Exodus 34:29-35 - Shine On, Unveiled!

Exodus 34:29-35

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.

Moses had to cover his face with a veil after spending time in the holy and magnificent presence of the LORD God Almighty or the glow left reflected from God on the people would cause great fear, likely because their sin was laid bare under the light of His righteousness seen there.  This glory seen on his face was explained further in 2 Corinthians 3:7-8 as a passing radiance that faded as Moses was outside the presence of the Holy One for a while; it was transitory and wore off, unlike the glory unveiled in Christ to us all by His grace.  This veil of the Old Testament was also lifted in Christ so we (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) can now gaze into His face without fear of being consumed by our sin’s penalty which has been taken away in the New Testament of Christ’s redeem lifeblood sacrificed for us.  He Himself is the veil that once hid God from us but now we see Him and His glory as in a mirror (2 Corinthians 3:18) as we are constantly changed by his Spirit and word while gazing into His law of liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17) written on His face for us to see.  This access to the Father through the Son is not to an elite group whom we have to approach as an intermediary, for we have access to boldly come (Hebrews 4:16) to His throne of power and grace and see His face there in the holy of holies now opened to us as when Jesus died and the temple veil was torn to open the way for us all in Christ as priests (Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6) to Him.  We need not fear eternal torment when we approach the Lord now as the people then did while looking to Moses as their mediator and intercessor, for Christ Jesus in the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:15, 12:24) now and forever who constantly intercedes (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25) for our sin at the mercy seat opened to us!   We who are in Christ then need not fear to see the glow of His face as the people of Israel looking at the after affects of Moses meeting with God, for we have an unveiled view of Him in His holiness which no longer condemns but justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5) by divine grace and mercy.  Shine on (Matthew 5:16, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Philippians 2:15-16), unveiled ones!