I’m wearing my 1960s vintage DOXA watch today. I love this watch because I love the name DOXA. That’s the Greek Word for “Glory”.

In Exodus 32, Moses is up on the mountain meeting with God, speaking with him face to face. The people down below become impatient because v1 (they) saw that Moses delayed in coming down. I’m sure they saw the mountain glow, heard activity, but were dissatisfied with the delay in process, and they said, “come make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses – we don’t know what happened,” and they began to worship a substitute.

God told Moses to go down because they had turned away from the way commanded. He said they had acted corruptly. Then, very interestingly, God said that he was going to destroy them and start over with Moses. God is never rash, he is testing, he is letting us test ourselves. But in v11 Moses sought the favor of the Lord and his primary reason was NOT the people, but the Reputation of God. He said in essence, 1) what will the world (Egypt) say? and 2) Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel and your promises to them. So the Lord “relented”.

God is interested in his Glory, his Reputation, and he wants to know if WE ARE TOO.

Now you know and can read the story. Then Moses goes down and deals with the unfaithfulness of the people to the Lord. But then in 33:12 – he is back before the Lord and says, “you told me to lead these people (you said) I know you by name… if I have found favor… please teach me your ways.” And God said, “my presence will go with you” and Moses says an important thing, “if you do not go with us – don’t send us… how will it be known that we have your favor if you don’t go with us?”

Now back to my watch – DOXA – in Exodus 33:18 Moses says, “Please let me see your GLORY” That’s the Hebrew word, Chabod = glory, splendor, (root = heaviness) When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, The Septuagint, they translate chabod with doxa. And God told Moses, “I will cause my goodness to pass in front of you and I will proclaim my name, ‘The LORD’ before you, I will be gracious and have compassion. If you know that story, you remember that God told Moses to stand on the Rock… hide in a cleft in the rock, and God would cover him and let him see his glory from behind.

If you go read Exodus 34, God does just that. And the Chabod / Doxa of God – His Reputation and Action driven by Holiness, Grace, and Compassion are seen and heard in Exodus 34:6-9. God declares his GLORY. The LORD, The LORD, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and truth, but sin will not go unpunished… And Moses knelt low, worshipped the Lord saying, “Lord please go with us and accept us as your possession.

Now if we jump forward almost 2000 years we get to John 1:14 – in some of the most beautiful literary words ever written, John talks about the logos – the Word who was with God and what God, who was from the beginning, the maker of all things. And then it says in v14 the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we beheld the DOXA – GLORY of God full of Grace and Truth. There is it again. The Glory of God is the full weight of his reputation and the splendor of all God is. Jesus came to reveal it, to deal with it, to provide us that revelation, but also to provide for what our sin had cost us.

If we want to SEE GOD – we must Stand on the Rock – Jesus – in a Cleft called Grace – and his Nail-Scarred Hands cover us there, so that we can See God – Debt Paid, our Sin Forgiven. Jesus paid it all at the cross, but we must believe, we must receive. if you have – Praise Him for His Doxa – if you have not, COME to him, say “please let me see your glory, your grace, your compassion, I receive the forgiveness of my sin and commit to you as Lord”

Oh the Glory of God found in Jesus Christ