptian education, and brought him to meek humility trusting God alone. The plain delineation thus given of the character of God as the God of Israel, the great I AM, was meant to teach what God is, to show human weakness and inefficiency, to show that strength is alone in God, and to take away all self-exaltation. For that very reason his later sin in taking glory to himself was proportionately aggravating and highly displeasing to God, because God had trusted him so much. Defects of character in one so honored and blessed, to whom He has manifested His great glory, are far more offensive than in those less favored with opportunities and privileges, and they lead others who see the failure to take license to sin and shelter their own defective characters behind his example, so that sin loses its offensive character to them.

Christ and Salvation Foreshadowed

It was Christ who answered Moses when he asked to see the divine glory, making all His goodness pass before him and proclaiming the name of the Lord in grace and mercy. The glory Moses asked to see was the Son of God veiled in Christ, greater than Moses, who as an infant lay in the priest's arms in the temple and who had declared Himself to Moses as the I AM. Through that glory Moses saw the plan of salvation in Christ, whose self-sacrifice and death would fulfill what the sacrificial offerings represented and bring mercy and justice together. Israel's salvation through Christ was as complete as the salvation offered in Moses' day.

Christ came to earth on the same mission to declare the Father's name and character to men, that the love of the Father may be in them. God's glory is His goodness and His character as merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin yet by no means clearing the guilty. This same character was revealed in the life of Christ, who constantly beheld and revealed God's character to the world by taking the likeness of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh. He revealed it by leaving the royal court and heaven, clothing His divinity with humanity, becoming poor that men through His poverty might become rich, and enduring humiliation and suffering and death on the cross to seek and save the lost world. His compassion and love toward people showed the Father's own tenderness and mercy, and when the character of God is comprehended as Moses comprehended it the response is to hasten to bow in adoration and praise and to impart the knowledge of God to others.

That knowledge of God, whose glory is His goodness and whose name is His character of love, is necessary in order to keep His law, because the law is a transcript of His loving character. God's glory and name are made known in His goodness and in His merciful and gracious character, as further stated in Exodus 34:6, where He is patient and abundant in goodness and truth.

The cleft of the rock where Moses was sheltered as God revealed His glory is the place to hide in order to behold the glory of Jesus Christ, a picture of hiding in God and depending on His protection. Being hidden in the Rock means coming into close relation to Jesus with life hid with Christ in God, uniting the divine with the human. Fitness to see God is a character built after the Pattern of Christ, who took human nature, met every temptation without yielding, and maintained the full perfection of heaven's character, for without Christ nothing can be done. Fallen, enfeebled people need not remain degraded but may become partakers of the pure and celestial element by beholding Jesus and being changed into His likeness, forming character in this life by looking daily at Him in whom grace and the heavenly attributes are revealed until assimilated to the character of the Saviour full of grace and truth.

Reflecting Glory in Life

The glory made known in the verse is God's goodness, which is His character — merciful and gracious, long-suffering and slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth and loving-kindness, keeping mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, full of compassion, patience and inexpressible love — and it was fulfilled when He passed by Moses and proclaimed His name. That character, revealed in Jesus Christ into whose likeness followers are changed, is the pattern once given to Israel and now the calling of all believers to represent to the world. The fruit God desires and requires from them is that same goodness made visible in purity of character and holiness of life, in mercy, loving-kindness, compassion, patience, long-suffering, tenderness, sympathy and forgiveness toward one another, demonstrating that the law of the Lord is perfect in converting the soul.

The promise to make all His goodness pass before and to proclaim His name is not for Moses alone but belongs to all who are willing for self to be humbled and who by faith draw near and trust Him, beside which knowledge all else is vanity and nothingness. To them God quickens perceptions and enlarges hearts to comprehend His glory, makes their requests known with assurance that He hears and answers prayer, and leads them by His counsel through the Holy Spirit, His providences, and the teachings of His Word. Earlier revelations in delivering from Egyptian bondage, leading through the Red Sea, giving bread from heaven, bringing water from the rock, and guiding by cloud and fire only kindled desire for a greater manifestation, and God still grants that prayer today.

Sin darkens the mind and dims perception of God, but as sin is purged from the heart His character becomes clearer. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, illuminating His word and reflected from nature, more and more fully declares Him merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, full of grace and truth. Steadfastly beholding Him transforms mind and heart and soul to the image of His holiness, uniting the divine with the human with life hid with Christ in God after the Pattern of Christ who met every temptation without yielding, and enables endurance of His presence and fitness to see God.

Those who bear responsibilities are to pray as Moses prayed, first telling God they cannot lead unless His presence goes with them and then asking for still more, to see His glory, fastening upon God in living faith, speaking His praise and turning the mind to eternal realities so that with the will in harmony with the divine will they have Christ beside them as counselor. In trouble and discouragement and perplexity they are to go directly to the Fountain Head Jesus Christ, become acquainted with Him and take hold of Him by faith in the cleft of the rock, seeking with prayer and a meek, contrite spirit that trembles at His word, staying humble and hidden without overmastering passion even when the work brings trials. The condition is whole-hearted surrender and free unlimited forgiveness toward one another, since heaven is reached only through His wonderful mercy and forbearance as Sin-bearer toward those who can make no return; then the eyes are anointed to see heavenly things clearly, gain a right estimate of God, carry His goodness to the world, stand fast and overcome, while those refusing to humble themselves will not understand their visitation.