God Shows Titles, etc.
God Shows Exodus (99) etc.
(Ex 33:20-23)
<Moses asking to show God>
Because of the Israelites' worship of the golden calf, God said that they would not go up to the land of Canaan with them, but Moses told them not to send themselves to the land of Canaan unless God went with them. In the end, God said, “I will go with you personally.” But Moses asked to show God's glory as a sign that God's wrath was unleashed. At that request, God said that he could not see the face of God because there was no one who could see him and live (verse 20).
In his fallen flesh, he could not bear the light of God's glory, so Isaiah saw the glory of God in the temple and confessed that he was destroyed. Then, why does the Bible say that we see the face of God? The face of God in the expression is not the actual face of God, but a symbolic expression of God's presence. After all, to see God in the Bible means to have seen a part or a symbol of God's glory, not to have seen the true form of God.
Still, Moses wanted to see the glory of God, so God told him to stand on a rock (verse 21). And when the glory of God passed, he put Moses in the crack of the rock and covered Moses with God's hand until God passed, and if he removed his hand, he would see God's back but not His face (verses 22-23). He will grant Moses' request to show the glory of God and show only the remnants of God's glory. This is because even Moses, who has received God's great grace, cannot bear the brilliance of his glory when viewed from the front.
What does this scene challenge? It challenges you not to like the experience of seeing too much. Often idolatrous ideas are permeated by the pursuit of the visible. The invisible is the essence of God, but it is actually arrogant and rude for a person to regard him as something he can see with his own eyes and say that he will see it. Even innocent seraphs covered their faces with their wings to deal with God (Isaiah 6:2). 1 John 4:12 says that no one has ever seen God.
<God shows his back>
Even when God comes before us, people cannot see it. Job 9:11 says this. “He passes before me, but I do not see him; he moves before me, but I do not understand.” Man cannot see God from the front, but he can see God from behind. In other words, people do not seek God when everything is going well, but when they experience deep suffering and loneliness, they earnestly seek God. However, God's answers and solutions do not always come as quickly as expected.
In such a situation, there are countless conflicts of faith. After such conflicts and hardships have passed, when I look back on the events of that time, it is amazing how I endured those moments of conflict and hardship. Then I suddenly realized that the time of conflict and suffering was not when God did not exist, but rather when God walked with Him. That is the back of God, that is, the back of God. As such, when God is working in front of us, we often do not notice it well, but as time passes, we often realize the traces and footsteps of God's presence.
God comes to us in the form of nature, through the face of a person overflowing with love, and through the word of God. Furthermore, after passing through the deep valley of suffering, it comes through enlightenment. The blessing of life comes through 'looking', but the understanding of life comes through 'looking back'. Don't forget. The most desperately difficult times are when God silently made a way by our side. I just don't notice it. However, when the years pass and we look back, we can see traces and footprints of God described as the back of God.
God is a God who shows his back. It does not mean that God turns away from us, but that He allows us to see the traces and footsteps of God who has been with us over time. Therefore, even if you feel alone right now, do not forget that God is always with you. And believe that God is making a way for us, even if we cannot see it. Don't build your life's house on what you see, but build your life's house on the invisible promises of God.