Today’s reading is Matthew 17.
In Exodus 33-34, Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to meet with the Lord. He asked to see God’s glory. The Lord granted partial permission. He explained Moses couldn’t see the full glory of the Lord and live. Who could? But He would protect Moses from the full onslaught of the amazing glory and let him see the “back” of His glory.
When God passed before Moses, He descended in a cloud and declared His name, that is, His nature: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7, ESV).
When Moses came down the mountain from this monumental meeting, the shining glory of the Lord had been so intense it rubbed off on Moses. The skin of His face shone. It was so incredible, he had to cover his face most of the time.
In Matthew 17, we come full circle. Now Moses and Elijah (who also had a mountain experience with the Lord) were back on a mountain. This time they are talking with Jesus. I wish I knew what was in that conversation. And Jesus is shining. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Then a “bright cloud overshadowed them” and God spoke from the cloud.
Surely, all of this is tied together. When we see Jesus shining and bright clouds and God talking, we are supposed to remember Moses’s meeting with God. We are supposed to remember the glory of the Lord. In fact, I suggest we are supposed to remember the name of the Lord. This really gets right down to the very nature of Jesus. He has the glory of the Lord. He doesn’t have it because of a meeting with God, like Moses did. It isn’t something that rubs off on Him. Rather, He is the one who has the glory already when Moses and Elijah meet with Him. He has this glory in Himself. He is the Lord.
Now we know who Jesus is. He is the Lord who was declared to Moses millennia earlier. He is the reason that is God’s name. He is the reason God can declare that He forgives but also won’t clear the guilty. Through Jesus, guilt is taken away. But those who refuse to come to Jesus remain guilty.
What an amazing King we have in Jesus. He is merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in loyal love and faithfulness. Praise the Lord!
Tomorrow’s reading is Matthew 17.
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Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family
- What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
- Do you think we are right that these two scenes are supposed to be connected in our minds? Why or why not?
- Why is God so glorious?
- Why is Jesus so glorious?
- What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?
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