Gleanings From The Life Of Moses Exodus 34:5-8

Mar 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Necessity of God’s Presence

Moses understood that without the Lord’s presence, the people of God stood no chance. In a world filled with spiritual decay and confusion, our greatest need is not for more resources or strategies, but for the abiding presence of the Lord Himself. It is His presence that sets His people apart and provides the rest and assurance we desperately need. Our identity and hope are found in Him going with us. [45:41]

“Then he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?’” (Exodus 33:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific area of your life or a current situation are you most aware of your need for God’s presence to go with you?

Day 2: The Heart’s Cry for More of God

Amidst the highs and lows of life and leadership, Moses did not ask for a miracle, more power, or deeper teaching. His request was far more personal and profound: he asked to see the glory of God. This reflects a deep, soul-level longing to know God more intimately, to experience the weight of who He is, which eclipses every other circumstance and need. [48:05]

“And he said, ‘Please, show me your glory.’” (Exodus 33:18, ESV)

Reflection: When you consider your own prayer life, what is the deepest desire of your heart—is it primarily for God to change your circumstances, or is it to know Him more deeply in the midst of them?

Day 3: God’s Glory is Revealed in His Goodness

In response to Moses’ request, God did not show a blinding light or a terrifying display of raw power. Instead, He proclaimed His name, revealing that His glory is intrinsically tied to His character—His goodness, mercy, and compassion. To see God’s glory is to understand and trust in His fundamentally good and faithful nature, which is the foundation of all our hope. [57:50]

“And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness...’” (Exodus 34:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: Which aspect of God’s character—His mercy, grace, patience, or faithful love—do you most need to be reminded of and rest in today?

Day 4: The Overwhelming Response of Worship

Confronted with the overwhelming goodness of God, Moses’ immediate response was to bow his head and worship. True revelation of who God is does not lead merely to intellectual assent but to a heartfelt posture of humility, adoration, and surrender. Worship is the proper and natural response when we glimpse the glory of God in His goodness. [01:09:09]

“And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” (Exodus 34:8, ESV)

Reflection: What would it look like for you to intentionally create space in your day to simply worship God for who He is, apart from any requests or needs?

Day 5: Living in the Goodness of God’s Presence

We are separated from the world not by our own worthiness but by the very presence of the living God, who dwells with and in His people. This reality, based entirely on His goodness and not our performance, is meant to sober our walk, fill us with hope, and draw us into a life of continual worship. We have constant access to the One who is merciful, gracious, and abounding in love. [01:10:20]

“And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” (Exodus 33:14, ESV)

Reflection: How does the truth that God’s relationship with you is based on His unchanging goodness, not your fluctuating performance, impact how you approach Him today?

Sermon Summary

Moses stands between a holy God and a people who have turned to idolatry, and he refuses to move forward without the Lord’s presence. The account follows Israel’s sin with the golden calf, God’s righteous anger, and Moses’ relentless intercession that spares the nation from annihilation. Moses does not ask for power, miracles, or more instruction; he asks one thing: “Show me your glory.” God answers not with a philosophical lecture but by promising to pass his goodness before Moses and to proclaim his name — merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy, forgiving iniquity while still upholding justice. That declaration ties the vision of glory directly to the character of God rather than to mere spectacle.

The narrative moves from crisis to encounter: God descends in cloud and displays the Shekinah presence, and Moses responds by bowing and worshiping. Worship appears not as ornament but as the central, stabilizing activity that reorders fear, anger, and fatigue into humble devotion. The presence of God separates his people from the surrounding culture; that separation does not rest on human worth but on God’s goodness and choice. The text insists that divine presence both comforts the repentant and confronts unrepentant sin: mercy flows to those who turn, and God remains just toward those who persist in rebellion.

Practical application runs through the final section. The longing for more of God must replace the urge to stockpile safety or to demand judgment from heaven; believers must choose the pursuit of God’s presence over distraction. True encounter with God reshapes priorities, awakens worship, and anchors hope in a God who both forgives and judges. Communion closes the gathering, reminding that the fullness of God dwells in Christ and that ongoing access to God’s presence depends on repentance, faith, and a heart disposed to worship.

Key Takeaways

1. Ask to see God’s glory Moses requests one thing that changes everything: to see God’s glory. This petition shows that spiritual recovery flows not from human schemes but from deeper vision of God’s person. A single, honest longing for God recalibrates ministry urgency into worshipful dependence and interrupts despair with hope rooted in divine presence. [48:05]
2. God reveals goodness, not explanation God answers by passing his goodness before Moses rather than offering full explanations or a predictable program. That response grounds trust in divine character — mercy, truth, justice — instead of demanding human comprehension of every outcome. This creates a posture of confident faith that rests in who God is more than in why God acts. [55:42]
3. Revelation should produce worship As God reveals himself, Moses falls to worship without bargaining or distraction. True encounter with God transforms theological knowledge into embodied adoration that sustains spiritual life. Worship becomes the practical fruit of revelation and the primary defense against fatigue and cynicism. [69:09]
4. Presence separates and sanctifies The presence of God sets his people apart not by merit but by divine choice and goodness. That separation calls for a sober life of repentance, witness, and hope, not withdrawal or triumphalism. Living under God’s presence shapes daily speech, actions, and priorities toward holiness and compassionate justice. [70:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:26] - Opening and greetings
[35:09] - Scripture reading: Exodus 33:12–18
[42:00] - Israel’s idolatry and crisis
[48:05] - Moses’ request: “Show me your glory”
[55:42] - God’s reply: “I will make my goodness pass”
[58:54] - God proclaims his character
[69:09] - Moses’ worshipful response
[70:20] - Application: presence and holiness
[78:31] - Communion and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Exodus 33:12-18 (ESV)
Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

