Who will go before? Revealing God’s glory

This Bible study is all about revealing the glory of God as those who go before.

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The Israelites watched God go before them, leading them out of Egypt and to the promised land. However, their focus was not on God as they were delivered, but on Moses. When the opportunity came for them to make an idol, they took it. Just like the Israelites, we quickly turn from the living God who has promised to go before us.

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Read all about our God who chose to go before us, before reflecting on it below.

Exodus 32 – 34

Who will go before to save us?

After Moses had been up on the mountain for 40 days {while it was engulfed in flames}, the Israelites started to worry. They wanted an idol to worship because they wanted a physical representation instead of relying on God to go before them. Moses had become their idol, and when they didn’t see him, they turned to another. Making the golden calf was not a sudden decision. It was the result of their hearts already being turned away from God.

Are you fully devoted to God? Or do you seek a representation to worship (Colossians 3:5)?

Seeing is believing

Arron did not mean to completely get rid of God in making the idol, but His faith was weak and he thought he needed something that he could see to worship. This is not something that was unique to Arron and the Israelites. We have a culture where we are constantly worshiping the created things of God rather than the Creator. We have become a people more consumed with saving planet earth than with rescuing God’s people from a life without knowing Him.

Do you know and worship God alone (Romans 1:21-23)?

Covered in mercy

The Israelites were quick to turn from God, making themselves an idol instead of allowing God to go before them. Because of this, God had every right to completely destroy them. But He chose to forgive them instead. Before, the Israelites were rightly in a place of judgment in God’s sight. But God, in His lovingkindness, placed them in His mercy. God does the same for us, when Jesus interceded for us on the cross and we accept Him as our savior, we go from a place of judgment, covered in our sin, to a redeemed people of God, covered by the blood of Jesus. It is nothing that we can do to earn God’s favor, as it was freely given to us before we realized our need, just as there was nothing the Israelites could have done to earn the favor of God because Moses interceded for them before they realized that they were in a place of judgment before God.

Are you walking in relationship with God as one who has been covered by His mercy (Romans 6:1-2)?

God’s presence to go before

God told the Israelites that they were to continue on to the promised land without His presence. He wanted to know if they just wanted His blessing or if they valued His presence. The Israelites’ response was that they did not want the blessing without the presence of God.

Do you want God’s presence over His promises (Psalm 16:11)?

Worship is the only response

The Israelites’ showed that their hearts were set on God. They desired His presence in their lives. So Moses placed His tent outside of the camp as a temporary tabernacle – a place they could go to meet with God, and whenever the Israelites saw Moses going into the tent to speak with God, they also worshiped the Lord. The only proper response to being in God’s presence is worship.

Do you find yourself worshiping when you are in the presence of God (Psalm 100:4)?

Your glory to go before

Moses was a man who had experienced the direct presence of God for 40 days on Mount Sinai, yet, it wasn’t enough. Although Moses had already seen so much of who God is, he was still hungry for more. So Moses asked God to “show me your glory.” God answered Moses’ request by placing him in the cleft of a rock and protecting him from the power of His glory as He passed by. The result was that Moses saw the aftereffects of the glory of God.

God promises that He will draw near to us when we desire Him and draw near to Him. Do you desire to know God fully (Psalm 73:28)?

The glory of God revealed

When Moses went back up on Mount Sinai as God commanded, the Lord came down in a cloud of His Shekinah glory, proclaiming His name. Here, God is revealing His glory to Moses, and He starts simply by repeating His name, “the Lord.” This is the same name He used to reveal Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our God is an unchangeable and eternal God. He is full of active compassion and mercy. God is gracious; bending to us – those who are inferior – in his kindness, showing us favor. He is long-suffering, slow to anger, and patient. God abounds in love and faithfulness. He is overflowing with goodness (ḥeseḏ), unconditional loving-kindness and undeserved mercy. His faithfulness is the reliability and sureness of His truth.

This is the glory of God – His goodness. How have you experienced the glory of God (Psalm 63:2-3)?

Those who look to Him are radiant

When Moses came down from the mountain, his face was radiant from being in the presence of God. He has asked to see the glory of God because he wanted to know and be consumed by God. God allowed Moses to see His glory, and that glory was reflected on Moses’ face. But the Old covenant had only a fading glory because it was still waiting on the fulfillment brought by Jesus. So Moses wore a veil in order to keep the people from seeing the diminishing glory fade away.

How has Jesus fulfilled the covenant and brought lasting glory (1 Corinthians 3:12-18)?

Reflect on who you allow to go before

The Israelites needed something they could see and control to go before them. Moses longed for God alone and His presence. Who – or what – do you want to go before you, leading you in life?