What is the Best Way to Explain the Glory of God?
Can you imagine what it will be like when you and I finally get a glimpse of the glory of God in person?
I often wonder what it must have been like for Moses on his second journey to the top of Mt. Sinai.
Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. Exodus 34:2
Can you imagine?
How large were the stone tablets? How heavy were they? How long did it take Moses to make the 7, 497 ft. climb? What did he think about?
He wanted to see God’s Glory.
Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your Glory.” Exodus 3:18
God responded …
The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you … you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.” Exodus 33:19a, 20–23
As He passed by, God called out…
“Yahweh! The LORD!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. Exodus 34: 6–7
Have you ever wondered…
What Exactly is the Best Way to Explain the Glory of God?
If someone asked you, what words would you use to explain God’s glory?
I was at a loss and I’ve been a believer for as long as I can remember.
So, I turned to The Life Application Bible Notes for an answer:
God’s glory is who He is.
God’s glory is His character, His nature, His way of relating to His creatures. God did not give Moses a vision of His power and majesty (although He certainly could have)
He showed Moses His love.
God reveals His glory to you and me through His mercy, grace, and love.
He is always ready to forgive us and willing to help when we ask. He is faithful and just, slow to get angry and gives us time to repent. And He is always generous and gracious with His goodness, truth, and compassion.
God’s goodness is His glory!
I can only imagine what that experience must have been like for Moses.
Which reminds me of the song –
I Can Only Imagine…
When I walk, by your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When you face is before me
I can only imagine.
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine.
The glory of God is the same … yesterday, today, and forever.
Many people believe God seems vengeful and angry in the Old Testament. But sections like this one show His unchanging mercy, grace, and love.
He used the word lavish to describe how generous He is with His unfailing love.
Lavish!
The dictionary defines lavish as … being given in great amounts or without limit.
Satan’s greatest lie comes through his consistent efforts to make us doubt God’s goodness and love. But He gave us Jesus to show us just how lavish He is with His love.
But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
But God…
Showed His great love. His goodness. His glory.
He is your Provider…
This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
He is your Healer…
O Lord, if You heal me, I will be truly healed; if You save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for You alone! Jeremiah 17:14
He is LOVE…
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16
That, my friend, is seriously Good News! And it’s how you explain the glory of God.
Oh, there’s one more thing…
When Moses came down the mountain, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. Exodus 34:29b
Don’t you just love that?!
Moses’ face reflected God’s glory!
Oh, how I want that!
I want my face to be radiant and reflect God’s glory. I want people to be able to tell that I’ve spent time with God because it shows. I want God’s glory to be reflected in everything I say and do … even in the expression on my face.
Will you stop with me for just a moment and IMAGINE!
Thank you for this, Deb! I was intrigued as soon as I saw your title, because I agree: defining and explaining the glory of God is tricky! I’ve tried to do it many times with my Bible study sisters. I think of it as who God is (as you said): His essential nature and character. I also love Sally Lloyd Jones’ “definition” of “glorify” in “Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing”: she says that to glorify God is “to make a big deal” of Him. That works for me! 😉 Thanks so much for hosting Faith ‘n’ Friends!
Thank you so much for featuring my post this week. What a blessing. I’ve been studying the glory of God and as you said, it can be hard to put into words. You have pointed out words in these passages that really show the lavish love God was showing Moses. How careful God was with Moses to shield him and show Moses his goodness and love.
These are glorious thoughts to carry into the weekend. Whenever I talk about God’s glory to a group of kids, I explain it as “God’s shining greatness.” So thankful that He puts His glory on display in so many ways.
This post fits so well with something else from our sermon last Sunday. Our pastor is teaching Revelation and he was talking about how difficult it must have been for John to find words to describe what Jesus was showing Him. He is altogether beyond what we can ask or think and more lovely than we can fully grasp. Great post, Deb! May we never take or make Him casually.
Amen! I am in awe of the glory of God through the beauty of creation, and how much more glorious His presence was with Moses on that mountain! That is one of my favorite Old Testament passages–oh, how I long for my face to radiate with the glory of God when I spend time in His presence! It also reminds me of the time when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain before his disciples. The song “I can Only Imagine” beautifully describes the awe and mystery of God’s glory. What a wonderful day it will be when we see Him face to face! Thank you for sharing Deb, and thank for featuring my post! 🙂
What a pleasant surprise to find that you featured me this week. Thank you lady! You are a blessing and such an encouragement. May we all do our best to continue to draw closer to God and bring Him the glory. xoxo
Such a beautiful thought, and I love the song too. Pinning this, Deb! Happy weekend to you.
Beautiful post, Deb!! I can only imagine the moment our blind faith meets reality and our eyes see what we clung to on earth. Oh, the glory!
Pinned!
“Imagine” is absolutely one of my favorite praise songs, Deb. And oh, what joy it would be if our faces radiated God’s love, mercy and grace to all we meet. A bright and shining world, indeed!
Blessings!
That song is one of my absolute favorite songs. It always puts me right at the feet of Jesus. I CANNOT even come close to knowing what Moses experienced, but I can imagine! And I can’t wait until He comes again so I can experience It for myself.
I found your link up party through “be thee inspired” blog. I really enjoy reading your posts. In the meantime, I am new here. Thanks for hosting the party. 🙂
Yes, I will pause with you and imagine. God’s glory is so much more than I knew. What a hard question to answer but now thanks to you I think I could answer it. Before this, I would have told someone just look outside, see his Glory but it is so much more than just his creation. It has been a busy week, and I am happy I took the time to sit and imagine with you.
Thanks for hosting!
thank you for sharing how to explain God’s glory. It was challenging for me because I was preparing for children Sunday school. Your explanation was very good. Thank you once again.
Funmi, I’m so glad it blessed you! Thank you for taking a moment to let me know! God bless you and the children in your class!
Tnx so much for the clarification of The Glory of God. I can now feel His Glory in me. Like Moses in the Bible so am I… I would like u to pray with me so my marriage will be filled with The Glory of God and everything that call my name be filled with His lavish Glory . I love u brethren… Amen 🙏
I’m so glad you were encouraged, Rolline. We’re praying for you and asking Him to fill you with His Spirit that you might live for His glory. God bless you!
Thank you this blessed me today. The Glory of the Lord in this place.
I’m so glad, Evelyn. Thank you for letting me know. God bless you!