Sunday, October 28, 2007

Exodus 34

A New Copy of the Covenant


   The sheer fact that Exodus 34 exists
is proof that God is a God of mercy. This is the second
time God has met Moses on the mountain to make a covenant
with the people of Israel. When Moses came down from
the mountain the first time, the people had fallen
in love with the works of their own hands. They were
worshipping a golden calf. - THE LORD, A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS- John Piper: www.soundofgrace.com/piper84/100784m.htm


(1) Then the Lord
told Moses, “Chisel out two *stone tablets
like the first ones. I will write on them the same
words that were on the tablets you smashed.


Deuteronomy 10:1-4: At that
time the Lord said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone
tablets like the first ones. Also make a **wooden
Ark—a sacred chest to store them in.
Come up to me on the mountain, and I will
write on the tablets the same words that were on the
ones you smashed. Then place the tablets
in the Ark.’ “So I made an Ark of acacia
wood and cut two stone tablets like the first two.
Then I went up the mountain with the tablets in my
hand. Once again the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments
on the tablets and gave them to me. They were the
same words the Lord had spoken to you from the heart
of the fire on the day you were assembled at the foot
of the mountain.


*stone tablets: See notes at end about 2 Corinthians 3 where Paul refers to this verse.


**wooden
Ark: The Ark in a synagogue is generally a receptacle, or ornamental closet, which contains each synagogue's Torah scrolls. In most cases, when possible, the Ark is located on the wall of the synagogue closest to Jerusalem. Most Arks feature a curtain. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, this an artificial representation of the Holy of Holies with the Ark containing the "Ten Words".


Jeremiah 31:31-34: “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”


(2) Be ready in the
morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present
yourself to me on the top of the mountain.


(3) No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.”


(4) So Moses chiseled
out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early
in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord
had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets
in his hands.


   The first time Moses went up he was empty-handed;
when he came down he smashed the tablets because of
the Israelites’ sin. Now the people would see
him go up with empty tablets and be uncertain whether
he would come back with the tablets inscribed again


(5) Then the Lord
came down in a cloud and stood there with
him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh.


   The cloud mentioned was no doubt
the cloud of Shekinah glory. This was the same cloud
that:



  • Covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16)

  • Went with Israel by day (Exodus 13:21-22)

  • Went to the tent of Moses (Exodus 33:9-10)

  • Filled the temple with glory (2 Chronicles
    7:2)

  • Overshadowed Mary at the conception of Jesus
    (Luke 1:35)

  • Was present at the transfiguration of Jesus
    (Luke 9:34-35)

  • Will be present at the return of Jesus (Revelation
    1:7)


(6) The Lord passed
in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.


   Now, the language of passing by,
you will recall from Genesis 15 when the smoking oven
and the flaming torch passed through the slaughtered
animals. That’s language of a covenant making
ceremony, and you see the same language in Jeremiah
34. Now you might say, “Well, those are a long
way away. Is that really what’s on Moses’
mind?” Well, turn back to Exodus 33:19,22, in
the immediate context of Exodus 34, and look at the
language there. God says to Moses, in verse 19, “I
Myself will make My goodness pass before you.”
And then again in verse 22, “And it shall come
about while My glory is passing by, I will put you
in the cleft of the rock.” Moses is using that
language there. It’s covenant-making language.
It’s the language of God coming and again binding
Himself in commitment to His people. So, we see again
the context of a covenant being renewed
in this passage. - Exodus - First Presbyterian
Church of Jackson: www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/


   This means that God revealed His
character to Moses. The specific aspects of His character
are mentioned in this passage, yet this was far more
than a lecture on the nature of God. Moses experienced
the character of God in a dramatic way.


(7) I lavish unfailing love to a *thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”


*thousand generations: Hebrew
for thousands.


   As in the ten commandments (20:5-6),
this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment
will continue in the family if left unchecked. This
does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands
versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited
to those who hate God.


   Ezekiel 18:19 says, “‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live.
In other words, he won't die for
his father's sins because he is not following in his
father's footsteps. But the parallel to Exodus 34:7
in Exodus 20:5 God says I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
In other words, the children share in the father's
punishment because they share in the father's sins.
So Ezekiel teaches that any child that turns from
the sinful ways of his father and obeys God will not
be punished for the sins of his father. And Exodus
teaches that any child that goes on sinning like his
father will share the father's punishment. When God
visits the sins of the fathers on the children he
doesn't punish sinless children for the sins of their
fathers. He simply lets the effects of the fathers'
sins take their natural course, infecting and corrupting
the hearts of the children. For parents who love their
children this is one of the most sobering texts in
all the Bible. The more we let sin get the upper hand
in our own lives, the more our children will suffer
for it. Sin is like a contagious disease. My children
don't suffer because I have it. They catch it from
me and, then suffer because they have it. - THE
LORD, A GOD MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS: www.soundofgrace.com/piper84/100784m.htm


