Moses said, “Please, show me your glory.”

Exodus 33:18 

Exodus 33 is the account of God revealing himself to Moses on Mt. Horeb (Sinai). The Law has been given. Moses has seen the splendor of God, veiled, in hidden and shadow form. But after all that splendor and law-giving, now God affirmed his personal knowledge of Moses. God said to Moses, Exodus 33:17, “You have found favor in my eyes, and I know you by name.”

Then Moses replies with a plea, a desperate cry for God’s glory to be revealed to him. The Hebrew is:

“See to me [show me] I beg you [“na“] your glory.”

The word na is to beg, to plead, to crave, to entreat, to pray. Some English translations ignore this wonderful, powerful, important little word.

Moses’ desire for the glory of God is mirrored in Jesus’ High Priestly prayer in John 17:24 — 

“Father, I desire those you gave me to be with me where I am, so that they may behold my glory, that glory you gave me before the creation of the world.”

Jesus was desperate to show his glory to those he came to save. He pleaded with the Father that we might see the glory he had before the world was made.

Intimacy with God must lead us to that point, that place, the opening of a vista, to actually see his glory. We must plead, pray, be desperate in our plea,

“Please, I beg you with all my heart, show me your glory!”