The Great Reveal

3.2.25 2 Corinthians 3:7–18 (EHV)

7 If the ministry that brought death (which was engraved in letters on stone) came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look directly at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (though it was fading), 8 how will the ministry of the spirit not be much more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, the ministry that brought righteousness has even more glory. 10 In fact, in this case, what was glorious is no longer very glorious, because of the greater glory of that which surpasses it. 11 Indeed, if what is fading away was glorious, how much more glorious is that which is permanent!

12 Therefore, since we have this kind of hope, we act with great boldness. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away. 14 In spite of this, their minds were hardened. Yes, up to the present day, the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read. It has not been removed because it is taken away only in Christ. 15 Instead, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But whenever someone 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 freedom. 18 But all of us who reflect the Lord’s glory with an unveiled face are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another. This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Let’s Make a Deal! Some of you in the upper ages might remember the old game show which offered different prizes behind different curtains. Sometimes they were clunkers like an old goat. Other times they were new cars and trips overseas. It was rather fun and entertaining to see what was waiting for them behind each curtain.

In the Old Testament, there was only one veil, and the people of Israel knew what was behind that veil. It was the Ark of the Covenant, over which the LORD dwelt in a special and holy way. The high priest could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement, and even then animals had to be slaughtered, blood had to be sprinkled, and smoke from the altar of incense had to cloud up the room first in order to cloud up the glory of God. Then Jesus came with a different veil put over Himself, a veil of humility and human flesh to hide His glory and majesty. When Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two! The veil was gone. The whole Aaronic priesthood and sacrificial system was no longer needed. Hundreds of years of promises and shadows were now fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The Great Reveal

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians compares the glory of Jesus and the gospel with the glory of Moses and the Law. When Moses went up to God on Mt. Sinai to receive the commandments, it was a glorious thing. When he came down, his face was shining bright just from being in God’s presence. It shone like a lightbulb. At first, people were scared of him, and that was kind of what God wanted. He was reflecting the holiness of God. But then when Moses called them close, it seemed that they were enamored with him. So what did Moses do? Paul tells us that he, “put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away.”

This is a picture of what happened to the Israelites in their relationship with the Law. That which was meant to humble them and bring them to their knees at the holiness of God, well they ended up being too enamored with it. So Moses put a veil over his face to hide his beauty. Imagine a young man being enamored at the beauty of a young woman. But little does he realize what her standards are going to be. She’s going to demand that he be in perfect shape, make six figures, and dote on her every move. But he’s so enamored with her that he does all he can to make her happy, tries to convince himself that she will make him happy. He’s going to be miserably in love.

That’s what continued to happen through the history of the Old Testament and in Jesus’ time. His fellow Jews were enamored with the law, and they convinced themselves that the law was all they needed. They made laws on top of their laws so that they could feel good about themselves. If I wear the right clothes, have regulations for how many steps I can walk, then I can feel good about myself. I can be a really good Jew. As a result, they didn’t feel they really needed God’s grace and mercy, as long as they had the law to keep. Paul wrote, their minds were hardened. . . . to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. Again, if a veil lies over your heart, it seems to mean that their emotions are covered up by the law. They were so in love with their rules that they couldn’t and wouldn’t find a need for the love of Christ.