   This should be a sobering verse for us fathers. Why is that crime is so prevalent in some parts of the city? - Poor or absent fathering! In giving us the gift of children, God has also given us a responsibility. We are to raise our children to love the Lord. We are to help them develop hearts for Him.
We are the ones responsible for teaching our children God’s Word. Every child needs a set of principles to live by. They need to learn respect, integrity, honesty, and discipline. These attributes can only be learned if we, as parents, are teaching them God’s Word.
Many of the problems in our world today can be traced back to parents who failed to teach their children God’s Word. Many times parents avoid teaching their children the Bible because they do not know it themselves! It is our responsibility to teach God’s Word to our children. Our world is not teaching them about God and how to live a moral life - certainly not our school systems. As we teach them to hide His Word in their hearts, they will be better prepared to face the devil and his temptations. It isn’t the job of the church, Sunday school, or even the Christian school to teach your children of God! It is your job as the parent.


Deuteronomy 4:9: Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.


Proverbs 4:1-4: My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.


Proverbs 22: 6: Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.


Ephesians 6:4: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.


2 Timothy 1:5, 14-17: I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.


(8) Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped.


   What is "worship"?



Romans 12:1: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.


John 4:23-24: But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”


(9) And he said,
“O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with
you, then please travel with us. Yes,
this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please
forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us
as your own special possession.”


Deuteronomy 7:6,14:2: For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.


1 Peter 2:9: But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.


(10) The Lord replied,
“Listen, I am making a covenant with you in
the presence of all your people. I will perform
miracles that have never been performed anywhere in
all the earth or in any nation. And all the people
around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome
power I will display for you.


   Notice that the covenant is between
the Lord and Moses!


(11) But listen carefully
to everything I command you today. Then I
will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites,
Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


(12) “Be very careful
never to make a treaty with the people who
live in the land where you are going. If you do, you
will follow their evil ways and be trapped.


Judges 2:1-3: The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”


   In Joshua chapter 9, we learn that Joshua signed a treaty with the people of Gibeon when they tricked him by pretending to be from far away. Verses 14-15: So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.


(13) Instead, you
must break down their pagan altars,
smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their
*Asherah poles.


*Asherah poles: These were wooden
poles that stood by Baal's altar (Judges 6:25). Used
to worship the goddess who was the wife of Baal. She
represented fertility and good luck in agriculture.
These are phallic images. Many believe they've come down to us in the form of the "Christmas" tree and the "May pole". Asherah was the "Queen of Heaven" (see Jeremiah chapters 7 & 44) - sound familiar?


Asherah was the name of a
sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine
of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of
a tree deprived of its branches, and rudely shaped into
an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious
symbols ("groves") are frequently mentioned in Scripture. These images were also
sometimes made of silver or of carved stone.

The symbol
made for Asherah by his mother was "cut down"
by Asa (1 Kings 15:13). So, too, we hear of Asherim
or symbols of the goddess being set up on the high
places under the shade of a green tree (Jeremiah 17:2;
see 2 Kings 17:10). Manasseh introduced one into the
temple at Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:3-7).


Deuteronomy 16:21-22: “You
must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside
the altar you build for the Lord your God.
And never set up sacred pillars for worship,
for the Lord your God hates them.


1 Kings 16:30-33: But Ahab son
of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight,
even more than any of the kings before him. And as
though it were not enough to follow the example of
Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King
Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow
down in worship of Baal. First Ahab built
a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. Then
he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to
provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel,
than any of the other kings of Israel before him.


Judges 6:22-32: When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord,
he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” “It is all right,” the
Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which
means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.That night the Lord said to Gideon,
“Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down
the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice
the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord
had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. Early the next
morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had
been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed. The people said to each other,
“Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.“Bring out your
son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole. But Joash shouted
to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If
Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!” From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means
“Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.


2 Kings 23:6-7: The king (Josiah) removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and threw the dust over the graves of the people. He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.


(14) You must
worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose
very name is *Jealous, is a God who is jealous about
his relationship with you.


*Jealous: God’s relationship with Israel is often spoken of in the imagery of a marriage. The basis of that relationship is love, and "jealously" is a way to describe the love that a husband has for a wife who is unfaithful and works as a prostitute. Sadly, during the period of the divided kingdom, both Israel and Judah were guilty of “playing the harlot” (Jeremiah 3:6-10). God called Israel’s idolatrous practice “adultery,”


(15) “You must not
make a treaty of any kind with the people living in
the land. They *lust after their gods, offering
sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them
in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.


