Friendship with God

Moses was taking things to the next level. He was going for the gold. He prayed for the very glory of God to be revealed to him. As he talked with God one day, he said, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18 NKJV).

In other words, “Lord, I love our conversations together, but I actually would like to see You.”

By the way, that is a good thing. As the nineteenth-century commentator A. B. Simpson wrote, “Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord. Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word. Once His gift I wanted, now, the Giver own. Once I sought for healing, now Himself alone.”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV).

Moses wanted to see the Lord, but if he had, he would have died on the spot (see Exodus 33:20).

Therefore, God worked out a sweet deal for Moses. He told him, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen” (verses 21–23 NLT).

I can’t even imagine what Moses saw. We’re in awe of such a relationship. But if you’re a Christian, your friendship with God is even closer than the very special friendship Moses had with God. That’s because Moses was under the Old Covenant.

When Jesus died on the cross, a New Covenant was established. He fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices and types in Himself. He was the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. As a result, we can have friendship with God.