Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And He [God] said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” He said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (ESV, Exodus 33:18-23)
Moses wanted to see God's glory. But because of our sins, no human being can survive in the face-to-face presence of God the Father. So God placed Moses inside the cleft of a rock, and covered Him with His hand as He passed by. This rock represented Jesus. In Him we are protected from God the Father's justice, which would consume us like a moth who dared to fly too close to a fire. But although the justice of God is a consuming fire, it is important to know that God is also loving, because it was the Father himself who placed Moses in the cleft of the rock.
If you have placed your trust in Jesus, then God has also placed you in the cleft of that Rock. And so, if you are ever plagued with doubt because of your past sins or shortcomings, and feel that you do not deserve heaven or a relationship with God, your spouse, children, or anyone else God has placed in your life, remind yourself of this:
"Yes, it is true that I do not deserve these blessings. But Jesus does, and God has placed me inside of Him. In Christ I have been forgiven for my sins and washed clean from sin. In Him I am safe from the just wrath of God. And if Christ my Rock protects me from that, will He not also keep me safe from all other things? I know that my Father loves me, and that I am of great value in His eyes, because He sent His Son to die for me. The Rock of Ages was cleft for me! And the Father Himself has placed me in the cleft of that Rock and covered me with His hand. Nothing in all of creation is powerful enough to remove that hand. I am safe and secure in Christ. These blessings are now mine because Jesus my Rock deserves them, and I am have been placed by God in Him. Christ, my Rock and my righteousness, now lives in me, and I live in Him."
Rusty Entrekin
Biblical Counselor
Rusty is the founder & owner of PeaceBrooke Biblical Counseling, LLC
(Your feedback is welcome. Write to rusty@peacebrooke.org.)