And I will take away mine hand
As being covered with the hand may signify the obscurity of the
former dispensation, the taking of it away may denote a more
clear revelation of the grace and goodness of God in Christ, and
so of the glory of it under the Gospel dispensation; and yet what
is seen in this, in comparison of the reality of things as they
are, or of the heavenly state, are but as next expressed:
and thou shalt see my back parts;
which some understand of the humanity of Christ, and his
sufferings in it, sometimes expressed by his heel, and the
bruising of it, ( Genesis 3:15
) or else the works of God in creation, by which the invisible
things of God are seen, and which give a knowledge of him "a
posteriori"; and so Maimonides F4 interprets the phrase, which
follow me, flow from my will, i.e. all my creatures: or rather it
denotes the imperfect knowledge of God in the present state, even
as revealed in Christ, in whom there are the clearest and
brightest displays of his glory; yet this, in comparison of the
beatific sight of him, is but like seeing a man that is gone by,
whose back is only to be seen:
but my face shall not be seen;
in the present state, the face of God, that is, his favour,
communion with him, and the light of his countenance, are to be
sought for, and may be enjoyed; the glory of himself is to be
seen in the face or person of Christ, and the glory of that face
or person is to be seen in the glass of the Gospel, but at
present imperfectly; God in Christ as he is, the fullest and
brightest displays of his glory, grace, and goodness, are
reserved to another state, see ( 1
Corinthians 13:9 1
Corinthians 13:12 ) ( 1 John 3:2 ) or it may
regard the divine nature of Christ, which could not be seen by
Moses, but his back parts, or human; Christ as clothed with flesh
might, and would be seen by him, as he was seen by him on the
mount, ( Matthew 17:3
) .