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Scripture Reading
Exodus 34:29-35
34:29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.
34:31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them.
34:32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
34:33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face;
34:34 but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,
34:35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Reflections
This is a powerful passage that speaks to what it means to be in the presence of God and how others view us. The awesome majesty and Glory of God was so powerful that it left a visible mark on Moses! His face literally was shinning bright. This instilled fear in the hearts of the Israelites when it should have brought them great comfort and joy to know that the presence of God was among them.
I think that there is a great lesson to be learned from having seen how much of an impact the presence of God left on Moses. When we take the time to remember that God’s presence is always with us, it may cause us to think twice about how we respond to some situations. However, this should not be done out of fear, but out of love for God and His love for us. Being in God’s presence can give us comfort and peace in our hearts knowing that our heavenly Father is always there right beside us to lead and guide us in good, bad, big or small circumstances. He longs to reside in our hearts daily, let us pray as the Psalmist prayed ” But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works” (Psalm 73:28).
Just as Moses being with the Lord caused his face to shine with the glory of God, His presence within us should cause us to shine with the glory of God. Jesus said that people would know know Christian’s by their fruit. How to we bear fruit? We walk in the Spirit and obey the Word of God planted in our hearts.
However, we hope to elicit the opposite response than what the Israelites provided. We want people to be drawn to us, not scared of us. Though, we have been warned by Jesus that the world will reject us. Those who are part of this world will be hostile to the gospel and we have to expect we will be pressed and persecuted.
But this should only bring us joy, James tells us,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)