*lust: The verb zanah means
“to play the prostitute; to commit whoredom;
to be a harlot” or something similar. It is
used here and elsewhere in the Bible for departing
from pure religion and engaging in pagan religion.
The use of the word in this figurative sense is fitting,
because the relationship between God and his people
is pictured as a marriage, and to be unfaithful to
it was a sin. This is also why God is described as
a “jealous” or “impassioned”
God. There actually was sexual immorality at the Canaanite
altars and poles.


(16) Then you will
accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods,
as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your
sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other
gods.


   Just what Solomon did!


(17) You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.


(18) “You must celebrate
the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days the bread you eat must be made without
yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival
annually at the appointed time in early spring, in
the *month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of
your departure from Egypt.


*month of Abib: Hebrew appointed
time in the month of Abib (Nisan). This first month of the
ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within
the months of March and April. This was a feast speaking of their
purity before God, when all leaven - a symbol of sin
- was put away and Israel walked in a symbolic purity. Passover was one day in length on the 14th of Nisan (Numbers 28:16, Leviticus 23:5) while Unleavened Bread lasted seven days from the 15th to the 21st of Nisan.


Exodus 12:14-20: “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel. On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.“Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation. The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month. During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners living among you and to the native-born Israelites. During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”


Leviticus 23:5-6: The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast.


(19) “The firstborn
of every animal belongs to me, including
the firstborn males from your herds of cattle and
your flocks of sheep and goats.


(20) A firstborn
donkey may be *bought back from the Lord by presenting
a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not
buy it back, you must break its neck. However, **you
must buy back every firstborn son. No one
may appear before me without an offering.


*bought back: This is the idea of redemption. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 : Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.


**you
must buy back every firstborn son: Should remind you of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:1–19 where a ram substituted for Isaac and should remind us that Jesus was/is our substitute.


(21) “You have six
days each week for your ordinary work, but on
the seventh day you must stop working, even during
the seasons of plowing and harvest.


(22) “You must celebrate
the *Festival of Harvest with the
first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the
**Festival of the Final Harvest at
the end of the harvest season.


*Festival of Harvest: Hebrew Festival
of Weeks as in 23:16. This was later called the
Festival of Pentecost. It is celebrated today as Shavuat
(or Shabuoth). In June, fifty days after Passover,
after seven weeks after Passover, then the next day
began—seven weeks would be forty-nine days.
The next day, the fiftieth day would begin the Passover,
which was the first fruits of the winter, wheat harvest,
as they began to harvest it there in Israel in the
first part of June. Then it was sort of a Thanksgiving.


**Festival of the Final Harvest:
or Festival of Ingathering. This was later
called the Festival of Shelters or Festival of Tabernacles
(see Leviticus 23:33-36). It is celebrated today as
Sukkot (or Succoth).


(23) Three
times each year every man in Israel must appear before
the Sovereign, the Lord, the God of Israel.


   God commanded that at three feasts
each year (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles),
each Israelite man should gather before the LORD.
This was a potential major problem for the later Northern
Kingdom of Israel, since the appointed place by then was in the Temple in Jerusalem.


Deuteronomy 16:1-16: “In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored. Eat it with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt. Let no yeast be found in any house throughout your land for those seven days. And when you sacrifice the Passover lamb on the evening of the first day, do not let any of the meat remain until the next morning. “You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you. You must offer it only at the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Sacrifice it there in the evening as the sun goes down on the anniversary of your exodus from Egypt. Roast the lamb and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses. Then you may go back to your tents the next morning. For the next six days you may not eat any bread made with yeast. On the seventh day proclaim another holy day in honor of the Lord your God, and no work may be done on that day. “Count off seven weeks from when you first begin to cut the grain at the time of harvest. Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest to honor the Lord your God. Bring him a voluntary offering in proportion to the blessings you have received from him. This is a time to celebrate before the Lord your God at the designated place of worship he will choose for his name to be honored. Celebrate with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites from your towns, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, so be careful to obey all these decrees. “You must observe the Festival of Shelters for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain has been threshed and the grapes have been pressed. This festival will be a happy time of celebrating with your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows from your towns. For seven days you must celebrate this festival to honor the Lord your God at the place he chooses, for it is he who blesses you with bountiful harvests and gives you success in all your work. This festival will be a time of great joy for all. “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him.



   Are we Gentile Christians to observe these feasts?

