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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Recognize No Evil; Admit To No Evil; Speak No Evil

Breaking The Veil Of Silence

Author: Jobst Bittner

Published by: TOS Publishing, Tübingen, Germany, 2013

I agreed to review this book because of my high regard for the Jewish people, from Abraham who lived about 3,800 years ago right up to those Jews living around the world today. So I was surprised to find out it had just as much to do with Christians. Silence about the past, the evil past, is a condition of the mind and heart that can prey on all of us. Thus its subject concerns many of us.

Jobst Bittner, the author, is the President of TOS Ministries, a multi-initiative work which is best described through its website. But for purposes of this review, Bittner is a German pastor, theologian, and activist. He tackled Germany’s “veil of silence” which covered the country’s history, the reign of Hitler, and the Holocaust, starting with Tübingen, the university city which gave rise to the “final solution” and its promoters after the Jews were blamed for the Black Plague. And he succeeded.  In this book, Bittner challenges us to tackle our own “veil of silence” in ourselves, in our families, communities, cities, and country, but above all in our churches. If we do it for no other reason, we must do it for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, if not more future generations.  The impact on children in each of these generations is discussed at great length. He shows us that unless we break this “silence”, there cannot be the spiritual healing each of these entities (family, city, church, community, and country) needs.  And without the healing, one has a hard time benefitting from the full extent of God’s intended blessings.

With respect to the Church, the author points out what happened to it since the early days after Christ’s crucifixion and ascension each time they moved away (or were taken away) from their Jewishness. He also shows us how, contrary to popular belief, Constantine didn’t do the Church any favors.

I found this book to be a serious treatise of the topic – very methodical, detailed, well-researched, and most informative. He does a great job of integrating psychological and psychiatric models into his explanations which are interesting. I was sharing its contents with some family and friends while still reading it and already a number have asked to borrow it. The topic is certainly still, for one reason or another, a very hot one. He spends time showing us where the veil of silence comes from, what it is, and where it’s found today. And then he moves us, using the parallel of those who experienced the Holocaust and the concentration camps of Hitler Germany, through the various generations of victims and how the silence has impacted each. And don’t think there’s no room in this process for Jewish people to ask forgiveness of the Germans, there is. But I’ll let you discover where for yourself.

As already mentioned, the book is not just about the victims (the Jews of Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia, and many other places), it’s also about the perpetrators – both inside and outside the church – for all the same generations, up to today. We meet the children of SS officers and we cry with those who had to visit the very ground that their parents or grandparents were executed or annihilated. But it’s all worthwhile for them, as it should be or could be for us.   

Bittner addresses the issue of whether or not, and if so, why and how, we can repent for the sins of our forefathers – and he does so with biblical backing. One of his chapters focuses on the fact that any veil of silence can be actually broken, but he warns us that it’s not a piece of cake. He does an excellent job of explaining how Christ “remained silent” on the cross, so we don’t have to be silent today.  Finally, he gives us vibrant example after example of how the “veil of darkness” encompassing the Holocaust has indeed been broken, in Germany, America, and elsewhere.

I love his line, “Most of the time, religious silence resists the power of God, always wanting to retreat to the ‘privacy’ of one’s personal faith.” How true that is and also how much it renders us ineffective.

The problem for many readers will be that we cannot even imagine some of the kind of memories those people he writes about had, let alone actually have them ourselves.

I recommend the book for any pastor who wants to break the silence in his/her church; for any parent who wants to break it in his/her family; for any counsellor who needs to better understand his/her clients; and for anyone who wants to be healed of his/her own silence.

·      By Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, August 30, 2016. www.accordconsulting.com

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God's House vs. Place of Meeting: There is a Difference, then and now.

The Tabernacle’s Curtains, Boards, Bars, Veil, and Screen

Picture courtesy of: "Tabernacle-view" by Epictatus at English Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tabernacle-view.jpg#/media/File:Tabernacle-view.jpg

Exodus 26:1-37: In chapter 26 of Exodus, God gives detailed instructions for each of the items listed in our heading. Rather than repeat the entire chapter here, the reader may want to study the fine detail from the Scriptures itself. We have been using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) as it is excellent study version of the Word of God, but many of the other renditions are also helpful. Below we simply highlight some of the key features of the chapter for our study.

