Moses

I have been thinking so much about Moses Lately. About how the the word says he was the humblest man on the face of the earth (numbers 12:3). He asked to see the glory of the Lord even though he knew that seeing it could potentially kill him (Exodus 33:20). He wanted the presence more than his own life. Moses wanted to see God, the glory of God, even if that meant that he might die. And God could not stay away from that kind of hunger. So He showed Moses His glory, but what is the "glory" of the Lord? "my goodness to pass in front of you" (exodus 33:19) God's glory is His GOODNESS. The Lord uses the word glory and goodness interchangeably(Exodus 33:18-22).

Exodus 33:11 says that the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Just chew on that. What incredible intimacy! What intensity. Would God say to the other Israelites in the camp "do not come to me"? "Do not be intimate with me"? I understand it was a different covenant back then, but it's definitely a possibility that Moses was just a man that yes obviously had a call on his life from the Lord but regardless of that perhaps he was just a guy who took the invitation that God offers, an invitation to intimacy that is friendship with God. Maybe all the Israelites could have talked with God "face to face" as well if they had just said "yes". Even if Moses was afraid of the Lord his fear did not stop him. He entered in. He entered into the invitation. He gazed. He drew close. Where were the other Israelites? Exodus 20:18 says that they were afraid and "kept at a distance". The word does not say God kept at a distance it said "they" kept at a distance, meaning the Israelites.

Let us not stay at distance! Let us be like Moses pressing into the glory, the GOODNESS of God. Stare and stare and stare at God, at the glory of God until it changes you. I want to keep my gaze unbroken on Him and I know that it will come with a cost. And I know that I will get burned, burned by the jealous flame of the Lord, and I know that I will be changed, illuminated. Moses was literally illuminated (Exodus 34:35) because of the glory of the Lord.

Some people think it's weird when people shake or manifest in the presence of God but I think it's weird when people have no reaction at all in the presence of God.
Look at Him. BEHOLD Him. It's possible. We will become what we behold. We will reflect what we see. I want to reflect Him to others so that means I have to look at Him. By gazing upon we get to know Him, begin to trust Him, and become like Him. Our culture does not make it easy to "behold" Him. Beholding Him means time spent with Him. And in this culture we are BUSY. Family, responsibilities, jobs, friends, ministry, the list goes on. We need to take time to BEHOLD Him, to gaze upon Him. To gaze upon the power of His resurrection, to meditate upon His kindness, to think upon His goodness. To Fill our mind with his thoughts and believe them. Father raise up people that would not be afraid and not stay at a distance but would draw close and behold you!


Psalm 27:4-
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to GAZE upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.