Colossians 2:16-17: So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. These verses tell us that these feasts pointed to Christ


(24) I will drive out the other nations ahead of you and expand your territory, so no one will covet and conquer your land while you appear before the Lord your God three times each year.


(25) “You must not
offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together
with any baked goods containing yeast. And none of
the meat of the Passover sacrifice may be kept over
until the next morning.


   Leaven (yeast) is often a picture
of sin in the Bible. Therefore, it was forbidden to
include any kind of leaven in a blood sacrifice.


(26) “As you harvest
your crops, bring the very best of the first
harvest to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”


(27) Then the Lord
said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions,
for they represent the terms of the covenant I am
making with you and with Israel.”


   What is the difference between
Exodus 20-23 and Exodus 34? In Exodus 20-23 the covenant
is made with Israel. In Exodus 34:27 we hear God say,
Write down all these instructions, for they represent
the terms of the covenant I am making with you and
with Israel. The first covenant is made between
God and Israel, with Moses as the mediator. The second
covenant is made between God and Moses and all Israel
with him (or in him?). This is an accurate way to
describe the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace
is made between God and the elect, with Christ as
the mediator. But it is also proper to say that the
covenant of grace is made between God and Christ,
with all the elect in him. Moses here reflects this
foreshadowing Christ. - The Covenant Renewed
- Exodus 33-34: www.michianacovenant.org/sermons/ex33.html


(28) Moses remained
there on the mountain with the Lord forty
days and forty nights. In all that time he
ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote
the terms of the covenant—*the Ten Commandments—on
the stone tablets.


*the Ten Commandments: Hebrew the
ten words.


(29) When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the* two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.


* two stone tablets inscribed with the terms
of the covenant: Hebrew the two tablets
of the Testimony.


   The time you spend in prayer, reading the Bible and meditating should have such an effect on your life that people will know that you have been with God.


(30) So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.


(31) But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them.


(32) Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.


(33) When Moses finished
speaking with them, he covered his face with
a *veil.


*veil 2 Corinthians 3:13-15: We
are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so
the people of Israel would not see the glory, even
though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s
minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the
old covenant is being read, the same veil
covers their minds so they cannot understand
the truth. And this veil can be removed only
by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when
they read Moses’ writings, their hearts
are covered with that veil, and they do not
understand.


(34) But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him,


(35) and the people
of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face.
So he would put the veil over his face until
he returned to speak with the Lord.



Matthew 5:16: Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (KJV)



   What function did the “beaming,” radiant face of Moses play here? First, I believe that it further elevated Moses, showing him to be the one who God had chosen to be the mediator of His people. It also gave great force to the words which he spoke. When Moses came from the tent of meeting after having spoken with God everybody knew that what Moses was about to convey to them was a word directly from God. When Moses’ face was aglow, the words which Moses spoke were the very words of God. The radiant face of Moses gave testimony to the divinely inspired utterances which he spoke to the people. The meaning of this periodic transfiguration of Moses is not pressed in our passage, other than to imply that Moses’ words, which were spoken with this shining face, would likely be taken very seriously by the Israelites. It is not until the New Testament that this unusual phenomenon is taken up more thoroughly.


   Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of Christ is an especially significant commentary of the transfiguration of Moses in our text:

Matthew 17:1-5: Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”


   This manifestation of the glory of our Lord, evidenced by His brilliant countenance and his glowing garments, is but a foretaste of His splendor, which will again be His when He is raised from the dead and ascends to the heavenly throne of God. John describes the radiance of the face of the glorified Christ in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation: “And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength” (Revelation 1:16 KJV). It is no wonder, then, that heaven will need no light other than that of His radiance: And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:5 KJV).


   The radiance of Moses’ face has great prophetic significance, for in the Book of Deuteronomy Moses spoke of the Messiah who would come, who would be a prophet like him: The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15).


   The striking similarities between these accounts in Matthew’s gospel and in the Book of Revelation and that of our text in the Book of Exodus prove that the prophet of whom Moses spoke was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the similarities between Matthew’s account of the transfiguration of our Lord and Moses’ account of his own transfiguration:


There is the “high mountain” in both accounts.

There is the beaming face of both Moses and our Lord.

There is the fact that Moses appears in both passages.

The manifestation of glory is proof of God’s favor of the one who is thus transformed.

There is the emphasis on listening carefully to what the one with the gleaming face has to say.