Observation questions

What was Moses’s primary concern and request for the people of Israel in his conversation with God?
What was the one personal request Moses made of God after receiving the assurance of His presence?
According to the sermon, what did God promise to show Moses instead of a direct answer to his request for glory? [48:27]
What was Moses’s immediate physical response to God’s revelation of His character? [01:09:09]

Interpretation questions

Why was the presence of God the one thing Moses refused to move forward without, even more than miracles or provision?
God answered Moses’s request to see His glory by proclaiming His name and character. What does this tell us about the true nature of God’s glory?
The sermon states that worship is the central, stabilizing activity that reorders fear and anger into humble devotion. [01:00:33] How does seeing God’s character clearly lead a person to worship rather than to more questions or demands?
How does God’s declaration that He is both “forgiving iniquity” and “by no means clearing the guilty” reveal a perfect balance in His nature?

Application questions

Moses’s request was simple: “Show me your glory.” [48:05] What does your most honest, single request to God sound like right now? Is it for more of His presence or for something else?
God reveals His goodness, not always an explanation. [55:42] When facing a difficult situation you don’t understand, what would it look like to stop asking “why?” and instead ask to see His goodness and trust His character?
True encounter with God produces worship. [01:09:09] When was the last time you were completely overwhelmed by who God is—not by a song or a service, but by His character—to the point of speechless awe or joyful tears? [01:16:23]
The presence of God separates His people. [01:10:20] How does knowing God is with you (and in you) sober your walk, your conversations, and your actions towards others in a world that often rejects Him?
We can be distracted by even the good things of serving God and forget the most important thing: worship. [01:14:01] What is one distraction, even a good one, that you need to set aside this week to create space to simply be overwhelmed by God?
Our relationship with God is based on His goodness, not our worthiness. [01:10:41] How does this truth free you from performance and empower you to run to Him, especially after you’ve failed or feel weak?

Sermon Clips

32s

#GloryIsGoodness

“Now listen. Moses asked to see the glory of god. And what does god say to him in verse 19 there? He's, I will make my goodness pass before you. The point is this, that God's glory is tied to his goodness. His goodness is tied to his glory. His glory is not something separate from him. It is him. It's who he is. It's god himself. And when we read in thirty three nineteen his goodness, it has reference to his character and his attributes.”

35s

#MovedByGodNotTV

“And I remember I was just thinking about these things I was seeing on TV, America's Got Talent, and I'm talking to god, and I kinda was busted. And I I had to be honest with myself, and I said, Lord, how come it is I can so easily be moved by watching people perform on America's Got Talent? And I can be excited, and I can applaud, and I can have great emotions and and and even be brought to tears by sometimes what I see and who's doing it. And, Lord, I'm not like that with you as often as I should be.”

39s

#WorshipWithoutNoise

“When was the last time that I was speechless just because of your word and I contemplated your goodness? When was the last time, basically, that I didn't need a lot of stuff? I didn't need strobe lights or fog machines or loud music or any of that stuff to draw me into before your feet. When the last when, lord, was the last time I just worshiped you because of who you are, and now you're with me, and I'm in your presence. When was the last time I was just overwhelmed by you?”

43s

#GodsMercyNotOurMerit

“Moses interceded to god on behalf of god's people, and Yahweh revealed to him during those intercessions of one with mercy and grace. You see, it was god's mercy and his compassion. It wasn't the faithfulness of his people that formed the basis for a renewed covenant with them after they fell into idolatry. It was his goodness. The point is this, we can count on our lord. We can count on him. Philippians one six reminds us that what he has begun in us, he is what? He's gonna be faithful and do what? Complete it.”

39s

#FavorByGodsCharacter

“God is compassionate on us. He he knows that we need a shepherd. He sees our weakness. He sees our frailties. He sees our failures, and yet he has compassion towards us because he's the good shepherd. And, again, grace is not getting is getting what we don't deserve, and he extends his favor to us. Is that opposite and so opposite of what we experience in the world where favor is given in the world to those who perform something? Wherein god's world, favor is given to those because of the character of god.”

35s

#GodCameDownToUs

“The point is this. When we read that god descended, we would have no encounter with the true and living god if he did not come down to us, which he was so lovingly and gracious to do. Because we, in our best efforts, we can't get humble enough to think we can get close to him, and we can't get high enough like on the Hubble telescope to think that we'd be closer to him. And we read, and the lord passed before him calling out. This is 34 verses six through seven.”

33s

#LongingForGodsPresence

“D. L. Moody asked God for such an experience, and God granted him such an experience. And D. L. Moody said, after a while, he had he he said, God, pull your hand back. Such was the weight that he felt it would kill him. No wonder god said to Moses, I'm gonna hide you in the cleft of a rock and I'm gonna pass by. The point is this, god is very pleased with anyone who has a longing to know him in greater and more deeper ways. He's very pleased with that.”

38s

#FullnessInChrist

“So why are you asking me to show him to you? You see, folks, we are blessed today like never before. We're we're we're blessed beyond words that in Christ Jesus, the fullness of the godhead dwells. We have access to that, and he ever lives to make intercession for us today in our day and time and particular circumstances. For us as Christians today, seeing the lord, being in his presence should be no problem unless there's some unrepentant sin that needs to be dealt with. And if that's the case, then repent before the lord and deal with it.”

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Gleanings From The Life Of Moses Exodus 34:5-8

Devotional

Day 1: The Necessity of God’s Presence

Day 2: The Heart’s Cry for More of God

Day 3: God’s Glory is Revealed in His Goodness

Day 4: The Overwhelming Response of Worship

Day 5: Living in the Goodness of God’s Presence

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Gleanings From The Life Of Moses Exodus 34:5-8

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