Reflection on Exodus 34:29-35

Scripture

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the Covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.

Observation

Moses comes down from Mount Sinai carrying the tablets with the covenant on them. As he approaches the people of Israel, they see the radiance of his face from speaking to the Lord. They are terrified and refused to come near him.

Moses calls Aaron and the other leaders of the community to come over to him. Then the rest of the people approach him. Moses instruct them about the Lord.

Moses and covers his face with a veil. He would remove the veil when in the presence of the Lord. The people would see the radiance on his face, and then he would cover his face until the next time he went to speak with the Lord.

Application

Moses was unaware that his conversation with the Lord transformed his appearance.

Christians likewise at transformed by our interacting with the Lord. We carry the presence of the Holy Spirit wherever we go, and that changes the way we look.

I once knew a man who claimed he could tell from a group photo who the Christians were. There is an appearance about their face as the glory of the presence of the Lord shines through.

People who do not know Jesus can see this too. For some who hate God this leads them to hate us. Others are drawn to us, intrigued by the presence of God in our lives.

We take these things for granted, but, aware of it or not, the presence of God is a visible mark all believers carry.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that your presence is changing me, even to the point of changing my appearance. Amen

Scripture

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

Application

The clothing for the High Priest is detailed. Finally, everything is complete. The Tabernacle is put together, and the furnishings are installed. Then, the glory of the Lord’s presence fills the Tabernacle.

How awesome it is to consider that the tangible presence of the Lord, the glory cloud, descended in this meeting place with such weighty glory.

I love it when the glory of God becomes manifest in church meetings. There have been times, particularly during the praise and worship, that the presence of God has been so strong you could feel Him. No glory cloud, but no less real.

On the other hand, the New Testament repeatedly reminds us that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit- individually and together. We are all little tabernacles, little glory clouds. This is true, even when I am not aware of it.

The Holy Spirit is in me constantly. The manifestation of the Spirit, the glory cloud so to speak, becomes present as I align my thoughts and actions with those of the Spirit in me.

“We have this glory in earthen vessels,” Paul writes somewhere.

I need to remember this during the various trials and tribulations of my daily life.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the descriptions of your manifest glory. They inspire me to seek your glory in the small events of my life. Help me to recall your presence all day. Amen.

Scripture

The people brought special offerings of gold totalling 2,193 pounds (about 1,000 kg).

Application

Bezael constructs the Ark of the Covenant ad the furnishings for the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting.

We can let the numbers and details of the Tabernacle go past us because we have no point of reference. Here we are told that close to a tonne of gold went into the various furnishings.

It is impossible to compare values in our economy with the economy of the ancient world. In today’s money the gold is worth 84 million Australian dollars, and the silver is worth $40 million.

This was an amazingly costly undertaking for the people of Israel. They had only recently been slaves in Egypt, but now had resources to build this massive portable Temple.

It truly was a miracle of God’s provision.

Prayer

Lord, if you can provide that much gold and silver for a people in the wilderness, I know that you can supply what I need. Amen.

Scripture

So Moses gave the command, and the message was sent through the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.

Application

The craftsmen begin the project of constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The call goes out for people to bring the materials needed as a sacred offering to the Lord. The people respond so generously that Moses has to tell them to stop giving.

Has there ever been a time in the recent history of the church where a pastor has said, “Stop giving! We have enough already!”

There are two miracles in this episode.

Firstly, the people had faith and resources to give so freely to the project. Often churches and pastors have to plead with people to have faith to give generously to anything,

Whole books have been written and training courses have been developed to help pastors motivate their people to be generous.

Here in the desert, a nation of former slaves have miraculously got the materials needed. And they also have the faith in God’s provision for them to be able and willing to give.

The second miracle is for those in charge of the project to recognise that they had more than enough. They had the same kind of belief to know that God would provide all that they needed to complete what they had begun.

When we read through Exodus it is easy to focus on the failings of the Israelites. Here they show how great their faith really was.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for these people who show us how to give generously and faithfully for your works. Amen.

