Moses Kneeling in Prayer on the MountainBible World
34:8Exodus 34:8
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
Moses at once bowed low toward the earth in humble, reverent worship immediately upon receiving the revelation. His worship answered the display of divine glory and the meaning of the divine name, given when the Lord descended in the cloud and caused all His goodness to pass before him. The character thus revealed is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, joining forgiveness with justice. Whoever comprehends that goodness, mercy, grace, patience and truth will likewise hasten to bow in adoration and praise. His worship flowed at once into pleading for grace for his stiffnecked people, asking God to go among them and pardon them and take them as His own, and God answered by promising to renew His favor and covenant and do great wonders for them.
Moses's Hasty Reverent Worship
Moses worshipped at once, hastily and quickly, immediately upon receiving the revelation. His haste was reverent submission before God as He truly is. He bowed his head low toward the earth in a humbled posture expressing reverence. That bowing was submissive adoration and praise offered with profound reverence and joy.
Moses was not afraid in God's presence because his soul was in harmony with his Maker's will. Those in conscious guilt shrink from heavenly light in fear, while the soul free from sin will not wish to hide from the light of heaven. That heavenly light would have filled Aaron and the people with joy had they been obedient, but in conscious guilt they shrank back afraid to come near and could not endure it.
This worship occurred during solitary communion with God in the mount, where Moses remained alone forty days and nights miraculously sustained while no other man was permitted to go up or approach. He had carried up two tables of stone he had prepared at God's command on which the Lord wrote the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. That communion caused his face to reflect the glory of the divine presence with a dazzling light unknown to himself when he descended, so that Aaron and the people could not endure it. In compassion he put a veil upon his face to communicate God's pledge of reconciliation and restored favor, continuing to do so thereafter whenever he returned from communion with God.
God's Character Revealed
Moses bowed at once because the Lord had answered his request to see His glory by descending in the cloud, causing all His goodness to pass before him, and proclaiming the meaning of His name and character. That proclamation was the revelation of God's glory, and Moses' hasty bowing to the earth was his direct response to comprehending it. The name proclaimed declares Him merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth. He keeps mercy for thousands and forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clears the guilty but visits iniquity to the third and fourth generation, thus joining forgiveness with justice.
That revelation places the Father in a correct light as He truly is. It stands against Satan's charges that God is exacting, overbearing, and condemnatory and the author of suffering, misery, and death. Christ came to earth to declare that same name to the world and to reveal the Father to men. He puts the Father's love in the hearts of His children so they may impart the knowledge of God to others.
Worship's Call and Answer
When anyone comprehends God's goodness, mercy, grace, patience and truth as Moses did when God's glory was revealed to him, they too will hasten to bow in adoration and praise. That comprehension is of the character proclaimed in His name as merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty. This quick, humble worship bowed toward the earth is how professing Christians must act as Christians in order to maintain their connection with God.
Moses's worship flowed at once into pleading for grace. He asked God to go among His stiffnecked and stubborn people, to pardon their iniquity and sin, and to take them as His inheritance and own people.
God granted his prayer, promising to renew His favor to Israel. He promised to enter into covenant and give special care, and to do great wonders for them. The wider passage presents God as a jealous God who wants His people to keep His Ten Commandments and to keep the Sabbath He has sanctified for them, with the Word showing the Sabbath declared there is the seventh day, so there is no excuse for keeping the first day of the week.
Moses at once bowed low toward the earth in humble, reverent worship immediately upon receiving the revelation. His worship answered the display of divine glory and the meaning of the divine name, given when the Lord descended in the cloud and caused all His goodness to pass before him. The character thus revealed is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, joining forgiveness with justice. Whoever comprehends that goodness, mercy, grace, patience and truth will likewise hasten to bow in adoration and praise. His worship flowed at once into pleading for grace for his stiffnecked people, asking God to go among them and pardon them and take them as His own, and God answered by promising to renew His favor and covenant and do great wonders for them.
Moses's Hasty Reverent Worship
Moses worshipped at once, hastily and quickly, immediately upon receiving the revelation. His haste was reverent submission before God as He truly is. He bowed his head low toward the earth in a humbled posture expressing reverence. That bowing was submissive adoration and praise offered with profound reverence and joy.
Moses was not afraid in God's presence because his soul was in harmony with his Maker's will. Those in conscious guilt shrink from heavenly light in fear, while the soul free from sin will not wish to hide from the light of heaven. That heavenly light would have filled Aaron and the people with joy had they been obedient, but in conscious guilt they shrank back afraid to come near and could not endure it.
This worship occurred during solitary communion with God in the mount, where Moses remained alone forty days and nights miraculously sustained while no other man was permitted to go up or approach. He had carried up two tables of stone he had prepared at God's command on which the Lord wrote the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. That communion caused his face to reflect the glory of the divine presence with a dazzling light unknown to himself when he descended, so that Aaron and the people could not endure it. In compassion he put a veil upon his face to communicate God's pledge of reconciliation and restored favor, continuing to do so thereafter whenever he returned from communion with God.
God's Character Revealed
Moses bowed at once because the Lord had answered his request to see His glory by descending in the cloud, causing all His goodness to pass before him, and proclaiming the meaning of His name and character. That proclamation was the revelation of God's glory, and Moses' hasty bowing to the earth was his direct response to comprehending it. The name proclaimed declares Him merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth. He keeps mercy for thousands and forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clears the guilty but visits iniquity to the third and fourth generation, thus joining forgiveness with justice.
That revelation places the Father in a correct light as He truly is. It stands against Satan's charges that God is exacting, overbearing, and condemnatory and the author of suffering, misery, and death. Christ came to earth to declare that same name to the world and to reveal the Father to men. He puts the Father's love in the hearts of His children so they may impart the knowledge of God to others.
Worship's Call and Answer
When anyone comprehends God's goodness, mercy, grace, patience and truth as Moses did when God's glory was revealed to him, they too will hasten to bow in adoration and praise. That comprehension is of the character proclaimed in His name as merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty. This quick, humble worship bowed toward the earth is how professing Christians must act as Christians in order to maintain their connection with God.
Moses's worship flowed at once into pleading for grace. He asked God to go among His stiffnecked and stubborn people, to pardon their iniquity and sin, and to take them as His inheritance and own people.
God granted his prayer, promising to renew His favor to Israel. He promised to enter into covenant and give special care, and to do great wonders for them. The wider passage presents God as a jealous God who wants His people to keep His Ten Commandments and to keep the Sabbath He has sanctified for them, with the Word showing the Sabbath declared there is the seventh day, so there is no excuse for keeping the first day of the week.