The Self-Revelation of God

 

“The God Who Reveals His Glory”

Text: Exodus 34:1–28

The story of Moses ascending Mount Sinai in Exodus 34 is one of the most powerful encounters between God and man in all of Scripture. This was not Moses’ first time on the mountain—it was his seventh trip up Mount Sinai, a number that often signifies completion and fulfillment in the Bible. Each trip had been marked with awe, fear, and intimacy, but this time was different. Moses carried in his hands two new stone tablets, for the first ones had been broken in anger when Israel sinned with the golden calf. This moment was a new beginning—a covenant restored, mercy renewed, and God’s glory revealed.

Moses’ Anticipation of God’s Glory
Imagine Moses climbing once again up that rugged mountain path, the two blank tablets in hand. His heart must have been beating with expectation. After all the failures of the people, after his own intercessions on their behalf, God had promised to show His goodness and His name (Exodus 33:19). Moses wasn’t just bringing tablets of stone—he was walking into a holy encounter with the living God.

We often think of anticipation as something reserved for human events—graduations, weddings, or long-awaited reunions. But here is a man anticipating not an event, but the presence of God Himself. Moses knew that God’s presence was Israel’s only hope, the only thing that set them apart from the nations.

God’s Revelation of His Glory
So how did God reveal His glory? Not in thunder, lightning, or fire this time—but in His character and His covenant words.

Exodus 34:6–7 tells us God proclaimed His own name before Moses:
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…”

This was the true glory of God—not just His power, but His mercy, patience, justice, and unfailing love. The tablets Moses carried symbolized God’s Word written down, but the voice Moses heard revealed God’s heart.

Then in Exodus 34:10, God made an astonishing promise:
“Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation.”
God’s glory was not only something Moses saw—it was something Israel would live. The world would witness wonders through God’s people that displayed His power and grace.

The Connection to Us Through Christ
For us, this passage reminds us that God’s glory is not distant. Just as God revealed His glory to Moses through His covenant, He has revealed His glory to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:19 says: “We love because He first loved us.” This echoes what Moses experienced—Moses did not climb Sinai because of his own greatness, but because God first chose to reveal Himself. Likewise, we do not seek God out of our own merit, but because Christ came down to us.

In Jesus, we see the fullness of God’s glory (John 1:14). On the cross, His mercy, justice, patience, and love all shine together. Where Moses carried stone tablets written with God’s covenant, we carry in our hearts the Spirit who writes His law within us.

Let Jesus Reveal Himself
Moses’ seventh trip up the mountain reminds us of a God who does not grow weary of revealing Himself. Even after human failure, God comes again in mercy. The glory of God was shown to Moses in words of steadfast love, and it is shown to us in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

So let us walk in anticipation, just as Moses did. Let us carry God’s Word with us daily, expecting that He will meet us in His mercy. And let us never forget: “We love because He first loved us.”

More on: Lesson 12 - "Please, Show Me Your Glory" Sabbath School

Next Quarter: Lessons of Faith from Joshua