Moses was not satisfied
He has already had that experience; he has already had the experiences that are recorded in this chapter, where God, we are told, ‘spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend’—a most unusual thing. In response to Moses' request for assurance and satisfaction, God says, ‘I will even grant you that,’ and immediately provides him with some degree of it.
And yet Moses goes further. He is not satisfied. He does not stop; he goes on, and he says, ‘Show me your glory.’ This attitude is what we may very well describe as the daring quality that always comes into great faith. You will find other illustrations of this attribute elsewhere in the Scriptures.
But here is perhaps the most remarkable of all: Moses's audacity in asking for more after already receiving such answers.
GIVE ME MORE OF YOU
He seems to rise from step to step. As God says, ‘Yes, I will grant you even this.’ ‘Give me more,’ says Moses. And here he makes what is, in many ways, the final and the ultimate request, namely, that he may see and know the glory of God.
This is what we should be particularly concerned about at this point. Let us ask ourselves some questions before we proceed. Do we know anything about these advancing steps and stages?
As we look back across our Christian experience, do we know what it is to rise, like this, from step to step and from platform to platform?
Do we know this increasing boldness in the presence of God, this increasing assurance, and the desire for yet more and more?
Do we, like Moses, thank God for what we have but still long for something more than this striving, this rising, this scaling the heights?
Now this is a principle that is taught in the Bible: ‘For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance’ (Matt. 25:29).
SELF-SATISFACTION-WE HAVE ARRIVED?
I am asking whether we understand this concept, as I have an uncomfortable feeling that it is true for many of us, including those who follow Jesus, that our primary trait is self-satisfaction.
We feel that we have arrived because we are converted, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and may even have had some further experience.
We may feel that all we have to do is maintain our position, and we may even feel superior to those who have not come as far.
How much evidence is there of a striving, of a seeking, of rising on the wings of faith, following in the footsteps of Moses, and saying, ‘Oh, I thank you for what you have promised, but show me now your glory?’
LET ME PUT IT MORE DIRECTLY.
To what extent are we aware of a desire for God himself and for a knowledge of the glory of God?
I imagine that this is the highest peak of faith.
Moses, you see, is no longer asking God for particular blessings. He has done that, but he does not stop at that; he has gone beyond blessings, he has gone beyond the gifts, he is now seeking God for himself.
He is now filled with a passion for personal knowledge, confrontation, and meeting with God himself.
He does not despise the gifts; it is rather that, because of the gifts and because of the glimpses he has received of the glory of God in the matter of the gifts, now forgetting himself and all gifts and blessings, he just longs for God himself and for the glory of God.
THAT IS THE QUESTION THAT I THINK SHOULD COME TO US ALL.
Do we know anything of such a longing?
We may have been Christians for many years, but have we ever really longed for some personal, direct knowledge and experience of God?
Oh, I know, we pray for causes, we pray for the Church, we pray for missionaries, we pray for our own efforts that we organise, yes, but that is not what I am concerned about.
We all ask for personal blessings, but how much do we truly understand this desire for God himself?
Moses asked God to "Show me thy glory" and to take him a step closer. Take me yet a step nearer.’ It is the same thing, of course, as the Psalmist voices in Psalm 42: ‘As the deer pant after the water brooks, so pants my soul after thee, O God, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.’ That is what he wants.
He yearns for the presence of the living God, which is the reason for his hunger and thirst. You find the same thoughts in Psalm 17:15: ‘As for me,’ says the Psalmist, looking forward to what is coming,
‘I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.’
