The Vessels of Glory
Exodus 33: 13 – 23
Moses said – “Show me Your glory”.
God said – “I will pass before you;
- I will call the Name of the Lord before Me;
- There is a place beside Me;
- Stand upon the rock”.
Exodus 34:5 – 8
God proclaimed His Name – Merciful – Gracious – slow to anger – quick to forgive – goodness endures forever.
This was what God was shouting before Himself as He was coming in all His glory.
Years later:
Numbers 14:11 – 19
God is angry because of the stiff-neckedness and hard heartedness of Israel. He wants to destroy them.
Moses reminded God of His glory – merciful – gracious – slow to anger – quick to forgive – goodness endures forever.
Moses repeated the same words he heard God spoke about Himself in His glory.
Numbers 14:20 – 21
When God wanted to destroy Israel, Moses reminded God of His goodness and God said because of those words, the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God.
Glory = all that God has and is.
Show me Your glory – I am merciful, kind, quick to forgive, My goodness endures forever.
God said I am angry and wants to destroy them – No, Your are merciful, kind, quick to forgive, Your goodness endures forever.
God said – you are touching on the elements of My glory and because of your words reminding Me of My goodness, the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. And God said this when He was angry.
Romans 9:20 – 24
We must keep in mind what happened in Numbers 14 when God was angry and Moses reminded Him of His goodness that endures forever.
Vers 22 – talks about vessels of His anger. Just like in Numbers 14 there are vessels that provoke God to anger.
God can and already have showed forth his wrath or anger. When the 3 men stood up against Moses God showed His wrath when the earth opened up and swallowed those men and their families.
God showed His wrath when he told Noah to build an ark and destroyed the human race.
God can show forth His wrath but the Bible say He is tolerating it for a specific purpose.
Romans 9:23
BBE: And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
GNB: And he also wanted to reveal his abundant glory, which was poured out on us who are the objects of his mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory.
WNT: in order to make known His infinite goodness towards the subjects of His mercy whom He has prepared beforehand for glory,
Moses says: “Show me Your glory.” God says: “I am kind, good, My mercies and goodness endures forever.” God got angry: “I want to destroy them.” Moses said: “No, You are kind, good, Your mercies and goodness endures forever.” God said: “Okay because of those words, the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God.” Now again God said: “I am angry, there are vessels of anger that I would love to destroy but I will tolerate them for one purpose – I want to show forth the wealth, riches, abundance of My glory, My infinite goodness to the vessels prepared beforehand for glory.”
2 Corinthians 4:5 – 7
God shines His light in our hearts – why? So that we can beam forth the light for the illumination.
We have to shine forth / let something come from us which brings light to the knowledge of the glory of God, as it is manifested in the Person and revealed in the face of Christ.
GW: We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
Romans 8:29
We were beforehand purposed to be in His glory and now God desire to shine in our hearts to show forth that He is kind, good, His mercies and goodness endures forever.
Isaiah 11:9 & Habakkuk 2:14 – earth must be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
How? By us illuminating the light of God that shines in us in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:7
AMP: However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.
This divine light is the glory. We are the vessels who possess this divine light but we must realise that we are just vessels of earth. The only way to carry this treasure is in the face of Christ.
Jeremiah 32:14 – 15
These deeds must be put into earthen vessels until an appointed time and then the land will be theirs again.
God says: “I have purchased you, I have got the letter sealed with My blood. You are the earthen vessel and inside of you there are a sealed deed who at the appointed time will be revealed and then you will be restored the land taken from you.”
Colossians 1:26 – 27
Christ in me!!! This is the blood purchased deed sealed in a vessel of earth.
You are that vessel to carry the glory to be conformed into His image so that the whole earth will be filled with the glory of God.
This is the reason why God is tolerating the vessels of anger. He wants to show forth in us that He is kind, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, quick to forgive and that His goodness endures forever.
Ephesians 4:12 – 13
So, how is the earth going to be filled with the glory of God?
Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 60:1 – 2
With what must we be radiant? With the glory of God.
For your light has come. John 1:1 & 4
Darkness shall cover the earth but on you the light will shine. His glory shall be seen on you.
Isaiah 60:3
We must realise that as darkness is covering the earth we are the light that is a city set on a hill and nations will come to the light and darkness will disappear.
Isaiah 60:4 – 5
Isaiah 60:6 – 10
Isaiah 60:14b
They shall call you the city of the Lord because of the light that shines in the vessels of glory.
