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.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

The World’s Greatest Deal (In Writing)

Exodus 34:27-28:

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.’
“So he was there with the LORD forty day and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”

Thoughts on the Passage

When God came to the end of His instructions to Moses, He told him to write down "these words" – words which formed the basis of the covenant between God and Israel. He was not (at that time) writing down everything that God said from chapter 34:10-26. In my opinion, this was the follow-up to God’s instructions to Moses in chapter 34:1 when He told Moses to get another two tablets “like the former ones” and He (God) would write on these tablets the words that were on the former tablets which Moses had shattered out of anger.

While Moses had been with God for forty days and forty nights, he did not eat bread or drink water. (I believe in this context, we can assume that simply means he did not eat or drink, period.) And either during or at the end of that period of time, he wrote, on behalf of God, or under God’s instruction (or dictation), the Ten Commandments on this second set of tablets. Now, I must tell you that at least one commentator does not agree with me.  Robert Jamieson feels Moses wrote down all the words from Exodus 34 that God spoke right down to the end of verse 26, and that God wrote the Ten Commandments on the second Tablets. Certainly Deuteronomy 10:1-4 seem to support him. Others are silent on this point.

What causes the confusion is that Exodus 34:26 refers to “he” lower case, which normally does not refer to the Lord or God, at least in Exodus.  (We know for example in Exodus 34:34, the word “Him” is capitalized when referring to God.  So, Exodus 34:26 poses a dilemma for us as it would seem to indicate that Moses did the writing on the Tablets (yes, for God) and it was just the Ten Commandments. You will need to do further study and decide for yourselves. It is true that at some point, Moses had to write down all the words God had spoken earlier – but was it from memory, or was it while he was on the mountain. You decide.

For me, the messages from this passage are very clear:

When God says, “write something down”, be sure you do it because it is very important. In fact, this is the greatest written deal or covenant ever made between two parties and in this case, one of the parties is God.  We have to be careful not to blow it.

(I spend a lot of my time negotiating collective agreements between management and various unions, personal agreements between two people (often married ones who need to call it quits), and fair severance package agreements between a dismissed employee and his/her former employer. But none of them come close to being as important as the covenant that God established with His people through the Ten Commandments.)

While there are literally hundreds of Old Testament laws that God set up for the Israelites to follow (613 to be exact), I am confident there is not a single one that could not find a “home” in one of the Ten Commandments if we really tried hard enough.  For me, the Ten Commandments are a “high-level summary” of all that God wants and expects from His children.

That means that while you and I can get into an argument about whether or not Old Testament laws and instructions apply to us today, what we can agree on is that, one way or another, God expects even a person living in this day and age, to keep all of the Ten Commandments.

This does not mean man is capable of keeping all ten of these commandments all the time. And God knew that. He knew about it with respect to the 613 laws, and He knows about it with respect to the Ten. God also knew that as breakers of one of these commandments, we cannot be in His Holy presence, no matter how much He loves us.

But the Good News is that God did not stop there, He had a way to get over that legitimate hurdle He had established because He loves us. He had a way by which our sin could be paid for in a way that would wipe our spiritual criminal record clean and make us acceptable for His presence.  He had His Son die in our place, pay the penalty for us, and provide for us a way to be adopted by God.  That’s the Good News although the world has tried for the last 2000 tried to convince everyone it is Fake News.

And one more thought: Sometimes to get the message from God straight and clear, we need to focus totally on Him – no food, no drink. We need to fast. And no, that’s not just Old Testament stuff – we’re told to do that in the New Testament as well.  As far as this passage goes, there is debate whether a man can live 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. But while that’s a moot point physiologically, it need not be in this instance since we’re talking about a meeting being a created being with His Creator and Almighty God – the God of miracles.  So, yes, Moses did go 40 days and 40 nights on a complete fast.  But then again, who needs to eat in the presence of God?

