Glory to God
Opening Prayer
Lord, quiet my heart and open my mind and spirit so I can hear Your Word to me today.
Read EXODUS 34:29-35
[29] When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. [30] When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. [31] But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. [32] Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. [33] When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. [34] But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, [35] they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What change came over Moses when he spoke with the Lord?I recently spent some time in a Christian community. There was a sense of holiness and something quite awe-inspiring too, making everyone want to be quiet. It was akin to a right kind of fear, especially when we came together for more formal worship.
Perhaps the descent of Moses from the mountain, radiant from his meeting with God, brought a similar (though, unimaginably greater) sense of untouchable, unbearable holiness (29). The Israelites were initially afraid to come near him. Moses’ earlier prayer (33:18) had clearly been answered: he had seen the glory of the Lord—and it had transformed him.
This pivotal event points forward to Jesus, the personification of the new covenant, glorified on the mountain (see Matt. 17:1,2). Paul, writing to the Corinthian Christians, talks about the meaning of Moses’ veil (33; see 2 Cor. 3:7-18). The Israelites couldn’t understand the significance of the old covenant because it is “only in Christ” that the veil is taken away (see Matt. 27:51). Moses was able to enter the tent and, unveiled, talk with God (34). This unspeakable privilege is now ours (see 2 Cor. 3:18).
Apply
Is the transforming effect of our meeting with God “unmissable” to others? If so, in what way(s)?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, I pray that, as I spend time with You, the effect will be obvious for all to see.
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