Scripture Daily

Context No. 1426 of 4322 · Exodus

Context · Reflection

Exodus 34:26-35: in context

26“You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” 27The LORD said to Moses, “Write these words; for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mountain, Moses didn’t know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. 30When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him. 31Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all the commandments that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35The children of Israel saw Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; so Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

After forty days on the mountain with God, Moses comes down carrying the tablets of the covenant, and something has happened to him that he does not know: the skin of his face is shining from having spoken with God. Aaron and the people see it and are afraid to come near. Moses calls them back, delivers all that God commanded, and then puts a veil over his face. From then on, whenever he goes in before the LORD to speak with him, he removes the veil; when he comes out to give the people God's words, his face shines again, and he veils it once more until the next time.

The detail worth dwelling on is that Moses did not know his own face was shining. He had been in the presence of God, and the encounter had left a visible radiance on him, and he was unaware of it; others saw it before he did. That is how time spent with God works on a person. It changes us, leaves a mark, gives off something others can see, and often we are the last to notice it ourselves. The one who spends time in God's presence does not come away boasting of a glow; the change is unselfconscious, showing to others while hidden from the person changed. There is something instructive in that. We do not become radiant by trying to appear radiant, by cultivating an air of holiness for others to admire; the shining came simply from being with God, and Moses was not even aware of it. If we want our lives to give off something of God, the way is not to work up an impressive spiritual appearance but to spend time in his presence, going in before him as Moses did, and to leave the shining to take care of itself, unnoticed by us and seen by others. And notice that the radiance came from going in before the LORD and faded until he went in again; it was not a permanent possession but the fruit of ongoing encounter. The face that shines is the face that keeps going in before God.

Do I try to work up an impressive appearance of holiness for others to see, or do I simply spend time in God's presence and leave the shining to take care of itself, unnoticed by me, the fruit of going in before him again and again?

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