Sabbath School Lesson for September 13-19, 2025
Introduction of Lesson 12, “Please Show Me Your Glory”
Memory Text: “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.’ ” Exodus 34:6-7 NKJV
After many trips to Mount Sinai, Moses experienced a gradual growth in his relationship with God. The more he discovered about Him, the more he wanted to know. And God did not disappoint his request to see His glory. God’s glorious, shining character was revealed to Moses over time. Moses shared these revelations with God’s dedicated followers, who anxiously waited his return from each of his mountaintop visits.
As long as we are alive, we are changing and developing, too. The apostle Peter talked about our growth when he said that he, like Moses, desired fellow believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). And speaking of God’s glory, when Jesus came to us in the flesh, it was so we might “behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
One thought of encouragement regarding our growth is that at each stage of our development, we are considered perfect at that stage. Just like a first-grader is thought of as a perfect first grader, along with his peers. Another thing to keep in mind is that in God’s school, we are in a constant state of learning and being transformed by what we learn. We will never graduate or know enough about His character, nor will we ever want to stop learning more about Him and His immense love for us.
- Sunday: The Tent of Meeting
- Monday: That I May Know You
- Tuesday: “Please, Show Me Your Glory”
- Wednesday: The Self-Revelation of God
- Thursday: The Shining Face of Moses
Sunday: The Tent of Meeting
The tabernacle, patterned on the heavenly sanctuary, was placed in the center of the Israelite camp after Moses was given the details from God for its construction. But Exodus 33 also talks about a “tent of meeting”, or a “tabernacle of meeting”, that Moses used to visit with God before the more elaborate one was built. This was a tent Moses pitched outside the camp, where God could visit with him on a more personal level as needed.
This special tent was also a step closer to the camp and affected the Hebrews as well. When they saw Moses going to enter there, they gathered at their tent doors and worshiped God, observing that the pillar representing God’s presence always drew closer and hovered over the lone tent Moses pitched outside the camp.
The Israelites remained at the Wilderness of Sinai for about a year, we are told in Exodus 19:1 and Numbers 10:11. Moses made numerous trips up Mount Sinai to be as close to God as he could during that time. In our growing relationship with God, we, too, grow closer to Him, one step at a time. We long to see His glory, just like Moses did, whenever we have the opportunity to approach Him.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 33:7-11
- Why was Moses told to pitch a tent of meeting outside the camp, and not inside?
- How did those in the camp benefit from Moses’ trips to see God?
- Why is it important to draw as close to God as we are able at each stage of our spiritual growth and development?
Monday: That I May Know Him
The more Moses experienced God’s presence and character, the more unworthy he felt by comparison. Moses’ thirst to know God more was driven by his responsibility to guide God’s people to their promised land in Canaan. He knew they would never arrive there and thrive without God’s help. The tremendous, unknown dangers along the way, let alone the pagan tribes that were currently occupying Canaan, surely must have weighed on Moses’ heart, making him realize how much they needed God.
Therefore, Moses refused to move forward without the assurance that God would be with them, blessing them on their journey. He knew that more than intellectual knowledge of Him was needed. To more fully understand God and enjoy His blessings, he needed an experiential knowledge. Experiencing what God is doing in our lives is also the best way to know Him more today.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 33:12-17 and Genesis 6:8
- Why do you think Moses demanded God’s presence be with them?
- For what reason did Moses find grace in God’s eyes?
- Does God have grace only for those who do good?
Tuesday: “Please, Show Me Your Glory”
God desires to show us His glory, which is the same as His character, because those who see it will reflect it to others. When Moses understood the transforming nature of being in God’s presence, it was only natural that he would want more of that glory for the people he was leading out of Egypt.
God is the embodiment of goodness, mercy, and truth. We can’t help but shine for Him when we spend time in His glory, praising His marvelous works and character.
When Jesus died for us at Calvary, the whole universe witnessed the greatest display of God’s glory ever seen up to that time. It was a revelation of His character that still draws men and women to Him after all these centuries. It was an event that makes angels in heaven continue to bow in adoration and praise.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 33:18-23
- What motivated Moses to ask God to show him His glory?
- Why was God so careful about how Moses was able to “see” him?
- How can we see God’s glory today?
Wednesday: The Self-Revelation of God
For the seventh time, Moses climbed to the top of Mount Sinai, but this time his trip must have been especially difficult. God had instructed him to bring two tablets of stone so He could re-write on them the commandments Moses had broken when the golden calf was being worshipped.
Evidently, God had provided the tablets Himself the first time (Exodus 31:18). Carrying those heavy stone tablets on this seventh journey to be with God must have been a necessary, sad reminder for Moses of his careless display of anger before the people. But thankfully, God never stopped revealing Himself to his faithful servant.
Once again, their covenant was renewed, as Moses fasted and prayed for another forty days and nights. He was rewarded with learning more about God’s saving grace with each trip. The Israelites would also continue to learn and prosper, if they would follow God’s commands and allow Him to change their hearts.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 34:1-28
- What parts of God’s character were especially revealed to Moses on this trip (in verses 6 and 7), and why do you think those things were important for Moses to know at that time?
- How should this revelation of God’s character transform our lives today?
Thursday: The Shining Face of Moses
Moses had no idea how his face must have shown after his intimate encounters with God. Typically, the closer we get to God, the more we see our own imperfections. We feel God hasn’t rubbed off on us enough to make a difference. In fact, others may be the first to recognize a positive change in our lives, as we begin to reflect the glorious character of God that has been revealed to us.
Moses was a shining example for us to see what God can and will do for His children though. His face actually shone so much that he developed the habit of veiling his face after meeting with God, just so the people wouldn’t be afraid of him.
We, too, can’t help but shine when we have our eyes fixed on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to share His love. Paul described it beautifully when he said we walk “in newness of life” when we are baptized (Romans 6:4). Who can keep from smiling and admiring the face of a newborn? As newly-born Christians, we will also easily attract others to God. But God’s plan is for our light to shine brighter with each passing year. We must continue to ask for more revelations of Him, just like Moses did.
Verses and questions:
Exodus 34:29-35
- What caused Moses’ face to shine like it did?
- Why were the people so frightened of Moses shining face?
- Why did Moses then veil his face after telling them what God had commanded?
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
- How has the life and death of Christ lifted the veil?
- Why does that unveiling give us liberty (v. 17)?
- What part does the Spirit play in our ability to reflect God’s character?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Our memory text (Exodus 34:6-7) this week deserves some additional attention. This beautiful revelation of God’s character being merciful and gracious, abounding in mercy and lovingkindness, forgiving and longsuffering is found scattered throughout the Old Testament. See Numbers 14;18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13, and Jonah 4:2.
These texts revealing God’s love remind us of the much-loved verse in the New Testament, John 3:16. But they also include God’s justice, also part of His character, when it talks about visiting iniquity upon those who don’t love and obey Him. God’s love and justice are also specifically included in the Ten Commandments, written with God’s own hand. (See the Second Commandment about worshiping idols.)
That’s why the Ten Commandments are thought to reflect God’s character of love and justice so well. When we obey His commandments, we are transformed into His likeness. His character becomes ours. Others will see the Lord through us.
Next Week: The Tabernacle
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