What Old Testament passages connect to the desire to see God? John 14:8—Philip’s Heart Cry “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.’ ” Jesus’ disciple voices the very ache that has pulsed through God’s people since Eden. The Old Testament is filled with men and women who longed to behold the Holy One. Below are the key scenes and verses that carry this same yearning. Walking in the Garden—The Lost Vision • Genesis 3:8 – Humanity first “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden.” Sin soon hid our eyes, but the desire to see Him remained. • Genesis 15:1–6 – Abram’s vision of the LORD (v. 1) sparks faith that is “credited… as righteousness.” Seeing and believing are intertwined from the start. Moses’ Bold Petition—“Show Me Your Glory” • Exodus 24:9–11 – “They saw the God of Israel… and ate and drank.” A rare, covenant-confirming glimpse. • Exodus 33:11 – “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” • Exodus 33:18–23 – Moses pleads, “Please show me Your glory.” God places him in the cleft of the rock, proclaiming His Name while shielding him from the fatal fullness of His face. • Exodus 34:5–8 – The LORD descends, Moses hastens to bow low and worship. The prophet is forever marked by the radiance (34:29-35). The Priestly Blessing—A Nation Longs for His Face • Numbers 6:24-26—“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you… the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.” The daily benediction kept Israel looking upward, eager for the shining face of God. Job’s Unshakable Hope—“My Eyes Will Behold Him” • Job 19:25-27—“Yet in my flesh I will see God… my eyes will behold Him, and not another.” • Job 42:5—“My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.” Suffering sharpens sight. David’s Single Passion—To Gaze on the LORD • Psalm 17:15—“When I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.” • Psalm 27:4—“One thing I have asked of the LORD… to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.” • Psalm 27:8—“Seek My face,” says the LORD. David answers, “Your face, O LORD, I will seek.” • Psalm 42:2—“My soul thirsts for God… when shall I come and appear before God?” • Psalm 63:1-2—David beholds God’s power and glory in the sanctuary. • Psalm 84:1-2—“My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” • Psalm 119:18—“Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things from Your law.” Even Scripture study is a seeing of God. Prophet Isaiah—Eyes That Saw the King • Isaiah 6:1-5—Isaiah sees “the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne,” cries, “My eyes have seen the King!” • Isaiah 33:17—“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and behold a land that stretches afar.” Prophet Ezekiel—Visions of Glory • Ezekiel 1:26-28—Wheels, cherubim, and “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” • Ezekiel 3:23—Again, “the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River.” Priestly Yearning Fulfilled in the Temple Cloud • 1 Kings 8:10-11—At Solomon’s dedication the cloud fills the house, so weighty the priests cannot stand to minister. Prophetic Promise—Future Sight of God • Isaiah 25:9—“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him.” • Zechariah 12:10—“They will look on Me, the One they have pierced.” • Habakkuk 2:14—“The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Connecting Back to Jesus—The Face We Can Finally See • John 1:14, 18—“The Word became flesh… No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son… has made Him known.” • John 14:9—Jesus replies to Philip, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Every Old Testament longing is answered in the incarnate Christ. • 2 Corinthians 4:6—“God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Old Covenant saints glimpsed, hungered, begged, and believed. In Jesus, believers receive what Moses only tasted: the unveiled, satisfying vision of God, “full of grace and truth.” |
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