Have You Had Your Veil-Wearing Type of Experience With God?

Exodus 34:29-35:

²⁹ It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.

³⁰ So when Aaron and all the sons 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 in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.

³² Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

³⁴ But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded,

³⁵ the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Thoughts on the Passage

Much has been written by commentators on this passage. What we know is that Moses’ face shone and it did so because he had been meeting with God, and Moses himself was not aware of it. In fact, it shone to the point that Aaron and others feared to approach Moses when he had come down from the mountain. Perhaps they didn’t know who it was until Moses called them and spoke to them. It was then he was able to tell them to do all that God had commanded.

We also know that when Moses finished saying what he had to say, he put a veil over his face, although the reason is not stated. What we do know is that he took the veil off each time he went in “before the Lord”, left it off long enough when he came out for the sons of Israel to see his face still shining, and then replaced the veil until he went in to be before the Lord again. That’s the account based on the passage.

Chuck Smith says that Moses continued with the veil because the people were not to see the shining slowly fade as it was or would do. And that the shining was symbolic or indicated that the instructions God gave to Moses on the mountain, the laws we call “the Old Testament laws for the Jews” would fade away when God established the new covenant with man through Jesus Christ.

David Guzak says that close communion with God physically affected Moses to the point where it was visible to others. Rather than look pale after all that fasting he had done, his face shone. And Guzak makes the connection between that and the Christian’s radiance because of the peace, joy, love, and goodness, he enjoys from knowing God.

Further, Guzak suggests Moses’ humility prevented him from being aware that his face shone. He reminds us that only one other person in the Bible shone like this and it was Stephen (see Acts 6:15). Neither wished it for themselves, but their humility allowed God to grant it to them.

We also see Moses having had a “mountain-top” experience, now having to return to the mundane task ‘down below’ involved in the work of governing and leading. Guzak quotes Morgan who points out that Moses’ ‘up the mountain’ experience did not leave him simply a dreamer, but rather “to be, as never before, a man of affairs, directing, controlling. . .  according to the standards received in the mount.”

Guzak supports Smith as to the reason for the veil, adding that God did not want the people to lose confidence in Moses as the shining of his face faded.

Matthew Henry points out that on this second visit to the mount, while he heard the same things as before, Moses saw more of the glory of God, and thus his face shone. In essence, and to some measure, Moses changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as the Apostle Paul indicates in 2 Corinthians 3:18. One way to look at this is that God bestowed upon Moses a great honor so that he would be respected and listened to by the people. Whatever the reason, Moses did hold on to this respect his entire life. And it is possible that this ‘glory’ actually contributed to his long life and “the vigor of his old age; that eye could not wax dim which had seen God, nor that face become wrinkled which had shone with His glory.” (M. Henry)

Putting on the veil as Moses did, Henry says, teaches us at least two things:
First, a lesson of modesty and humility, being content to have had our experiences, without the need to flaunt them before others or to have them applauded.
Second, it shows us that we need to accommodate ourselves to the capacities of those we are trying to minister to and to do so in a way that they can bear it. (Reminds me of why we bend down to talk to little children.)

Note: To me, these two points are the key lessons of the passage.

Clearly, none of us can expect or feel it our right to have the kind of experience that Moses had which required him to wear a veil.  But we all should pursue an experience with God that helps us see more of His Glory, to hear more of His instructions for us, and to become more of what He wants us to be. And that opportunity is available to each of us, but it takes focus, availability, time (sometimes years of preparation), humility, and yes, fasting.

-- I'd appreciate your comments or thoughts on this passage.

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