19 Then He said, “I will make all My agoodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. bI will be gracious to whom I will be cgracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for ano man shall see Me, and live.”
21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you ain the cleft of the rock, and will bcover you with My hand while I pass by.
23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall anot be seen.”
We cannot be sure what Moses had in mind when he asked to see God's glory. He probably wanted to see God's glorious and radiant brilliance and form. God obliged to some degree, but He gave Moses something more than he expected—in fact, something totally unexpected. As He passed by him, He preached a sermon on His name, the third commandment!
