Praying the Priestly Prayerনমুনা

The Glorious Face of God

The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. —EXODUS 33:11

In the Book of Exodus we read that Moses stopped going up Mount Sinai to meet with YHWH. Before the actual tabernacle was erected where YHWH would take up residence in the holy of holies in the form of the Shekinah glory, Moses fashioned a temporary dwelling place where he could meet with YHWH. (Exodus 33:7–11.)

Moses saw the bright light— the glory light—inside the cloud, but the cloud obscured the light source. Yet Moses wanted to see beyond the glory cloud (vv. 18–20). But YHWH let Moses know that the glory light in the cloud was His very face (panim). Moses couldn’t see the panim of G-D clearly without the surrounding cloud that hid the full view. Anyone who beheld His face in that way would surely die. And yet, YHWH communicated in the Tanakh (Old Testament) that we are to seek His face. 

Do not hide Your face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call answer me quickly. —PSALM 102:2

Yeshua was the face of the Father when He was on earth. Even when we were still in our sinful state, to look at Jesus was to behold the very face of YHWH (our heavenly Father). Yet, instead of bringing death, peering into the face of Yeshua brought us salvation and life everlasting!

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” —LUKE 7:44–48

This woman of ill repute was afraid to look up at the face of Yeshua, but she had likely been affected by hearing His words or by the miracles He had performed. Yeshua turned to the woman and addressed her face-to-face. She looked into the eyes of Yeshua as He talked directly to her for the first time.

Today we who are believers in Messiah are called to be the face of G-D for others to see! Believers today can accept that we can approach YHWH (our heavenly Father) through His only begotten Son, Yeshua.

Proclamation Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I come before You in the name of Yeshua (Jesus). Like Moses, the cry of my heart is, “I want to see Your face!” I now understand that under the old covenant no one could see Your face and live. But under the new covenant, Yeshua’s blood has cleansed me. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “[G-d] made Him [Yeshua] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God [the Father] in Him [Yeshua].” Yeshua (Jesus) made the way possible so I can now boldly enter the heavenly throne room and seek Your face. I realize that one encounter with You, face-to-face, can forever change my life. Thank You, Yeshua (Jesus), for making the way possible to see my heavenly Father face-to-face. Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). No one can come to know You, the one true G-D, as Father except through Him.