Look, the Splendor
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| Photo by Vincent Guth on Unsplash |
I’ve been thinking recently about the different “looks” of God that we see throughout the Bible. There have been many discussions over the years about the Old Testament God and the New Testament God. Thoughts like, “give me the New Testament but I’ll leave the Old Testament to others.” Or “I love the joy of Jesus in the New Testament, but I don’t like God in the Old.” So I wonder, do we tend to look at God as a buffet table. I’ll take a little of this and a little of that and leave off my plate those things that don’t taste good to me or annoy me or make me uncomfortable.
As a kid, I continually tried to persuade my mom that I didn’t truly need any green vegetables and could survive on rolls and mashed potatoes and fried chicken. She didn’t buy my arguments. And Hallelujah for her perseverance. So, this thinking has led me to try and eat and digest the Old Testament. What WAS going on with God? Well, I certainly, don’t know the answer. And if I could understand everything about God, would He be God? Isn’t God infinitely greater than my mere human mind?
One Bible passage that I have recently read in the Old Testament shows God come in power and splendor.
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”19 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. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 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. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Genesis 33:18-23
God manifests such splendor, such glory, that to see Him would have been overwhelming to Moses and he would not have survived. What type of power and light is that? We read also about the amazing parting of the Red Sea, manna raining down in the desert, unconditional grace and mercy offered to David and Bathsheba, Jericho’s walls falling, the ‘cloud’ that led people through the desert year after year. These are but a few examples.
Have we forgotten His splendor and glory? Glory that shines so brightly that we must hide our faces or not survive. Don’t we want our God to be a God of Glory? Let’s not limit God to be only our dear Savior, companion, and friend. Why do we shy away from things that are inexplicable or mystifying? He is a God of infinitesimal power and might and glory and splendor. His splendor and power have gone before us and will come behind us.
This season we can choose to see with new eyes how He has already come to us in power. And we can trust in that same strength and glory to lead us and love us. He is a mighty God. What are the ways you have seen His splendor and glory in your life? Why don’t we make a list?
Are you ready to try the whole buffet?