As always, your questions and comments are invited.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Thinking of Mixing Sin With Your Sacrifice? Don't, says God in Exodus

Exodus 34:25-26

"You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover to be left over until morning.
"You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

Thoughts on the Passage

Leaven depicts "sin" in Scripture. And the point God is making here is simply this, and yes, I'm taking some liberty here.  He's, in essence, saying, "Don't you dare mix your act of sacrificing to Me, your act of worship, with anything that smacks of sin or the world."  I don't think we've heard Him well enough on this point as we continue to bring "leaven" into our sacrifices. Our minds could go to what goes on in our services today under the excuse of trying to be attractive to the unchurched.  Or, I think of our act of tithing -- "not unless we can get a tax receipt for it".  I'm sure you could come up with other examples.

But let's not blame the 'church' when it comes to how we worship. What really matters is the attitude of our hearts. How do I worship and sacrifice for God, even in the presence of leaven?   And let's not ignore the legal opportunities for greater savings when it comes to getting tax receipts for our charitable donations. What matters is that when I see a need that God has moved me to address, will I do it gladly, even when there is no tax receipt?

God expects, nay, demands our very best -- the first of the first fruits of our labor. Not the leftovers; not the slightly marred; not the seconds. He is to have our very best. Explaining what this meant for the Israelites, David Guzik says that when Israel came into Canaan, "they had a special responsibility to make a firstfruit offering to God, in addition to their regular firstfruit offering (Exodus 23:16)." Giving to God first and giving Him our best is rightfully demanded from us.  In so doing, we recognize God as the One who provides us with everything.

The last phrase of this passage is a reference basically repeating the command in Exodus 23:19 when the Israelites were instructed not to copy any of the practices of the pagan Canaanites. Guzik believes this one, in particular, had to do with a cruel pagan fertility ritual the Cannanites observed. [Matthew Henry says it may have been that the Israelites had seen the Egyptians do this back in Egypt.]

The bottom line for us today is this: Are we true followers of the Divine Creator and Great Provider and Protector, or do we dabble with activities that belong to His adversary, especially in our worship and sacrificial living for Him?

If the latter, what is it that you or I can do today to more clearly establish us as a true follower?

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

We Were Taught To Work Hard Even Under Deadlines. But Was That Right?

For most of us around the world, the Christmas and New Year's festivities are over.  People have gone back to work.  Many students are back in school.  People will be going to doctor appointments.  Pursuits set aside for a few days, will be picked up again.  Some who, through the love and care of others, were able to forget their lot in life temporarily, will once again, find themselves struggling to survive -- be it financially, physically, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.

In short, life goes on as they say for all of us, no matter our lot in life. Whether that lot becomes an exciting journey or the following a rut created over time will depend on how well we realize and rely on the fact that true joy and hope cannot be based on our circumstances, but on our personal relationship with God.

Here is the passage of Scripture I studied today and some thoughts on it:

Exodus 34:21-24

"You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.
"And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
"Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
"For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God."

Thoughts on the Passage

I don't know about you, but I was to work hard, especially while there was work to do.  And I certainly tried to pass that on to my children. However, as I read this passage, I realize that I may have been all wrong.  Clearly, God is saying to His people that one day a week they must rest "even during. . . harvest". And He is emphatic about it, saying, "you shall rest". We need to rethink our attitude towards "workaholism".  I'm not saying God wants us to be slouches or to avoid work. No, not at all. He Himself is a God of Creation and active involved in the lives of His people. But what God is saying is that He knows how He created us and we need periodic rest.  Ignore that advice from Him, and you'll soon find yourself in bed, or worse still, in a casket, unable to do any work.

And the Israelites were to celebrate The Feast of Weeks and the Feast of the Ingathering which is also known as the The Feast of Tabernacles.  It is also known as Sukkot.

We can get all caught up in the intricacies of all these special feasts, many of which Jesus himself participated in later on, and we can also argue as to whether or not they are for New Testament Christians after Christ's Resurrection. Instead, I suggest we just focus on the fact that some of these various feasts had as their purpose to remind the Israelites Who it is that supplies all their needs. And it seemed that, in a farming economy, the end of harvest after all the reaping is completed is a great time to stop and give thanks.  This is not unlike our more modern-day Thanksgiving Day celebration that was started by the Pilgrms to America.

We can do this once a year at Thanksgiving, or we can do it monthly, or weekly.  Some of us do it every time we thank God when we eat.

