You Could See it in His Face!

Last Sunday after Epiphany, Transfiguration, 2/7/16
Exodus 34:29-35


You Could See it in His Face!
I. The fading glory of the law
II. The lasting glory of the gospel


Facial expressions reveal quite a bit, sometimes more than the individual would like others to know. For instance, you can tell when something fantastic has happened in a person’s life. Their face is beaming and they can’t wait to share their joy with you. Or there’s a look of pain—either physical or emotion—and it’s centered between furrowed brows. Many of us can tell when people are being less than truthful with us—it’s written on their faces. And then there’s shame. You know that person has done something terrible.

But have you ever seen glory on a person’s face? We might say that a bride looks glorious, but we aren’t limiting that to her facial features. We’re talking about her from head to toe. We might say that a child who is immersed in their favorite activity is “in his glory,” but what we’re really saying is that he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.

But we do have an instance of glory all over the face of someone in today’s sermon text. In fact, as far as we know, it’s the only time it happened to a sinful person. The verse prior to where our text begins informs us, “Moses was there [on Mount Sinai] forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant.” He was in the presence of God like no sinner ever had been before or has been since. And when he came down from the mountain, there was glory all over his face.

That glory on Moses’ face had everything to do with the glory Jesus enjoyed on the Mount of Transfiguration. That glory is all about who God is and what he does. That glory was shining from Moses. You could see it in his face. This morning let’s take the opportunity to recall what that glory was all about.

Part I.

When a young child is the subject of a severe verbal scolding—one that’s well deserved—one of his or her reactions is cowering in fear. For a few minutes at least, that child is curling up for fear that something worse is going to happen. They pray that they don’t hear another accusing word. They’re hoping with all their hearts that the storm of parental anger has passed for good. They simply want things to be pleasant and familial as they used to be.

That’s close to what was happening with the people of Israel as described in this morning’s text. It comes from Exodus 34. Do you recall the tragic event recorded just 2 chapters earlier? It was without argue the lowest point in Israel’s brief history thus far. Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God, the very first of which demanded, “You shall have no other gods.” Meanwhile, what were the people doing down below him? Bowing down to a golden calf!

And what was God’s reaction? He told Moses to step aside and watch his anger burn as he completely destroys these people. His divine patience was over. He had had enough. After all he had done for them, after sparing them from the plague of death in Egypt, after parting the waters of the Red Sea, after leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, this is how they treat him?! He’s through with these people!

But in Christ-like fashion, Moses stands between God’s fierce anger and his people. He pleads for the Lord’s mercy and he reminds the Lord of his glory and honor among the other nations around his people. And the Lord relented, but he told the people, “Go to the Promised Land by yourself. I will not go with you, because you are stiff-necked people and I might destroy you.”

So Moses intervened again, and the Lord replied to Moses, “Come up to the mountain and I will write the words of the covenant for you again.” In fact, while Moses was there with the Lord, the Lord proclaimed some of the most amazing words in the entire Old Testament. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7).

The Lord re-established his covenant with the people. He informed them that he would be their God if they would obey his covenant. He had a long list of stipulations including the 10 Commandments that were non-negotiable. Moses received them, and then went down the mountain.

That’s where our text picks up the story. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” These rebellious people had heard and seen enough from the holy God. They had just been the targets of his white-hot anger. And now they see the glory of the Lord shining from Moses’ face and their natural reaction is one of fear and dread.

So Moses veiled his face. That way he could still communicate with the people but not paralyze them with fear. That veiled glory reminded the people how serious the Lord was about his covenant with them.

The apostle Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lists another reason for Moses’ veil. “Moses put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at [the glory] while the radiance was fading away” (2 Cor. 3:13). This law covenant with the Children of Israel was only temporary. It was only for the Children of Israel. It was not the final word or covenant from God. He never intended this covenant to be the one that saved sinners from the punishment their sins deserved. This covenant was all law.

You could see it in his face—the fading glory of the law.

I’ve heard appeals from many Christians for the glory of the law to return to our society. I’ve heard it said that we’ve lost our moral compass. If only people would take God’s will stated clearly in his word seriously. Perhaps you’ve felt that way or said similar things. But be careful. Using God’s law to call people to repent is proper. In fact, God has given each Christian that responsibility. But make sure you do so only after shining that law on your own heart. Without your own repentance first, shining the law on the hearts and lives of others easily turns into an opportunity for self-righteousness. Bemoaning the sins of others before first bemoaning your own is pulling the veil off of Moses’ face in an attempt to make the law the most glorious words God ever shared with you. And that was never his intent. He shines his law on our hearts to drive us to Christ. He wants his law to expose every sinful thought, attitude, desire, word or deed so that we recognize its damning character and cling by faith to Jesus, who died for all our sins.

Part II.

What are your reactions when someone says or does something that hurts you? You can scream at them to let them know how you feel. The opposite extreme is also effective. You give them the silent treatment. That’s especially effective when the other person is oblivious as to how they offended you. They realize they’ve done something wrong but you won’t tell them what it is.

One of the worst things you can hear from God is silence. When he’s no longer reaching out to you, damnation is near.

Thank God that he’s still speaking to us! That’s another reason Moses veiled his face. He didn’t want the Children of Israel to focus solely on the law as God had given it to them through him. He wanted them to focus on the fact that the Lord still wanted to be their God. He was still speaking to them. As he had told Moses, he was the Lord who forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin.

That forgiveness assured them that the Lord still wanted to save them. He was not pushing them to hell forever; he was drawing them to heaven with him. Having forgiven their sins, God had made them fit to live with him. They were acceptable to God because of what he had done for them, not because of what they could do for him.

And since he had restored them as his people, his chosen nation, he would once again use them to carry out his plan of salvation. It would be through them that he would bring the promised Savior into the world. That Savior would one day reveal his full glory as the God-man who had come to carry out that plan of salvation to its saving fullest. And that’s what Jesus did. Having enjoyed the fullness of his glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, he then went down so that he could climb another mount, this time with a cross over his back and a crown of thorns pressed into his skull. A mount called Calvary.

Moses wanted the Children of Israel to look to that Savior. When they did, you could see it in his face—the lasting glory of the gospel.

The season of Lent is right around the corner—the most penitential season of the church year. It’s my prayer that you take full advantage of this Lenten season—from our penitential Ash Wednesday service to our penitential Good Friday service. When we recognize that it was our sins that made Jesus’ suffering and death necessary, then we have a prime opportunity to see the lasting glory of the gospel—the good news that Jesus’ life and death bring us the forgiveness we desperately need. And then, as forgiven children of God, we live in the freedom and confidence Jesus won for us. All is right between you and the holy God for the sake of Jesus. That’s the glorious gospel! See it this Lenten season in the face of Christ! Amen.