Thus, the transfiguration of Moses was intended to serve as a prototype, a prophecy of the Messiah to come, who was in many regards, a prophet like Moses. Just as the radiance of Moses’ face was a part of his credentials, which caused the people to listen to him carefully, so the radiant splendor of Christ was one of His credentials, instructing us to listen carefully to Him:


   When Moses radiated, it was with the glory of God, and thus men were induced to listen to his words. When our Lord was transfigured, it was with His own glory, as God, that He glowed. The writer to the Hebrews thus encourages each of us to take His words most seriously. - A New Beginning: (Exodus 34:10-35): www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=200




   So he would veil his face when
he would go out and talk with the children of Israel,
because he would have this shining on his face. When
he'd go before the Lord he'd take the veil off. Now
twice in the New Testament this veil is mentioned
there in a couple of different ways. Number one, why
the veil over the face of Moses? Because it was hard
to look at his shining face? No. In Corinthians we
are told that the reason for the veil over his face
is so that they would not see the shining go away,
fading. But the fact that the shine was fading away
from his face, was indicating the fact that the law
that God was given was to fade away when God established
the new covenant with man through Jesus Christ. So
that they would not see the fading away of the old
covenant, his face was veiled. But Paul goes on to
say, But even today their faces are still veiled
when it comes to the word of God. They can't
see the truth of God in Jesus Christ. They still have
that veil over their face as God seeks to speak to
them today, and they cannot see that Jesus Christ
is indeed the Messiah that God had promised to the
nation Israel. So the veil still over their eyes,
not being able to behold the truth of Jesus Christ.
- Blue Letter Bible - Chuck Smith Commentary
on Exodus 33-34: www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd033.html



2 Corinthians 3:6-18: He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old
way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though
it began with such glory that the people of Israel
could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his
face shone with the glory of God, even though the
brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t
we expect far greater glory under the new way, now
that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way,
which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much
more glorious is the new way, which makes us right
with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious
at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the
new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced,
was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which
remains forever! Since this new way gives us such
confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses,
who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel
would not see the glory, even though it was destined
to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened,
and to this day whenever the old covenant is being
read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot
understand the truth. And this veil can be removed
only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when
they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are
covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is
taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all
of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect
the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the
Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we
are changed into his glorious image.


   The apostle Paul reflects on this
in 2 Corinthians 3:6-11. Why does Paul call this a
ministry of death? As we have seen, it was precisely
this renewal of the covenant that brought life to
Israel! How can Paul call it a ministry of condemnation?
It all depends on your perspective: If you are looking
at Moses from the perspective of an Israelite in the
wilderness, then the Mosaic covenant is a covenant
of grace that brings life. But if you looking at Moses
from the perspective of an Israelite after the resurrection
of Christ, then the Mosaic covenant is a ministry
of condemnation that brings death.


   Paul explains this in 12-18. The
veil that Moses wore to shield the eyes of Israel
from the glory of God, was so that the Israelites
might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought
to an end. In other words, Israel was not yet ready
to see Christ, because that is what was revealed in
Moses' face. There was a glory that the law pointed
to--which Israel was not ready to see. Because only
through Christ is it taken away. And when Christ takes
the veil away from our eyes, what do we see?


   What is the veil holding back?
It is preventing them from truly understanding the
Old Testament. The veil language is referring to mental
hardening that prevents people from understanding
what was written. WE, now with unveiled face, beholding
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image, from one degree of glory into another.
For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (i.e.,
the Spirit is the presence of the risen Christ with
his Church; they work so closely together in the application
of redemption that the Lord is said to be the Spirit).


   Therefore, since we have received
the Spirit, since we have received Christ himself,
the glory revealed in Moses looks like a dull, fading
shadow! Yes, it may have brought life to Israel--temporarily.
But in the light of the glory of Christ, anyone who
seeks to go back to Moses is seeking death. And Paul
says that if you would understand Moses properly,
see how he points you to Christ. If you read Moses
apart from Christ, then you will face the ministry
of condemnation, because the people of God NEVER DID
keep covenant with God. They broke the covenant time
after time. Only in Christ does the covenant with
Moses bring us hope, because we see that final covenant--that
new covenant--where Christ, who is both faithful covenant
mediator, and faithful covenant keeper, brings eternal
life to all his people. Moses was able to bring about
a temporary stay of judgment, but he could do nothing
to ensure the future obedience of the people of God.
Therefore, it is a ministry of death and condemnation
because it cannot endure the final judgment seat of
God.


   Jesus has through his once-for-all
sacrifice forgiven your sins, and through his perfect
obedience he has ensured that this covenant will never
be broken. The final judgment has been declared in
Christ. This is why Paul calls this ministry of righteousness
"permanent" and declares that we are being
transformed into the image of Christ, from one degree
of glory into another. - The Covenant Renewed
- Exodus 33-34: www.michianacovenant.org/sermons/ex33.htm



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