The Goal of ‘Early Seekers’ Psalm 63:2-3

Text: “To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.”

Psalm 63:2.

          “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.”

John 1:17-18.

Good morning, God-seeing Christian!  No man can look upon the face of the Almighty Lord God Jehovah and live! WHY is this so?  Because the Lord God Almighty is an absolutely Holy Lord God, Creator of all things, and sin cannot survive in His Holy Presence.  I liken it to a human being walking into the range of an atomic reactor without a lead/protective suit to shield him/her from the deadly atomic rays.  Such a person would disintegrate immediately, be vaporised instantly by the powerful radiance of atomic fission.

Likewise, sinners cannot abide in the Presence of Almighty Lord God without the God-given ‘covering’ of the precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ – God in bodily form.  Praise and all glory to His gracious Name!

“Blessed (blessed with all blessings) is he/she whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”  (Psalm 32:1)

In the Book of Exodus, we have the account of Moses seeking to see God’s face, and the answer the Lord God gave him – and gives us by this account.

As an assurance, Moses asked the Lord: “And he (Moses) said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory.”  (Exodus 33:18)

“And He (the Lord) said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.  And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock (Christ Jesus?): and it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:20-23)

“He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.  And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful (terrible) thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.”  (Hebrews 10:28-31)

Without the covering of the precious sinless, and shed, Blood of Christ Jesus – “…Our God is a consuming fire.”  (Hebrews 12:29)

Therefore, you and I, born again, Bible-believing Christians, can indeed come into the Lord God’s Holy Presence – to worship and adore Him, to praise Him with thanksgiving; and to petition Him for our needs and the needs of others, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  What a privilege to be a ‘God-seeing Christian’!  Hallelujah!  Thanks be to God!

Verse 2.  “To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary.  Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things and so much for the mocking trifles of time and sense.  The sight of God was enough for David, but nothing short of that would content him.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 274)

The goal of early-seeking Christians is to constantly see the power and glory of the Lord God Who has quickened us to believe and receive Christ’s great Eternal Salvation, and to worship and adore Him in all His Divine Holiness.

We do this, of course, by His Sovereign grace alone, it is an utter God-given privilege, and must never be taken for granted for a moment by all who believe.  We must seek to enter God’s Holy Presence with the correct attitude of reverence and awe, for we are approaching a Lord God Who is a ‘…consuming fire…’ to all who harbour sin on our hearts and minds.

“It is, or should be, the desire of every Christian to see and enjoy more and more of the glory of God.  A view of the Divine glory crucifies our lusts and puts the corruptions of our heart to death.”  (John Angell James1785-1859)

When Moses, in the chapters in Exodus previously referred, was blessed with a glimpse of the Lord God’s hinder parts from the cleft in the rock – God’s glory was etched upon Moses’ face for a time following.  So much so that Moses had to wear a face-covering to conceal the Holy glow from the tribes of Israel – in case it frightened them.

“And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold (look and fully understand) the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid of him.”  (Exodus 34:30)

“And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.”  (Exodus 34:33)

When we spend quality time in the Presence of the Living Lord God Jehovah – in prayer, in fellowship with Him, in praising Him, and worshipping Him from our hearts – the Divine glow of Spiritual health and strength is easily noticed by others.  Our light is clear for all observers to see that we belong to Christ Jesus.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

When you and I rise each morning, our first thought should be the Lord God, and the joy of being able to come into His Holy Presence, hidden and clothed in Christ Jesus.

It is the daily goal of early-seekers to see God, to hear what God has to say concerning the new day; to spend some time in His Word, and thereby, in His Holy Presence; to receive our Spirit-given instructions on how to go about our day.  Doing so, our faces will shine with the reflection of His Holiness, graciousness, and love.  We should be Christ-reflectors to others.

Verse 3. “Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life. To dwell with God is better than life at its best; life at ease, in a palace, in health, in honour, in wealth, in pleasure; yea, a thousand lives are not equal to the Eternal life which abides in Jehovah’s smile.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 275)

“Divine favour is better than life; yea, it is better than many lives put together…No man sets so high a price upon the sun as he that hath long lain in a dark dungeon.” (Thomas Brooks 1608-1680)

Thought: Those that seek God early, see His power and glory, and shine in the light of Jesus, and into the lives of sinners still living in the darkness of their sins.