Exodus 33: 17 – 23 “And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”
“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” And He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
What’s the difference between goodness and love? When Moses begs God to show him His (God’s) glory, why does God promise to make all of His goodness pass before Moses? Dennis Prager discusses the difference in an essay entitled “Is God Good or Is God Love?” Prager makes the following points:
1. Goodness and love are actually very different from one another. “Many people who have been filled with love – for country, for humanity, for the planet, for their religion, for their god – have not been good people. This is also true regarding love for people. It is possible to feel love for another person and treat him or her badly… Many abusive parents love their children (or at least think they do).”
2. As beautiful as love can be, it is, in fact, amoral. Love is moral depending on what or whom one loves, and how one expresses it.
3. Good people, by definition, do good – whether or not they happen to have loving feelings. (Love) is usually understood to mean a feeling. Goodness, on the other hand, always implies action. And the Torah is first and foremost concerned with how humans act, not how we feel. Whether or not we love others, what matters most is whether we do good for them.” Remember the proverb that says, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
4. ..the belief that God is good is a statement of faith.” Think of all the suffering in the world. Many people look at the evil in the world and refuse to believe that a good God would allow such horrible things to take place.
Prager gives three reasons to believe God is good:
1. The only alternative is to believe God is indifferent to suffering or evil. But the amount of good on earth, the fact humanity only thrives when good thrives, the fact the great majority of people are happiest when they are good, all argue for a good God.
2. The supreme revelation – the Ten Commandments – God introduced to the world in the Torah is very strong evidence God is good. Only a good God would give humanity laws of goodness.
3. Finally, a good God means a judging God, a God who ultimately dispenses justice – meaning reward for the good and punishment for the evil.” (Dennis Prager – The Rational Bible: Exodus)
v. 20 – 23 “And He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.” Here God is being incredibly kind to Moses. God is granting Moses to witness as much of God as Moses can handle. Were Moses to see God in all His glory, Moses would probably turn into a cinder or would be vaporized!
APPLICATION: Many of us have had times when we have screamed insults at God or have accused God of not caring or not even being present. Why? We want God to be good, but we want God to fulfill our expectations of goodness. But our knowledge can be extremely limited.
Recently, we got a pre – paid electricity meter for our home in the village where we live and work. The electric service in our house immediately became highly erratic! We had never had such problems before, and we were truly frustrated. As it turns out, the wiring in our home is aging and has a number of faults, some of which might lead to a major electrical fire. Our expectations in this situation have had to undergo a major shift as new information has surfaced. And we have come to realize that God in His goodness has allowed these fluctuations so that a potentially deadly situation would be exposed and dealt with.
Many of us are fond of saying that “God is love;” however, our expectations may be faulty. Our idea of “love” might be for God to grant us all our desires, even the ones that are actually not profitable or healthy for us. God in His goodness refuses to grant those desires because He knows that fulfilling them might lead to disaster. Are you disappointed with God? Check your expectations!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Goodness and Mercy! You do love us, but in Your goodness you refuse to give us things that would only work for our destruction. Help us to trust you and to seek to know you as Moses did. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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