Welcome to Bible Insights with Wayne Conrad. God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Here are the words of the Psalmist. Psalm 104, verse 31. May the glory of the Lord, that is, may the glory of Yahweh endure forever. May Yahweh rejoice in his works. The glory of God is a very prominent theme in the word of God. It's very important that we understand what the glory of God is. Because you see, the glory of God has to do with the very person of God. His being, his attributes, his character, who he is. We should seek to glorify God. We should seek to bring God glory through our lives. And we should give God the glory due his name in the worship of the assembly of God's people and throughout our daily lives in both in what we do and what we say. The glory of the Lord is very important and the glory of the Lord is the destiny of the world because in the end, when Christ returns and establishes the eternal kingdom, The glory of the Lord shall cover the entire earth as the water does cover the sea. That is the very presence of God in the midst of his people and the outshining and manifestation of the wonder of his being and the great majesty of his being displayed especially in the face of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the destiny for which we long. It should be the desire in the heart of every believer to see the glory of God, to manifest the glory of God. And yet often the very teaching about the glory of God that should really be about God is turned into something else. I recently heard a teaching on the glory of God and I thought, wait, this is great. I'm going to get to hear about God and his majesty and some extolling of some characteristics about him. But more specifically, what I heard was how we could enter into the glory of God so that we could reap the benefits of being under the glory. The language is about entering the realm of the glory of God, a place I've not exactly found in the scripture where we enter the realm of the glory of God in order to receive from God the things that we want from God. You see, to seek glory or to be under the glory for one's own benefit is idolatry. because it's to turn the very worship of God into using God in order to obtain from him something that we think we need or that we want. But to seek to give glory to God and to glory in God himself, now that's a hard worship. There's a vast difference between those two. Seeking the glory seeking to be under a realm of the glory so that the blessings will flow to us. That's a far different cry than bringing glory to God. When God fills his temple with his glory, there's an article that I recently read. These are some quotations from him. When God fills the temple with his glory, everything that's not glorious must leave to make room for the glory. That's why we need the glory now more than ever before. Determined to open up more and more to the glory. In the glory, there's increase, there's abundance, there's healing, there's life, there's wholeness, there's provision, there's prosperity, there's deliverance. What do you hear? It's the language is me. The language is me, my needs, my desires. It's not the language of God. This is an effort to enter into what's called the glory realm so that God is released to do great miracles and manifestations among us. It's a formula to get God to show up so that he can show off by manifestations that we want to see. That's good for God to do miracles, and God can do miracles. It's good that God heals people from time to time, but the glory of God is not about getting something from God. The glory of God is to press into the heart of God, to know him more, to love him more, to exalt in his very glory. Now, I make these remarks. not because I want to be critical of other believers, but because I'm zealous for the glory of God and I'm zealous for the correct interpretation of Scripture. We sometimes mutilate the Word of God by tearing verses out of its context and by adding things that are simply not there. So let me take just one example right now with you about a manifestation of the glory of God. Let's turn to Exodus chapter 33 and 34. Now, if you remember that God brought the Hebrew people out from slavery in Egypt, he brought them to Mount Sinai, and there he enters into covenant with them, and he gives them the covenant primarily symbolized in the tables of stone in which are written the 10 words. But while Moses was on the mountain receiving these things, the people down in the valley were already committing adultery. They built a golden calf and called it Yahweh and started performing paganistic rituals around it and called it the worship of God, such as blatant sin. And when Moses came down from the mountain, he was quite upset. He broke the tapestries of stone. But long story short, he asked God to forgive the people and God said, I will, I will spare them. And he calls Moses to come back up into the mountain and to be with him there for 40 days and 40 nights. And while he's there, he gives him the new stone tablets on which are written the 10 words. Now, this is what Moses said to the Lord, to Yahweh up on the mountain. and I'm reading from Book of Exodus, and it's chapter 33, and I'm going to be using the Holman Christian Standard Bible, and sometimes the Christian Standard Bible, because it uses the name Yahweh, and I think it's very important that we recover God's personal covenant name that he gave to his people. Here's Moses' request to see, to seek the glory of God. Now we need major our seeking the glory of God against biblical examples of seeking the glory of God. So Moses said to Yahweh, look, you have told me, lead this people up, but you've not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in my sight. So Moses is saying, God, you've established a personal relationship with me and you, you know me, you know me inside and out. And now if I have indeed found favor in your sight, please teach me your ways and I will know you and I'll find favor in your sight. Now consider that this nation is your people. Then he replied, God's replying, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Moses again, if your presence does not go, don't make us go up from here. How would it be known that I and your people have found favor in your sight unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth. So the distinguishing mark of the people of God, according to Moses here, is that these people whom God's entered into covenant with, God's presence will be with them when they make this journey into Cana. And Yahweh answers Moses, I will do this very thing you've asked, for you found favor in my sight and I know you by name. Then Moses said, please let me see your glory. Now, what's he asking? Well, he's asking to know God more personally and intimately the way God knows him. And Moses, God responds to Moses, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he answered, you cannot see my face for no one can see me and live. Then Yahweh said, here's a place near me. You're to stand on the rock. And when my glory passes by, I'll put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I pass by. And then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back, but my face will not be seen. And then Moses, God gave Moses instructions to cut two tablets of stones. Like the first, I write on them and I want you to come up on the mountain. I want you to be prepared in the morning and here I will meet with you and I will give you instructions, et cetera. So Moses cut the two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai just as Yahweh had commanded him. Yahweh came down, Exodus 34, verse five. Yahweh came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, Yahweh. Then Yahweh passed in front of him and proclaimed, Yahweh, Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. that he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the father's wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Here's Moses' reaction. Immediately, Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped. Then he said, my Lord, my sovereign, If I've indeed found favor in your sight, my Lord, my Sovereign, please go with us. Even though this is a stiff neck, people, forgive our wrongdoing and sin. Accept this as your own possession." Yahweh responded, look, I'm making a covenant. and I'll perform wonders in the presence of all your people that they've never been done in all the earth or in my all nations. All the people you live among will see the Lord's work, for what I'm doing with you is awe-inspiring. Observe what I command you today. I'm going to drive out before you, and then there's a list of all the inhabitants that live in the land of Canaan that God, using the armies of Israel in the power of the Spirit, will drive out. so that his people can be settled in the land. That's not exactly the kind of miracles we sometimes seem to be seeking today, is it? This is a judgment being placed on those that know not God because they worship other gods. I just want you to understand something about seeking the glory of God. To seek the glory of God is to draw near to his heart because we want to love him. because we want to be shaped into his image, because we want to be a people that reflect him in our lives. We want to be a people whose praises of God are on our mouths and whose praises and glory of God is seen in our lives as we reflect our Savior, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's not about us. It's not about seeking to get under the glory for our own benefit. That's idolatry. It's seeking to give God the glory that's due his name, to worship him in the glory of his being simply because he's God and simply because we are submitted to him in loving adoration. This has been Wayne Conrad with Bible Insights. Seek the glory of God for the sake of God himself.