Transformed by the Lord
Exodus 34:29: "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God."
Miraculously, Moses spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai with the Lord. Despite Moses not eating or drinking, the Lord perfectly sustained him on that mountain. When the Ten Commandments had once again been written and the covenant renewed, Moses proceeded down the mountain to share God's word with the people. Imagine the surprise of the people when Moses finally descended the mountain with the tablets in hand and his face was shining. Certainly, it was unlike anything they had ever seen.
Since Moses had been talking with God, he had no idea that his face was shining. The forty days and forty nights with the Lord transformed him, and Moses reflected the glory of God. The Israelites were deeply afraid of Moses and asked him to put a veil over his face. In seeing the glory of God, even reflected, the people had to see themselves-sinners, idolaters, and stiff-necked people before a holy God. Moses spoke while the glory still was shining and retaught the Ten Commandments and the stipulations of the renewed covenant between them and God. Without doubt, he had the people's attention!
So why would Moses' face shine with this glory? Moses' face reflected the glory of God and God's character. After being with the Lord for that length of time, the attributes of the Lord began to manifest in Moses. This was God's confirmation of Moses as his chosen leader. Once again, he put Moses in front of the people as one they could trust to mediate the words of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, and the ways of the Lord. Moses was to be listened to and obeyed. Moses' face was unlike any other ever seen in history to that day. No other god had this impact on his people. Israel's God was powerful, he was present, and he had a plan for his people.
There is a powerful scene in the Gospels when Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. For a time, the veil of Jesus' humanity is pulled back so that his divine attributes are displayed. Moses and Elijah join Jesus -- Moses as the mediator and the lawgiver and Elijah as the great prophet. The lives and ministries of these men pointed towards the coming Messiah. When Peter, excited by all this glory, asked to build three tents on the mountain, he received a divine jolt: "A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him'" (Matthew 17:5). God the Father affirmed his anointed Messiah with the presence of his glory. This time, he went further by speaking audibly before the disciples as well. Jesus was even a greater leader than Moses or Elijah. In all things, he is to be heard, honored, and obeyed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Surely the disciples were transformed by that experience with the Lord. They would look back to the transfiguration as a means of their own affirmation as disciples, for encouragement in the challenges of ministry, and as they longed to replay memories of time with the Lord. They just needed encouragement, and so do we.
How do we see the glory of God, and how are we transformed by that glory? Paul answers that question in his second letter to the Corinthians, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). As believers, we have the very presence of God dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. As we listen to him, honor his presence in our lives, and obey his directions for us, we will be transformed from one degree of glory to another; our lives will begin to look more like Jesus each and every day.
Reflection:
Are you beholding God's glory and being transformed by it? How can you set aside time each day to gaze upon the Lord in his presence - listening, surrendering, and ultimately obeying?
Miraculously, Moses spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai with the Lord. Despite Moses not eating or drinking, the Lord perfectly sustained him on that mountain. When the Ten Commandments had once again been written and the covenant renewed, Moses proceeded down the mountain to share God's word with the people. Imagine the surprise of the people when Moses finally descended the mountain with the tablets in hand and his face was shining. Certainly, it was unlike anything they had ever seen.
Since Moses had been talking with God, he had no idea that his face was shining. The forty days and forty nights with the Lord transformed him, and Moses reflected the glory of God. The Israelites were deeply afraid of Moses and asked him to put a veil over his face. In seeing the glory of God, even reflected, the people had to see themselves-sinners, idolaters, and stiff-necked people before a holy God. Moses spoke while the glory still was shining and retaught the Ten Commandments and the stipulations of the renewed covenant between them and God. Without doubt, he had the people's attention!
So why would Moses' face shine with this glory? Moses' face reflected the glory of God and God's character. After being with the Lord for that length of time, the attributes of the Lord began to manifest in Moses. This was God's confirmation of Moses as his chosen leader. Once again, he put Moses in front of the people as one they could trust to mediate the words of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, and the ways of the Lord. Moses was to be listened to and obeyed. Moses' face was unlike any other ever seen in history to that day. No other god had this impact on his people. Israel's God was powerful, he was present, and he had a plan for his people.
There is a powerful scene in the Gospels when Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. For a time, the veil of Jesus' humanity is pulled back so that his divine attributes are displayed. Moses and Elijah join Jesus -- Moses as the mediator and the lawgiver and Elijah as the great prophet. The lives and ministries of these men pointed towards the coming Messiah. When Peter, excited by all this glory, asked to build three tents on the mountain, he received a divine jolt: "A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him'" (Matthew 17:5). God the Father affirmed his anointed Messiah with the presence of his glory. This time, he went further by speaking audibly before the disciples as well. Jesus was even a greater leader than Moses or Elijah. In all things, he is to be heard, honored, and obeyed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Surely the disciples were transformed by that experience with the Lord. They would look back to the transfiguration as a means of their own affirmation as disciples, for encouragement in the challenges of ministry, and as they longed to replay memories of time with the Lord. They just needed encouragement, and so do we.
How do we see the glory of God, and how are we transformed by that glory? Paul answers that question in his second letter to the Corinthians, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). As believers, we have the very presence of God dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. As we listen to him, honor his presence in our lives, and obey his directions for us, we will be transformed from one degree of glory to another; our lives will begin to look more like Jesus each and every day.
Reflection:
Are you beholding God's glory and being transformed by it? How can you set aside time each day to gaze upon the Lord in his presence - listening, surrendering, and ultimately obeying?
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