Text for the Week: The Message Unveiled

Scripture: Exodus 34:29-35

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. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. ³³ 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 when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 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.

Theme- We should shine like Moses reflecting God’s glory

Questions

1. What causes Moses’ face to shine and why is it the focal point of this passage?
2. Why do the people shrink back from Moses after his face begins to shine?
3. Why would Moses cover his face in front of the people?
4. How does this passage relate to the previous events following from the golden calf?

Helpful Information

Related texts: Deuteronomy 9:8-21, Matthew 5:15-16 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6

The timeline of Exodus 33-34 is somewhat jumbled and it is hard to determine a precise order of events and the conversations between God and Moses.

It is easy to focus on Moses being hid in the rock while God passes as the fulfillment of his request to “see God’s glory” 33:17-23 but the next action described is not this, it is God descending on the mountain and proclaiming the divine character. It is likely the author wants us to see this revelation of the divine character as the fulfillment of Moses’ request.

Moses’ descent of the mountain in 34:29 directly echoes the people’s complaints in 32:1 that Moses had not descended. This pattern is meant to show the patience of the people this time, the formal presentation of the covenant tablets, and the personal clout of Moses.

In chapter 32 Moses is disparaged as “that man” he is now proved to be someone extremely special with his face glowing.

The physical manifestation of Moses’ glow is meant to reflect the spiritual reality of his experience.

Rabbinic tradition says that Moses came down the mountain on Yom Kippur.

The word for glow k-r-n is unusual in Hebrew (usually it is ˀ-w-r). It is possible that this word was chosen because it usually means horn and was probably an allusion to the golden calf. Moses’ glow reflects God’s presence the way the golden calf was supposed to do. Jerome’s Vulgare translated this event as Moses growing horns (cornuta) and medieval art will often depict Moses with horns.

Reflection

The first time Moses to sends the mountain. He is met with discord and idolatry, this time the situation is completely different. When he returns to the Israelite camp for the second time, Moses is met reverential fear and trembling. The text tells us that Moses is unaware of the transformation he has undergone in God’s presence. It is easy to pick up on the Moses’s face being a metaphor for God’s glory. In the proceeding chapter Moses asks to see God’s glory and presence and that glory is depicted as God’s shining face. In the proceeding chapter Moses asks to see God’s glory and presence and that glory is depicted as God’s shining face, now, when Moses returns to the camp his face displays the same qualities. Moses’ face is a visible sign of how he now represents God to the people of Israel, his very presence reflects God into the community. Further, it is when he is alone with God that his countenance is visible, that is he is truly himself when he is in God’s presence and hidden when he speaks to anyone else. Within the narrative, this story functions to help reinforce to us how Moses has finally accepted his role as intermediary between God and Israel. Moses has in the minds of the people superseded the golden calf that would have led people away from God. Moses, by the act of spending an extended time in God’s presence, is now able to fully take on the responsibility of leading the people and mediating their covenant with God. In this passage Moses represents what Israel is meant to be, someone who completely reflects God, internalizes the covenant, and is able to direct others in their journey with God.

It is all these reasons why Paul picks up this story in 2 Corinthians 3-4 and uses it as a benchmark for believers in their own journey. Paul uses the story of Moses descending the mountain to elaborate on two different points and both are important for us. The first is that in Jesus the veil that had hidden the Old Testament has been removed. This means that before Jesus, people had the instructions of the Old Testament and like Moses speaking from under a veil, they made sense. But with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection these teachings take on a whole new meaning. There is a temptation in Christian circles today to think that the Old Testament is somehow bad, wrong, or (as the name implies) obsolete. What Paul is saying is the opposite, that when the Old Testament is read through Jesus, that is without hindrance or obstruction, we begin to see the point of the instructions. These are not arbitrary laws to be followed but wisdom meant to help Israel live in community and reflect their relationship with God to their neighbors. If we read these words as “do’s and don’ts” and arbitrary laws that needed strict obedience we are missing the grace of God in the world, grace perfectly expressed in Jesus. In this metaphor, Paul is saying that everything in the Old Testament is meant to point us told the teaching of Jesus and that we should begin with him and let him remove the veil from the earlier writings. And Paul says the key to this is that the relationship we now possess with God’s Holy Spirit enables us to better understand how everything fits together.

But Paul does not stop there, he redirects his metaphor in 2 Corinthians 4, the same Holy Spirit that helps us remove the veil from the Old Testament shines in us and we become like Moses. SO not only are we able to understand the ideas of the Covenant in a way similar to Moses, we also shine with God’s glory. We become, in Jesus’ words, the shining city on a hill visible to everyone around us. Paul calls us to remember that while our faces may not physically shine with God’s glory our lives are meant to shine in the reflection of God. The veil that was necessary for Moses, keeping God’s glory hidden, is something we need to reject. We instead should choose to allow as much of God’s glory to be reflected into the world as we possibly can. We do not do this by adhering to laws and forcing others to do the same, we do this by living in ways that honor and respect others, and seek to help our neighbors. Yes, we will live disciplined lives, as Paul explains, but the discipline results from our desire to honor God and love our neighbors. The discipline of our lives should lead to a greater sense of God in the world.