These verses mention three of Israel’s noted intercessors:
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. They cried out, and God
answered! Our God of justice hears the cries of the needy and
acknowledges the plight of the people. Verse 7 recounts the giving
of the Ten Commandments—a gracious response from a gracious
God. Justice and righteousness characterize God’s holiness
and so do mercy and forgiveness. God looks upon the world not
only in judgment but with grace and love.
We often worry that if God really knew us, we would be
without hope. Fully exposed before God’s divine majesty, we
would be lost indeed. But because God loves us and forgives
us, while we are yet sinners, we magnify God’s holy name and
prostrate ourselves at God’s holy mountain!
Charles Wesley had a profound understanding of this God of
justice and mercy. His hymns reveal a divine love that descends
into our hearts from above with healing in its wings. One of his
Redemption Hymns (1747) contains this poignant stanza:
Weary of this war within,
Weary of this endless strife,
Weary of ourselves and sin,
Weary of a wretched life;
Fain we would on thee rely,
Cast on thee our sin and care,
To thy arms of mercy fly,
Find our lasting quiet there.
When we abide in Christ, God frees us from the burden of
feeling we can never do enough to please God, others, or ourselves.
The holy God before whom we bow writes forgiveness
on our hearts.
Forgiving God, we come to you weary and seeking rest from all those forces that deplete our lives. Help us to rest secure in the promise that you are a God who forgives. Amen.
In deep deference and careful obedience, Moses enters the zone of God’s glory, which certifies Moses’ authority. Psalm 99 praises the kingship of Yahweh, while bringing to mind the human agents of God’s rule who facilitate Yahweh’s conversation with the people. The Gospel lesson, like Exodus 24, characterizes what is not fully seen or clearly heard. Jesus is taken up into the zone of God’s glory and so is filled with transcendent authority. Speech about glory points to the assignment of new authority. The epistle reading asserts the authority of the true teachers of the church who rightly present and interpret the scriptural tradition.
• Read Exodus 24:12-18. When did you last experience a life-altering encounter with God?
• Read Psalm 99. Have you ever felt that if God really knew you, you would be hopeless? What changed your mind?
• Read 2 Peter 1:16-21. For the epistle writer, the Transfiguration event focuses more on hearing than on seeing. How do you listen for God’s words?
• Read Matthew 17:1-9. What dark places have you seen brightened by Christ’s presence—through you or others?
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