But here is the most interesting part of the passage. Next, God tells the Israelites that all their males are to appear before Him three times a year. And I think the emphasis is indeed on all. That means no male is to be left to act as guards from the enemies, or to attend to other work.  Otherwise, why does God make a point of saying that no one will 'covet' or take their land while they are doing this.  God will protect their property.

On a personal or individual scale, this suggests we can trust God with our property at all times, but especially when we go to appear before Him and worship Him. On a national scale, this suggests that if we have our priorities right, putting God first, God will bless a nation.  David Guzik suggests that these three times are those that are referred to in Exouds 23:14-17 where God commanded that at three feasts each year (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles), each Israelite man should gather before the Lord. And in this passage, Guzik continues, God even promised a supernatural protection for an obedient Israel when they went to these feasts.

We can only pray that our political leaders would call and ask for such an action for all the males in our nation. But we can pray and actually do something about it in our churches.  And even more at home, we can encourage the men in our families to do so.  If we are the man of the family, we can resolve to do it.

Recently, we noted again what God would do even today if His people actually turn to Him and pray for something.  This happened in December 2017 -- after five years of no rain in Israel, thousands prayed at the Western Wall, and God answered big-time.  What will God do for you? Your family? Your church? Your city? Your country? The World? -- What will He do in the days ahead? It all depends on what you and I are willing to do in obedience to Him.

Please share your own thoughts on this passage or on my comments above.  If this blog helped you at all, please feel free to tell others about it.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Getting Things In Perspective Early in the Year

Happy New Year 2018. Yesterday I finished my last year's devotional book that someone had given me and since I didn't get a new one for Christmas, I thought I would pick-up again my study of Scripture that I had set aside recently.  Interestingly, today's short has a lot to say to us at the beginning of a new year.  Here's the passage and below it, you will find some of my thoughts. 

Exodus 34:18-20

"You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

"The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.

"And you shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck.  You shall redeem all the first-born of your sons. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed."

Thoughts on the Passage

The Israelites were to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.  We just finished a celebration of Christmas and New Year's that lasted well over seven days for many of us. But while we could taste any foods we wanted to during our celebration, the Israelites had to eat "unleavened bread".  For an explanation of what unleavened bread is and its significance in the Bible, I would recommend this reference -- unleavened bread.  [I do want to point out that at least in this passage, the text does not say they were to "only" eat unleavened bread -- but rather it suggests that when they ate bread, it had to be unleavened. Whether they were allowed anything else or not, would require additional study.]

And the Israelites had to do this during a specific month -- a month which had significance for them as it that time of the year that they had been freed from their bondage and slavery in Egypt. To a certain extent, when we celebrate Christmas (regardless of the debate as to when exactly that should be done), we are celebrating the start of the process of our delivery from bondage and slavery to sin.  We are celebrating the coming to earth of our Savior Jesus Christ -- the Messiah who would free us from sin and death.

But for the Israelites, it was not just about celebrating and eating unleavened bread for a week. We are told here that God also demanded the first offspring from every womb, and it specifically names those coming from cattle and sheep. The first offspring from a donkey could be redeemed with a lamb. The Israelites could also redeem the first-born of any sons they had in a similar way, one assumes.  The whole idea was that since they all belonged to God, the Israelites couldn't just take them without a redemption price being paid.  In particular, though, we need to remember that the first-born son always used to be the priest for the family or household, thus he belonged to God.  But now, God had established the tribe of Levi to be the priesthood source and so one could redeem their first-born from God.

We note that the redemption was to be "via a lamb". We too are redeemed through the blood of the Ultimate Sacrificial Lamb -- Jesus Christ, whose birth we just celebrated a few days ago.  We cannot go to God empty-handed and only the sacrificial lamb will suffice as a redemption.

Finally, I found the phrase "and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck"most interesting.  Granted God was speaking about the first-born of a donkey, but the significance for us is there if we want it to be.  God was saying if you don't allow a sacrificial lamb to redeem this first-born, then its neck has to be broken.  Total destruction.  No sacrifice leads to no redemption leads to death.

As we begin this new year, may each of us be aware of what God expects from us in terms of knowing to Whom we belong, and what it takes to be redeemed.

I would value your thoughts and input.  Happy New Year.

Ken.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.