Scripture

When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord.

Observation

At the Lord’s command, Moses chisels two tablets of stone like the ones that had been destroyed. He takes them up Mount Sinai where the Lord meets with him.

The Lord promises to drive out other nations before them, but they must promise never to make a treaty with the people living in the land. They will lead the Israelites into all kinds of idolatry.

Moses stays on the mountain with the Lord for forty days and nights. The Lord inscribes the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets.

When Moses comes down from the mountain, he is not aware that his face is glowing from his encounter with the Lord. Aaron and the people become afraid of the radiance of Moses’ face. He then adopts the practice of wearing a veil, except when he goes to meet with the Lord.

Application

When we meet with the Lord or live in the conscious presence of the Holy Spirit, our countenance will change. We may not have a physical glow as Moses seems to have had, but we will be changed.

Pressure and stress will give way to peace. Animosity towards others will be replaced with love. The joy of the Lord will shine from us.

We are not usually aware of this because to us it is normal. However, when you see news items that show christians reacting to tragedy and non-christians in similar circumstances, the contrast becomes evident.

We do not have to pile on the cosmetics to look younger. No, the presence of the Holy Spirit will do that for us. Really, we should expect that if we dwell in the presence of the One who is Life then life will be shining through us all the time.

Prayer

Lord, I love your presence. Please help me to seek you out at every opportunity, to draw closer to you so that your life will flow through me. Amen.

Scripture

“If it is true that you look favourably upon me, let me know your ways so that I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favour.”

Observation

The Lord tells Moses to get going. He will send an angel before them to fight the battles for the Promised Land. The Lord will not travel in the midst of the people because they are stubborn and rebellious.

Moses would set up the Tent of Meeting some distance from the camp. When he went in there, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at the entrance of the tent. The people would stand by their tents and bow down when this happened. The Lord would speak to Moses as a man speaks with his friend.

Application

Moses’ greatest desire was to know the Lord more personally. He would go to the Tent of Meeting frequently to have fellowship with the the Lord. The pillar of cloud, representing the presence of God, would come down to him.

Moses asked the Lord to teach him His ways so he could continue to enjoy God’s favour.

As christians we should all emulate Moses’ passion to know the Lord more. We can follow his example to learn the ways of the Lord

• Moses set apart a place and a time for regular fellowship with God.
• He sought a deeper knowledge of the Lord. We can do this by studying the Scripture.
• He conversed with the Lord. We can do this through listening prayer.

While Moses was dependent on the external presence of the Lord coming down to him, we have the Holy Spirit in us. He is with us all the time.

Prayer

Forgive me Lord for taking your presence for granted. Please help me to be passionate and diligent in my walk with you. Amen.

Scripture

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come on, make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what has happened to this fellow Moses who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

Observation

When Moses fails to return from the mountain top, people start agitating for Aaron to produce idols for them to follow. So Aaron takes some of the gold the Israelites had brought from Egypt, melts it down, and produces a golden calf. He then builds an altar, and the people celebrate with feasting and drinking.

The Lord tells Moses to go down and see what is happening. Moses goes down, sees the celebration and is consumed by rage. He burns the calf, crushes it to powder, mixes it with water and then forces the people to drink it.

Application

Idolatry is always close to the human heart. We can make idols out of anything, and worship them to the destruction of our relationship with the Lord.

An idol is anything that we place in higher value than our relationship with the Lord. It can be a physical idol, or it can be a less tangible thing such as family or work.

The problem for the Israelites was the length of time that Moses was up the mountain. The visible embodiment of the presence of the Lord seemed to have abandoned them. So they looked for an alternative.

How often do we get discouraged because the Lord does not deliver for us in the time scale or in the way we expect? It is in those time gaps that our trust is tested and temptation confronts us.

Prayer

Lord, it is hard to trust when you seem to be slow in answering my prayers. Please help me to trust you and wait. Amen.