Show Me Your Glory | Encountering The Presence of God in Exodus 33
- The Secret Place Ministry
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
In Exodus 33, Moses’ bold yet humble prayer—“Show me Your glory”—reveals a deep longing for the presence of God that every believer is invited to pursue today.
Context of Exodus 33
Before we dive into Exodus 33:12-23 we are going to look at the context of this passage. At this point in Scripture, the Jewish people, along with a mixed multitude, have already been delivered from Egypt and are in the wilderness.
In Exodus chapters 19–24, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God and spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai. When Moses came down the mountain, he found the people worshiping a golden calf in Exodus 32. This moment of rebellion sets the stage for what unfolds in Exodus 33.
Breaking Down Exodus 33:12–23
“Moses said to the Lord, ‘You have been telling me, “Lead these people,” but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, “I know you by name and you have found favor with me.” If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.’”
Moses desired to know the ways of God—not simply for direction, but to know the Lord more deeply and to walk in His favor. This invites an important question for us: Do we want to know the ways of God, and if so, why? What is the motive behind our desire to know Him more deeply?
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Valuing the Presence of God
Moses knew the promises of God and had been leading the people toward the Promised Land. Yet his response reveals something profound: he valued the presence of God more than the promise of God.
He longed for the very presence of God. Moses said, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." The Presence of God was of more importance to him than taking the next step.
May we be like Moses—longing for the presence of God more than the promise, unwilling to move forward unless God’s presence and favor go with us.
Distinguished from other Nations
Without God’s presence, there would be nothing to distinguish Israel from the other nations. Moses understood that apart from God, they would look just like everyone else.
In the same way, without the work of the Spirit of God in our lives, we would look just like the world.
In John 17:14-16, it says that though we live in this world we are not of the world. We dont speak or act like those who are living in the flesh. Because of the work of the Spirit in our lives we are supposed to look different.
Are you living a life that distinguishes you from the rest of the world?
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
God wants to reveal himself
When Moses cried out, “Show me your glory,” we not only see his heart posture—we also see the willingness of God to reveal Himself.
God's response to Moses reveals his very heart to His children. Going back to verse 12 we see that Moses was known by God and had favor with God. God wants to show himself and will reveal himself to those who are his children.
Show Me Your Glory
At first glance, Moses’ request for God to show him His glory appears bold, but when reflecting on this passage and looking deeper within its context we can see Moses' humility.
Prior to this Moses had already seen the glory of God in countless ways:
The burning bush
The plagues against Egypt
The parting of the Red Sea
God’s provision of manna
God’s discipline when Israel sinned
Forty days and nights in the presence of God receiving the Ten Commandments
Read this account of Moses seeing the glory of God and being in His presence before he makes the statement in Exodus 33 "Show me your gory.'
Exodus 24:12–18
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
If Moses had already encountered the glory of the Lord time and time again why does he then ask, “Show me your glory"? It wasnt just a mere hunger for more of God's presence, but it was deeper. It was recognition of his deep need for God. It wasn't a demand for more of God, but a humble plea.
Moses carried the heavy responsibility of leading a rebellious people. He had just witnessed Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf. He knew that without the presence of God, he would be leading in his own strength.
So in humility—fully aware that he was not enough—Moses bowed low before the Lord and pleaded, “Show me your glory.”
This was not a demand. It was a humble cry from a servant who knew his limitations.
When reading this passage in scripture with those eyes it makes where Moses was, to me, very relatable.
Have you ever found yourself recognizing your limitations? Maybe you've walked through a really dark moment where you just needed to taste and see that God is who he says he is.
Maybe you needed a glimpse of Gods glory. Maybe you need to see it now.
If you want to see the glory of God, like Moses, you need to ask from a place of Humility. 1 Peter 5 it shows that God opposes the proud, but will show favor to the humble and when you humble yourself God will lift you up.
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
If you want to encounter God. If you want to see his glory. You have to humble yourself before the Lord. You have to get low.
May we be in a place like Moses where he recognized his weaknesses and his need for God’s presence. A touch of God. A glimpse of his beauty.
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord will fill you every single time.
You can be walking through the hardest and darkest valley and a glimpse of the light of God will sustain you. And once it does, you will hunger for more.
May we hunger for the presence of God. May we long for the favor of the Lord and refuse to walk wherever the Lord’s favor is not.
And may these words be on our lips, “Show me your glory.”
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Remember you are so loved, valued, and cherished.