Exodus 34:29-35
Behold the Radiance of God’s Glory!
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. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD. (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today is Transfiguration Sunday. While Transfiguration Sunday is not considered to be one of the high festivals in the church year— like Christmas and Easter and Pentecost— it is indeed an important festival. Transfiguration Sunday is the transition point from the Season of Epiphany to the Season of Lent. Transfiguration Sunday gives us the opportunity to stand alongside Peter, James and John and behold the radiance of God’s glory as Jesus’ face shines as bright as the sun and as Jesus’ clothes become as bright as a flash of lightening. Transfiguration Sunday also give us an opportunity to behold the radiance of God’s glory as Moses and Elijah appear before Jesus “in glorious splendor” and talk with Jesus about His suffering, death and resurrection.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah “in glorious splendor” on the Mount of Transfiguration is the link that connects the Transfiguration of our Lord with our sermon text for today. With the glory of our Lord radiating forth from His human body and with the “glorious splendor” of Moses and Elijah serving as a backdrop, today let’s study these words of Exodus 34 under the theme: Behold the Radiance of God’s Glory!
As always, the setting of this text is important for a proper understanding of what is recorded for us here. This was the second time that Moses came down from Mount Sinai with two tablets of stone engraved with the Law of God. Do you remember what happened the first time? The first time that Moses came down from the mountain with two tablets of stone engraved with the Law of God, he found the children of God dancing and reveling as they worshiped an idol— the Golden Calf. Moses was so angry with God’s people that he threw the tablets of stone down on the ground, breaking them into pieces— symbolizing that God’s people had broken the covenant that the Lord had established with them. The Lord God was so angry with His people that He was prepared to completely destroy them. Moses passionately interceded for God’s people, begging God to forgive them. The Lord listened to Moses and instead of completely destroying His people God sent a plague to punish those who had sinned against Him.
While worshiping the Golden Calf was an incredible sin, what was even more incredible was God’s willingness to not only forgive His people but also re-establish His covenant with them. To emphasize both His forgiveness and His covenant, God summoned Moses to meet with Him once again on the top of Mount Sinai. It was there on the mountain that Moses was given the privilege of beholding the radiance of God’s glory as the Lord, the great “I AM,” passed by Moses and “proclaimed His name.” It was there on the mountain that Moses was able to behold the radiance of God’s glory as the Lord once again engraved on the two stone tablets “the words of the covenant— the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 34:28).
That is the setting in which we need to understand our text for today. With that understanding in mind, look once again at the opening portion of our text. We’re told, “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. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.”
Why was Moses’ face “radiant”? We’re told that it was because he had “spoken with the LORD”! Moses had been given the privilege of beholding the radiance of God’s glory as the Lord “passed in front of Moses” and proclaimed His Name! Moses had been given the privilege of beholding the radiance of God’s glory as he spent forty days in the presence of the living
God! Beholding the radiance of God’s glory and being in the presence of the Lord was so powerful that it had a visual physical effect on Moses— his face was now “radiant.”
Why were Aaron, the leaders of the community and all the Israelites afraid of Moses? Because the radiance of Moses’ face along with the two tablets containing God’s holy Law revealed the seriousness of the incredible sin that had committed by worshiping the Golden Calf. A similar thing happens right down to this very day, doesn’t it. When we sinners are confronted with the power of God’s holy Law, when we are brought to the realization that we have committed incredible sins against the God whose glory is more radiant than the sun, we too are filled with fear!
At the same time, my friends, we need to recognize that the radiance of Moses’ face was also a testimony to God’s grace. There was nothing special about Moses, nothing that made him different from the rest of the Israelites. Moses was a sinner— just like them, just like us. It was purely God’s grace that allowed Moses to be in the very presence of the living God. It was purely by God’s grace that Moses was given the “two tablets of the Testimony,” the tablets which revealed to God’s people that the Lord had re-established His covenant with them. And it was purely by God’s grace that Moses was able to share with God’s people, “all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.”
