Exodus 34:29-35
Letting Jesus Shine Through
[Please contact me at kerry.n.haynes@gmail.com for sermon outline in Word.]
At one of my previous churches, I got to the church office early one morning, to find our campus pastor there. I had some pressing business to talk to him, so I knocked on his door. When he replied, I started to open the door. And then he said, “Can this wait just a few minutes? You really don’t want to see me before I’ve had my quiet time with the Lord!” I said sure, and backed out the door.
It was a funny moment, but a true one as well. When we spend time with the Lord, we are different people. We are changed. And that’s what is going on here with Moses. Consider on your outline these truths from today’s story:
When you’ve spent time with the Lord...
1. You may be less aware than others of how you’ve changed.
Look at Moses’ story, in verse 29: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”
This was Moses’ second extended 40-day time alone with the Lord on top of the mountain. This might be where we get that phrase, “mountain top experience.” If you’ve ever been to an ACTS retreat or some special revival or Bible study where you’ve experienced this close-knit relationship with the Lord, you know it’s changed you in some way. And yet, like in Moses’ story, other people may spot the changes in you quicker than you do.
For Moses, three times in today’s text it says his face shone. A little Medieval art trivia here: In the late 4th century the church father Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, which became the Catholic church’s official Bible of the time, called the “Vulgate.” The Hebrew verb for “radiate” is very close to the word for “horn.” Jerome might have thought of “horns of light” or “rays of light” emanating from Moses. Anyway, it was a translation error that later led to Michelangelo’s famous statue of Moses depicting two horns coming out of his head! (For real; look it up!)
Radiating Moses didn’t realize how much he had changed from being in the Lord’s presence. He didn’t know anything was different about him until the people around him told him. It reminds me of Peter and the disciples in Acts. On my commute in this week, I was listening to how the Jewish authorities had arrested them for taking about Jesus. They were afraid of their popularity among the Jewish people, and so were unsure what to do with them. And as they discussed it, they marveled at fishermen who spoke with such deep theological conviction. Acts 4:13 summarizes it: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that THESE MEN HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.”
Who is taking note that you have been with Jesus? An outsider may pick up on our spiritual growth before you do. And then, please note, ...
2. Your growth may scare others.
So it was with Peter and the disciples, and so it was with Moses. Verse 30 tells us, “When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” Your spiritual growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum; when you change, it changes the dynamic with others close to you. And sometimes your spiritual growth may threaten others. Here the people were scared of Moses.
Now the context is important. This is the second time Moses has come down off an extended Mount Sanai appointment with God, carrying two big stones with ten commandments chiseled into them. Remember what happened between the first and second time? When he came down the first time, he found Aaron and the people worshiping a golden calf. In one of the funniest and saddest copouts in the Bible, when Moses calls Aaron on his poor leadership, Aaron snaps, “What was I supposed to do? I took all the people’s gold, threw it into the fire, and out popped this golden calf!” (Exodus 32:24) Not my fault. Classic denial!
But anyway, Moses was so angry that he threw down the first set of tablets and they broke. Thousands died that day for their unbelief in God. Moses had come down holy and the people themselves had drifted farther away from God.
So now Moses is back with a fresh set of tablets from God. Moses is different. He’s glowing with God’s radiance. And the people are scared. What if more are punished? They see Moses’ glow and feel even more convicted of their own sin. They are scared, and you could say, rightfully so.
But Moses reassures them, reflecting God’s grace. He first speaks to the leaders, and then to all the people. And he encourages them to come closer and hear what God has said to them. As they get over their fear, they listen.
And then Moses starts wearing a veil. After he finishes speaking for God, he puts on a veil that he will take off only when in God’s presence or speaking to the people. What’s the veil all about? Look at #3 on your outlines:
3. While Moses’ glow was temporary, ours is forever.
Sometimes the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. The Apostle Paul reflects on this passage in the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. He writes, in 2 Corinthians 3:13, “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.” According to Paul’s analysis, Moses didn’t want the people to give up on God so quickly again, as his glow started fading.
For Moses, the glow was temporary; it was “passing away.” For us, Paul writes, it is eternal, forever. He uses a legal argument three times in 2 Corinthians 3, to say, “If A is true, how much truer is B?” His major point: “If the Old Testament law can do this much for you, how much more can the New Testament grace of God through his son Jesus Christ?” Then he comes back to the veil in verse 18:
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We like Moses, like Jesus, like Elijah, are developing our own glow, the more time we spend with our Savior. And this glow will never fade away. It’s a glow from God the Father who loves us and seeks to make us ever more like his Son. “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!” When we spend time with Jesus, we live out the transfiguration, as our own lives change. We are never the same.
Listen again to the lyrics of the song we heard earlier: “Shine, Jesus, Shine!” [By Graham Kendrick]. The last verse says:
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
How do you gaze on Jesus’ kingly brightness? Consider the question posed at the bottom of your outline: “What will you change in order to spend more time with Jesus?” Will you more consistently read the “Our Daily Bread” devotionals placed in our literature racks? (“They’re not called, “Our Monthly Bread,” you know!) Will you read a little scripture first thing in the morning, or last thing at night? Will you listen to a sermon on the radio or TV? Maybe you want to listen to Christian songs on a CD or on K-LOVE radio, or try out a new Bible study. Maybe it could be as simple as taking a walk on a warm day and just talking to God, pouring out your heart, and listening to his still small voice in your soul. Find a way to spend time with Jesus, and allow him to bring radiance to your being. I’ll close with the words of Kevin DeYoung, who says, “We’re transformed by being transfixed upon the transfigured one.” Let us pray:
Thank you, Father, for today’s story of Moses and the glow of his face as he spent significant quality time with you. Help us to prioritize our own time with you, where we hear your voice more clearly, where we discern your character, and where you build your eternal glow in our lives, marking us as those who have spent time with Jesus. We ask in his name, for your glory, amen.
Blessing for closing: “May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
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Joke for welcome time:
Today is Transfiguration Sunday, when Jesus transfigures into his full glorified self and chats with Moses and Elijah about his upcoming departure, while Peter, James, and John look on in shock. Peter jumps into action and says, “Hey, Jesus, this is good. We’ll set up three tents so you guys can stay a while.” Peter’s motto is, “When you don’t know what to say, say something!” It reminds me of a joke among our Catholic brothers and sisters:
A young parish priest walks into the worship space of his church to find Jesus Himself praying at the altar. He alerts the pastor, who alerts the bishop. The bishop tells the pastor that he must consult with the Pope at the Vatican on this, and he’ll call him right back. The phone rings shortly afterward, and the pastor asks what the Pope advised. The bishop replies, “The Pope says ... look busy!”
Exodus 34:29-35
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law 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.