In verse 1 of the chapter we note that Moses was to use skillful workmen in the work that God wanted done to precision.  God wants the best in His service and He will see to it that we have the best because He equips His people to do the job He wants done. However, sometimes we rush things – using the wrong people, just to get the job done and God is not pleased. I am not suggesting that God can’t use untrained people, He can and He does.  But I can confidently say that I believe He does not use un-equipped people. Those of us in charge of ministry need to make sure the people we use are indeed equipped to do the job God wants them to do.  [By the way, God repeats this request in verse 31 when it comes to the making of the “veil” for the tabernacle.]

In verse 30, God again repeats the caution that He already has given Moses with respect to the furniture he was to have built. God says, “. . . erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.” Follow the instructions.  That’s central. And get the instructions when you go to “the mountain”. We can’t get clear instructions from God when we hang around with the masses.  We have to go alone to the mountain. We have to turn off the din of the world – the television, the radio, the magazines, and yes, even the newspapers that we claim simply keep us abreast of things.

In verses 33 and 34 we are told that the Ark of the testimony (that first piece of furniture God ordered) complete with the “mercy seat” (its lid) was to go behind this veil they were making.  And the veil itself would divide the tabernacle into one section called “the holy place” and another one “the holy of holies”. God visits His people in the “holy of holies”.  He can visit us anywhere, but He prefers to visit us in the “holy of holies”. For the Israelites it was behind the “veil”.  For us today, it is through God’s “holy of holies” – His Son, Jesus Christ. It is there we get the clearest message from God as to how then we should live.

In verse 35 we are told that the table of the showbread and the lampstand go outside the “veil” in the holy place, but not in the holy of holies.  Here’s a picture courtesy of http://www.bibleforums.org. Also, the “boards” were stronger than the curtains that were around and over the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. The “boards” were around the whole structure.

Earlier on we saw that the tabernacle was to have numerous curtains that basically formed its walls making it a distinct structure in the midst of the Israelite camp. And in verse 36 we are told that they were to build a “screen” to serve as the doorway to the tent.  The colors of the screen are very significant (blue, purple and scarlet).

Chuck Smith goes into great details about the construction and relationship of the various curtains of the tabernacle.  The whole idea was that this was a well-constructed and yes, portable, tent. He also reminds us that while we may think our modern-day houses of worship should somehow reflect the tabernacle, we need to be very careful not to think of either as “God’s house”.  God cannot be contained in the heavens, let alone a man-made structure, even if it is made to His specifications. No, both the tabernacle and our own places of worship are “meeting houses” – places where God’s people may come together to meet with God collectively, and individually, if one chooses.

Of course, we can meet God (or more precisely, God can meet with us) anywhere – by the seaside, in our car, at our prayer room in our home, in the hospital, etc. But if we want to meet Him in the fellowship of others who want to meet Him too, we need a “meeting house”.

There was, however, a difference between our “meeting” God and the Israelites “meeting” God. We have Jesus Christ that allows us to meet with God; they didn’t.  So they couldn’t meet with Him directly.  They could only go to the place or tent of meeting in the overall tabernacle structure and had to remain in the courtyard.  There they would offer their sacrifice and ask the priest to approach God on their behalf.  Only the priests could go beyond into the holy place and the holy of holies.  According to Smith, this was the case until the time of King David. After that, Solomon, his son, built the temple and the tabernacle was done away with, although obviously there was still a veil in the temple thereafter as it was that veil that was torn from top to bottom when Christ was crucified.

Of course, God chose all His instructions purposefully. Goats’ skins were used and that signified sacrifice.  Brass was used and that symbolized judgment. Also remember that the tabernacle proper was most critically the holy place and the holy of holies. It is this section that had the curtains referred to in the beginning of the chapter for both walls and roof coverings. The whole tent or place of worship (also referred to as the tabernacle by some) added space around the holy place and the holy of holies, plus a courtyard and a main gate.

In closing let me state that as I studied the commentaries on this chapter, I found that they all had various versions of what was really being constructed and how.  There is confusion on what constitutes the “tabernacle” per se versus the “tent”.  There is some confusion about where exactly the “boards” went versus the “curtains”.  And so on.  What I have referenced above is some of the perspectives that made sense to me.  When we get to heaven you may well want to ask God for a peek at the original blueprints, although I neither believe it will matter at that time, nor do I really think He has a “hard copy”. What really matters is that we will be together in the heavenly and intended tabernacle, worship God rather than in one of its replicas here below. 

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