“Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.
And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?
And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.
And Moses said, ‘I beseech You, show me Your glory’.” Ex. 33:18 AMP
To put this verse in context, at this point Moses had already experienced many miracles and wonders by God’s hands starting with the burning bush, the plagues upon the Egyptians, the exodus out of Goshen, the pillar of the cloud and the pillar of fire, the parting of the Red Sea and walking across on a dry sea bed, manna (bread from heaven), quail, enough water from the rock he struck to quench the thirst of thousands, victory over Amalek when Moses kept his hands raised, and spending 40 days and nights up on the mountain where God initially wrote the Ten Commandments on the two stone tablets. He then returned to find the people worshiping the golden calf idol. He threw the tablets of Ten Commandments down and broke them. He asked that whoever was on the Lord’s side to come where he stood and all the Levites came to him. Three thousand men were slain by the sons of Levi according to Moses command due to their not siding with the Lord. Moses then went to a tent he had set up outside the camp (he called it the tent of meeting, where everyone who sought the Lord could go). It was there he had the above conversation with the Lord.
After everything Moses had already experienced, after all the miracles, after all the promises God made to him, he still wanted more. He wanted more of God Himself. What was God’s response?
"I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." Ex. 33:19-20
God answered Moses’ prayer! Can you imagine ALL the goodness of the Lord passing right before you? God knew that Moses’ mortal body could not withstand the full impact of His glory so he protected him as He passed, but he did let Moses experience the amount of His glory he could withstand. God knows just how much we can bear of tribulations, trials, temptations (1 Cor. 10:13) and even His Presence (Ex. 33:20).
Moses went through a lot of tribulations with stubborn Israel, but it was worth it. We go through a lot of tribulations and trials in this life but it is worth it:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!" (Romans 8:17-19)
“But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God--[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].”
(1 Cor. 2:6-8 AMP)
Moses' face reflected that encounter with God, so much so that he had to wear a veil over his face. (Ex. 34:30-33) Would you not want to experience such an encounter with God? God has a protected way for us to behold His glory too, the Word of God:
“And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:17-18)
Moses had the faith and guts to ask the Most High God to see His glory. He did not worry how it would affect him; he just wanted more of God. Should this not also be our cry? I want more of Him! How about you? Now, every time I read His Word I will cry, “Father God, I entreat You, show me Your glory!”
