A Sinful Man Living in the Glory of God
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. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses,
his face was radiant, and they
were afraid to come near him. Exodus 34:39-30
In Exodus 34 we have an amazing description of Moses. Paul writes about
it in 2 Corinthians 3.
Moses goes up the mountain to receive new tablets from God and to hear
from God. He is the only one before the time of Jesus to talk face to
face with God. By the time Israel had settled the land and built the
temple, the high priest would go into the temple's Most Holy place only
once a year. And when he did that, he tied a cord to his ankle because
he was never sure that being in the presence of the Holy God would not
kill him. That way, if God's holiness did strike him dead, his
colleagues could retrieve his body without intruding into God's Holy
Place. A sinful man could not live in the presence of the Holy God.
But God allows Moses to come and talk face to face.
Moses is a sinful man; and although he is God's chosen servant, like
all flesh he is still a sinful man.
And yet he talks face to face with God.
The experience does not kill him, but for a while it literally
transforms his appearance.
The description is that when he came down from the mountain his face is
shining in such an extraordinary way that when Aaron and the others see
it they are afraid to come near him. Moses has to call them to get them
to come and meet with him.
Apparently his appearance is so distracting that Moses covers his face
with something like the veil we see today on Arab women.
It's hard for us to imagine.
It is interesting that when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up the
mountain Jesus is transfigured in a similar way but when Moses and
Elijah appear, they do not seem to be. I wonder if Moses and Jesus are
talking about the time Moses glowed.
But when Jesus appears, Moses no longer shines. The shine is all on
Jesus.
Paul says something similar in 2 Corinthians. He says that being in the
presence of Jesus and the Spirit is so much better than Moses
situation. Even though he met face to face with God, he only had the
law to offer to the people.
We all can offer something better--the new covenant of God's
forgiveness through Jesus.
When Moses sinned in the desert, God punishes him by not letting him
enter the land that was promised.
When we sin, while there may be earthly consequences, we can go to God
for complete forgiveness and restoration.
In the time of Moses and the time of the temples, no sinful human could
come into God's Holy Presence.
But if you remember at the death of Jesus, one of the events that
occurred was the veil in the temple was ripped in half.
This is the veil that separated us from God.
By Jesus death, we can be as though we had never sinned.
When we come to God, not on the basis of our own life, but on the basis
of Jesus life and death,
we are immediately accepted into the presence of the Holy God.
How can a sinful man or woman live in God's glory?
By coming through Jesus.
The people were awed by Moses.
The idea of even being close to God was terrifying.
In some ways, we have lost that respect and have grown a sense of
disrespect for God.
But the truth is the same.
When we truly are sorry for our old life and want a new life in Jesus,
we are transformed as well.
We do not shine. At least here on earth.
I wonder if we look shiny from heaven...
But we have the words of John to remind us of something important:
If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness
1 John 1:9
And:
Dear
friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet
been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
A side note: remember that every brother and sister in Christ
shines like a beacon to the spirit as well. Treat them accordingly.
Let's let John have the last word:
Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in
truth.
This then is how we know that we
belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
1 John 3:18-19
Preached February 18, 2007
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian
Church
Victoria, British Columbia
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