As we turn to the second portion of our text we are given even more insight into what it means to behold the radiance of God’s glory. We’re told, “When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak to the LORD.”
The key addition to this portion of our text is— the veil. It’s not hard for us to understand why Moses “removed the veil” whenever he was in the presence of the Lord. The veil would have not only hindered Moses’ ability to behold the radiance of God’s glory, but it would have also been disrespectful to the God who graciously allowed Moses to come into His presence. It’s also not difficult for us to understand why Moses did not have the veil covering his face while he proclaimed to God’s people what God had revealed to him. The radiance of Moses’ face not only served as reminder to God’s people that the words Moses was sharing with them came directly from the Lord Himself, but it also granted to the people an opportunity to behold the radiance of God’s glory with their own eyes. But why did Moses put the veil back over his face after he was done talking with the people?
The apostle Paul gives us the answer to that question. In 2 Corinthians 3:7 Paul reveals to us that Moses put the veil back over his face because the glory that radiated from Moses’ face “was fading.” Commentators attribute this to the fact that the “glory” of the Old Covenant, the Covenant that God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai would also “fade away” when God revealed His New Covenant with His people— the covenant that Jesus established with us when He gave us the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the covenant that is based on the complete forgiveness of sins that the Son of God secured for us on the cross of Calvary’s hill. (Pointing to the cross) Through the New Covenant that the Lord Jesus has established with us, we are now able to behold the radiance of God’s glory every time we approach His altar to receive His Supper and every time we lift up our eyes to His cross and behold what our Savior has done for us.
So, my friends, what can we take home with us from this text? We can take home with us the commitment to follow the example that Moses gives to us today. The only reason Moses was able to radiate God’s glory is because he stood in God’s presence on a regular basis. You have the opportunity to stand in God’s presence and behold the radiance of His glory every time you gather together in His Name, every time you receive His holy Supper, every time you sit down to read and study His holy inspired Word. If you are having difficulty beholding the radiance of God’s glory, perhaps you need to examine how often you are standing in His presence.
Moses also made sure that after he had been in God’s presence he shared with other people what he had learned from the Lord. You can follow Moses’ example by flavoring your conversations with what you have learned from God’s Word. No, this doesn’t mean that you start quoting Scripture whenever you are talking with other people. What it does mean is that in your conversations with others you openly support whatever agrees with Scripture and you humbly point out whatever contradicts what God has revealed in His Word.
In a similar vein, you can follow Moses’ example and let the people around you behold the radiance of God’s glory. How can you do this? You can let the people around you behold the radiance of God’s glory by consciously striving to radiate God’s glory in your life. What does this mean? Radiating God’s glory in your life means that when someone sins against you, you fully and freely forgive them— just as your God fully and freely forgives you. (Pointing to the cross) Radiating God’s glory in your life means actively listening to someone when they ask for your help and then doing everything you can to help them. Radiating God’s glory in your life means striving to have a reputation for putting other people first and not just looking out for yourself. Radiating God’s glory in your life means being willing to sacrifice your own wants in order to help supply someone else’s needs. Radiating God’s glory in your life means treating other people as precious souls— souls whom Jesus loves so very much that He was willing to suffer and die for them. (Pointing to the cross) Radiating God’s glory in your life means consciously living your life in such a way that when other people are quietly observing you they can see your faith, they can see that your hopes, your goals, your priorities are not centered in this life, but in the life that your dear Lord and Savior has waiting for you on the other side of the grave. As we are striving by God’ grace and with God’s help to radiate His glory in our life then we will have the confidence of knowing that one day we will receive and enjoy the “glorious splendor” that the Lord God granted to Moses and Elijah.
Transfiguration Sunday may not be one of the high festivals in the church year, but it is indeed a very important festival. Transfiguration Sunday enables us to enter into the season of Lent intent on beholding the radiance of God’s glory all the way to the cross on Calvary’s hill and the empty grave in the garden.
To God be the glory!
Amen
