October 18, 2020
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14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children’s.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the Lord’s,
but the earth He has given to the human race.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.
18 But we will praise the Lord,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah! – Psalm 115:14-18
Happy Sunday everyone! Give glory to God! For the Lord your God is holy and to be praised!
As we continue through the wilderness with Moses in the Exodus story, we stop at a place where Moses is now asked to lead the people onward to the Promised Land. Moses, like any of the Israelites have only heard God speak of this land flowing with milk and honey, but never have his eyes seen this wonderful place. Moses has the tools to build a society when they arrive, to lead the people, and create a nation of God’s own. If the people follow and obey, they will be blessed for thousands of generations, they will multiply and become a great nation.
Moses, however, is looking for more assurance. I don’t think any of us would undertake such a task without some kind of assurance. Moses, in our series today, askes to see the Lord’s glory, to literally see God face-to-face.
We may be bold enough to want to hear God’s voice, but to see God face to face? To look on the divine, to truly have our faith be made sight. I think there is reason that God warns Moses that looking on God’s face would result in death in this world. God may seem too awesome to behold. However, at the same time, we behold the glory of God all the time in life. We may not see God face-to-face as Moses requests, but we do see God in the glorious faces of those who come together in worship and praise. We see it in the lives of those who have been touched by the glorious One, who have had their sins forgive, and proclaim the Lord’s blessings.
The psalmist praise God’s glory, and offers glory to God alone. The psalmists asks and prays a blessing over all who would bring glory to God (seen in the verses above). In the same way, when we bring glory to God, humbly serving in love, and lifting high the name of Christ, we do see God’s glory, and we may even see the image of God in those whom we have learned to love because of God’s grace. May we all be blessed today, because of the Lord, and live to shine the light of His glory in our lives, now and always. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam