And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. — Exodus 33:18
One of the most interesting things about being a human is the characteristic we experience called desire. When a person puts their mind on something, usually they seek more of it. It leads to many things such as addiction, depression, and more.
The reason is because of the subject of the desire. Some desire things that they believe bring pleasure. Because that pleasure is short-lived, they seek it more and more out of a desire for pleasure. For others, they may love the feeling of excitement and adrenaline, so they seek out dangerous activities or near-death experiences. Desire is human nature and whether we realize it or not, it is something that we feed with our thoughts and actions.
In Exodus 33:18, Moses has been spending a lot of time with God. He has been interacting and talking with God on a personal level, so much so that he has come to crave it. This leads to his request in Exodus 33, where Moses asks for God to show him His glory.
Moses had such a craving for God that he wanted to experience God in an even more intimate way. He wanted to see God in a way that no one else had ever seen Him. In the verses that follow, we read that God did give Moses a glimpse of His glory. His experience left Moses with a shining face so much so that they had to cover his face.
Rather than desiring the things of this world, we should have our hearts set on God. We should desire the things of God so much that it would be so evident to those around us that we have a close relationship with God. Are you desiring God’s glory or the pleasures of the world?