Consuming Love

Today’s Scripture:

“So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

- Exodus 33:22-23 -

In this passage, the Lord agrees to let Moses see his glory. Earlier in verse 20, God say's, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." Nevertheless, God is gracious and allows Moses to see his back. We often think about how God's wrath and judgment are all-consuming, but we fail to acknowledge the all-consuming power that is his love.

John said God is love, but looking upon love's power and purity would destroy us. Yet, God reveals his heart to us in the act of sending his son. We see that it is not God's desire for us to know love from a distance. His desire is for us to look at him without consequence and see his love face to face.

Being fully man and fully God, we can now behold the love of God in the face of Jesus. We can look into his eyes and see the depth of his love for us. We can now come close to the love of God and stand in His presence without being consumed. Most importantly, we can rest assured in his love because he gave himself for us.

The son's love for us caused him to lay down his will and take up his cross, and God's love for us brought righteous judgment on the son as he hung on the cross for us. Yet because the son was a sinless sacrifice, he was not wholly consumed when the love and judgment of God met him on the cross. Instead, he remained and was risen in glory so that we could now draw near to God's love through him.

Beloved, let this truth rescue you when feeling alone and unloved. Remember that the Lord is near and loves you with a consuming love. His love devoured sin and shame on the cross so that you can come boldly before his throne in a time of need.