I love the story of Moses. I love
how God took a weak, sinful man and used him for such great and mighty
purposes. Throughout the life of Moses we
see him having intense, personal encounters with God (the burning bush ring any bells?),
and these encounters
change him. They make him compassionate, long-suffering, wise, and of
course, shiny.
In Exodus we are told in great detail about Moses' encounter with
God on Mt. Siani. Moses goes up the mountain and enters into the glory of the
Lord. He is given tablets written by the hand of God himself. And Moses is changed. In chapter 34, we are told that when
Moses comes down from the mountain his skin is glowing because of his encounter
with God. Moses' countenance was so altered that Aaron and the people wouldn't
even come near him at first. They were scared to even be in the presence of
someone so changed by God.
The law given to Moses on Mt.
Siani had no power to save the people. It offered no hope of redemption, and
yet, receiving it filled Moses with such glory that the people were
afraid to look upon his face.
In 2 Corinthians,
Paul tells us that the glory we have in the Spirit far exceeds the glory that
was conveyed to Moses through the giving of the law.
"Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone came with such glory that the Isrealites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will no the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." 2 Corinthians 3:7-9
You and I have an
even greater promise than the one given to Moses. We have a new covenant,
established by the blood of Jesus and sealed with his Spirit in our lives. This
promise gives us hope, redemption and salvation. How much greater is its glory!
We don't even have
to climb a mountain to behold the glory of the Lord (and praise God for that!). His
glory is living in us! We see it in the working of the Spirit in our lives. We
behold his promises and his grace in the Word given to us by the inspiration of
God. And it should transform
us!
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
My favorite part of the story of
Moses is that he is completely unaware of the change in his countenance.
In Exodus 34:29 we are told that Moses had no idea his skin was glowing from
the glory of the Lord. He was so focused on God, he had no time to contemplate
his own reflection. His time
on the mountain wasn't about him; it was about God.
The more I study this account of
Moses life, the more I find myself wanting to be changed like he was. I want to
spend so much time with the Lord that my whole outlook on life changes. I want
my desires to be in line with His. I want my thoughts and actions to be
centered in His will. I want to spend
time on the mountain, studying the Word of the Lord, worshiping his greatness. I want to be glowing.
And I want others to notice, not for
my benefit, but for theirs.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
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