November 7 2025, Sunday School Lesson

The Glory of the Lord

Lesson Text: Exodus 33:12-23

Related Scriptures: Exodus 19:7-25; 33:1-11; 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; Psalm 103:6-14

TIME: 1446 B.C.

PLACE: Mount Sinai

Golden Text “And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me, and live” (Exodus 33:20).

Introduction

Our first unit of the quarter delves into the holiness of God’s presence. One of the overarching themes of the whole Bible is God’s unfolding plan to dwell among His people as their God (cf. Ezek 37:27; Rev. 21:3). But a huge obstacle stood in the way of that plan; sinful humans cannot get near God’s holiness.

Moses encountered that obstacle firsthand when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf in the wilderness and provoked the Lord to anger. The immediate consequences of that sin were bad enough, as many of the people died. But the worst part was the pronouncement God made in Exodus 33:3 “I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiff-necked people; lest I consume thee in the way.”

Moses’ intercession in today’s text came as a direct result of that gut-wrenching statement. In the process, Moses made three astonishing requests.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. ASTONISING REQUEST #1 - Ex. 33:12 – 13

2. ASTONISHING REQUEST # - 2 Ex. 33: 14-16

3. ASTONISHING REQUEST #3 – 33:17 -19

4. INHERENT LIMITATIONS FOR MOSES – Ex. 33:20 – 23

QUESTIONS

1. Why did Moses ask the Lord to make His ways known to him?

2. Why did Moses not want Israel to enter the Promised Land without God’s presence going with them?

3. Why did Moses need to know something about God’s nature?

4. What was Moses’ most astonishing request?

5. What is God’ glory?

6. How did God promise to grant Moses’ final request?

7. What is the relationship between God’s “glory,” “goodness” and “name”?

8. Which of His attributes did God emphasize when describing His glory to Moses?

9. How does God’s compassion bring Him glory?

10. What does God’s warning about seeing His face in Exodus 33:20 teach us about the relationship between God and humans?

ANSWERS

1. Everything was riding on God’s character. So, in the first of his bold requests, Moses prayed that the Lord would make His ways known to him if he had really found favor in His sight (33:13).

2. Moses understood that if God’s presence did not go with them, Israel would be just like any other nation, and their entire mission would be futile. Thus, he prayed that the Lord would not send them forward if He was unwilling to go with them (vs. 15).

3. In other words, he needed to know what about God’s own nature made His promise even possible.

4. Like a person who s tares into the heart of the sun or gets security clearance to a top-secret meeting, Moses desired the loftiest thing of all – to see the glory of the Lord Himself (vs. 18)! This was his most astonishing request yet.

5. When applied to God, however, glory describes all that He is that makes Him infinitely significant.

6. The Lord affirmed Moses’ request by promising to cause all His goodness to pass before Moses and to proclaim His name as He did so.

7. First, the parallel between God’s glory and goodness tells us that all the heart of God’s essence is His moral beauty and perfection that always and only does what is best for His creatures. That inherent truth about God would provide Moses the assurance and hope that He sought. Second, in ancient times, someone’s name was more than a self-designation. It was seen as something that revealed who that person was. Therefore, the parallel between God’s glory and name indicates that God was going to reveal to Moses something essential to who He is.

8. Upon Moses’ request, the Lord proclaimed, in concentrated form, His glory, goodness and name. He told Moses, “I…will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy” (Ex. 33:19). Although God would add more detail in chapter 34, this statement is the glory of the Lord.

9. First, God’s extension of grace and compassion to sinners is unconditional. That is, no inherent merit or worth in the sinner is required to earn God’s bestowal of grace and compassion. There are no previous conditions that unworthy sinners have to meet to somehow merit the mercy, compassion, or grace they so badly need. That was clearly the case for Israel. By Moses’ own admission, they were stubborn and stiff-necked people (ex. 34:9). They met no conditions that could in anyway force God’s hand to bestow His favor, love, compassion, or grace. And yet God still offered it to them. Second, God’s bestowal of grace and compassion upon sinner is always a free gift. He has the right to dispense grace as He sees fit. God’s grace toward sinners is not the result of a bargain or negotiation between two parties; rather, God offers it of His own free will. That is God’s prerogative. He has grace and compassion on whomever He wills (33:19). Third, God’s lavish bestowal of grace and compassion is relational. The Lord clearly revealed to Moses that He desires a people for Himself. The Lord does not merely wish for earthly agents to do His bidding. He wants people to love Him and delight in His ways. In other words, the Lord’s compassion come from His desire to supply a remedy for sin so that He may delight in His people. His compassion and mercy are a means to bring reconciliation between Him and sinful people so that He may dwell among them and they may find in Him their deepest delight.

10. By declaring that His “face” is a deadly sight to humans, God emphasized His holiness in contrast to human frailty.