DVP047 Exodus 33:13 (February 16)

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. 

This is a wonderful request which Moses makes of God. We learn a lot about Moses' motivation in serving God, and we can try to develop our own desires to match his.

Notice that Moses' goal is to find favour in God's sight. Also, that his bargaining chip for requesting this favour is that he believes he has already found favour with God! So why does he ask for more favour? The answer is that this is the ultimate joy for Moses, and should be for us - that God would look upon him and be pleased with what he sees.

The method for increasing favour is important too. Moses asks for God's "ways" to be known to him so that he might know God better. By knowing God better, all that God desires and does and the reasons for those desires and actions, we can inform our own decisions and actions. If we do what we know is pleasing to God, we find favour in his sight. 

It is important to note that being pleasing to God doesn't come from mere knowledge of what God does, but it comes from knowledge of his "being", his character. Our good deeds must stem from our desire for God, something which God must develops in us by first revealing himself. From there, our desire is to see more of him so that we can have his favour, and this in order that we might see more of him, which leads to more favour, and on, and on...


The English Standard Version (ESV)

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