THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #144 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #125
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3829
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #144
THE LIFE OF MOSES #125
MOSES AT MT. SINAI #24
THE TRANSFORMING GLORY OF GOD #8
NOW SHOW ME YOUR GLORY ( PART 3 )
THE SOVEREIGNTY AND GOODNESS OF GOD
God showed Moses two manifestations of His Glory:
In EXODUS 33:19
"the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you."
Thus Moses saw the manifestation of God's GOODNESS.
Notice what God goes on to tell Moses in
EXODUS 33:19
19 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Thus Moses saw the manifestation of God's SOVEREIGNTY HIS MERCY/COMPASSION.
The subject of the sovereignty of God is rarely preached or taught except in bible colleges.
It is a difficult topic unless you make God out as a cruel and unreasonable tyrant whose plans and purposes will prevail regardless of His creation.
Let us do some homework together.
1. God Defined His Glory In Terms Of His Goodness
God’s goodness is His glory; and He will have us to know Him by the glory of His mercy more than by the glory of His majesty. (Matthew Henry)
Goodness – Hebrew 2898. tuwb, toob; good (as a noun), in the widest sense, espec. goodness (superl. concr. the best), beauty, gladness, welfare:--fair, gladness, good (-ness, thing, -s), joy, go well with.
2. God Defined His Glory In Terms Of His Graciousness
(In terms of His meekness and His mercy – not His might.)
Gracious – Hebrew 2603. Chanan; to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causat. to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition):-- favour (-able), (be) merciful, have (shew) mercy (on, upon), have pity upon.
Here in today's devotion is a beautiful reconciliation of His Goodness and Sovereignty.
We will begin to understand why God’s goodness is given to some and not to others (Exod 33:19). This is how God presents Himself!
But this doctrine stirs up our pride, does it not? People want to be somebody.They do not want to bow down before God, and have the sovereignty of God preached to them.
God has said that, if you go to His throne in prayer, He will hear you. But He has the right not to hear you if He so chooses. That is the doctrine of God's divine sovereignty, and it can be difficult to understand.
But when you put God's goodness together with His sovereignty, you will see God's glory. If you take sovereignty alone, you will not understand God. You must put God's goodness with His sovereignty.
When Moses said, "Show me your glory," God made Moses see that the glory of God's goodness and the glory of God's sovereignty go together.
His goodness to Moses was to conceal him in the cleft of the rock lest He sees God's glory in his state of sin and dies.
His sovereignty is when He chose to reveal his glory to Moses in His own quiet manner - when we would have expected a loud fireworks display!
We can see the goodness of God in the way He created the universe and His sovereignty in how He chooses to hold it together.
That is the glory of God as He displays His goodness and sovereignty to Moses.
God revealed His glory not in His majesty and might but in His goodness, mercy and compassion.
He is still sovereign but He is also good and gracious, merciful and compassionate, meek but not weak.
