Exodus 34: The Shining Face of Moses
29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
The first time the Israelites saw it happen, they were terrified! Moses had been meeting with God on Mount Sinai and now was bringing the Ten Commandments down from the mountain. Moses couldn’t understand why his people were gasping as they looked at him and holding their hands over their mouths. Even Moses’ own brother Aaron seemed afraid to approach him. Little did Moses realize that his face was shining with divine light, a reflection of the light of the Lord. Finally, Moses had to cover most of his face with a veil, allowing a slit for his eyes. Moses was forced to wear this veil as long as he was meeting the Israelites, only removing the veil when he was speaking with God. Evidently, Moses had to continue wearing that veil for the rest of his ministry.
Although none of us know people who have spoken face to face with God as Moses did, we may have met people who are so close to God that their faces literally glow with a holy light. One man of our acquaintance who died recently was described as the kind of person whose face was continually aglow with God’s love. We read of such things and sigh, assuming that such holiness is completely out of our reach, but is it?
The biggest mistake we make is assuming that somehow, we can manufacture holiness all on our own. Wrong! Romans 3:23 tells us that “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” That being the case, how can we who are sinful possibly generate holiness by ourselves. But here is the magnificent secret, the same phenomenon that happened to Moses can happen to us, if we will only spend time with God.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Notice what this Scripture does not say. This Scripture does not give you ten rules for holiness, or encourage you to engage in all kinds of rituals. Neither does this Scripture demand that you follow a certain diet or engage in a particular exercise routine. Once you have committed your life to the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will come into your heart and mind and He will begin changing you into God’s image. God’s part is to change you. Your part is to study God’s Word, pray, and ask God to change you.
Decades ago, Evelyn Christenson wrote a book entitled Lord, Change Me! outlining seven different ways God will change you if you let Him. At the time Evelyn wrote this book in 1977, she was simply a pastor’s wife who felt a crying need for more of God in her life.
Evelyn Christenson writes, “I have discovered through the years that surprising things happen when I pray, ‘Lord, change me–don’t change my husband, don’t change my children, don’t change my pastor, change me!, . . . More and more the fact comes into focus that they, and not I, are responsible before God for their actions. But I am responsible for the changes that need to be made in me.” Evelyn’s fourteen-month spiritual adventure in learning how God changes people became the exciting story of this book. First published in 1977, “Lord, Change Me!” has surpassed one million copies in print and continues to help a new generation of Christian women–and men–experience the spiritual transformation God commands in Romans 12:2. “Lord, Change Me!” outlines seven methods of real, inside-out change as well as ways to check to be sure it is God who is doing the changing. And woven throughout are Evelyn’s wonderfully transparent accounts of how God aught her and her loved ones these nuggets of truth.
Some friends and I had the rare privilege of listening to Evelyn present the lessons she had learned and then interact with her. It’s no exaggeration to say that Evelyn’s face shone with God’s love, making her one of the most attractive and charismatic people I have ever met. We all wanted to be as close to Evelyn as possible; she was encouraging and refreshing.
God wants each of us to shine with His clear pure light, and He has a plan that will bring this about. Want to shine? Spend time with God, and ask Him to change You into His likeness. This prayer is guaranteed to give results, but make sure that when God begins changing you, you cooperate. Many of us pray for God to change others around us so that we can have things easier; yet, God is using our difficulties to perfect us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please change us into Your likeness so that others will see You shining through us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Tags: bible, christianity, faith, god, jesus
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