God Bless!

-Love, GinniePark

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Memory Verse of the Week [new tomorrow]:

“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.” – Exodus 34:26a

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Radiant Faces– Exodus 34:27-35

The Prefiguration of Christ

27: “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.’”

28: “Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant – the Ten Commandments.”

 

Unveiled Faces, Unveiled Hearts

29: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD.”

30: “When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.”

31: “But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them.”

32: “Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LROD had given him on Mount Sinai.”

33: “When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face.”

34: “But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed his veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,”

35: “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.”

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Reflection

The Prefiguration  of Christ (34:27-28)

Once again, Moses is a “shadow” of Christ in the Old Testament. Colossians 2:17 states that the ways of the Old Testament “are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” That is to say, the Old Testament foreshadows Jesus. Moses’ forty days and nights on Mount Sinai without food or drink reflect Christ’s own time of suffering and dependence on God. Stripped of his crutches and away from the crowds, it was here, alone with the Lord, that Moses was able to hear directly from Him. It was also here that Jesus fought Satan’s temptations.

 

 

Unveiled Faces, Unveiled Hearts (34:29-35)

When Moses came down from the mountain after the forty days, he did not realize that his time in the Lord’s presence had made his face become radiant. It was more than the people were able to handle, so he had to wear a veil to protect those who looked upon his countenance. This solidified God’s call on Moses’ leadership over His people. God validated, affirmed, and commended Moses. This is a reminder that the call and authority come from God, not their rank or position. People will trust and follow the leader because they know that he/she follows God and submits to Him.

In 2 Corinthians 3-4, Paul refers to this particular passage and says that the Gospel is “veiled” or hidden because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that display the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). Paul also says that we are not like Moses who needed the veil; the veil of the old covenant has been taken away in Christ.

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Application

-Your time in the wilderness brings you into deeper intimacy with God. God wants you to draw nearer to Him through your suffering and seasons of hardship.

-Does time spent worshipping, reading the Word, and praying change you? Do others see a difference after you have been in God’s presence? Make sure your practice of spiritual disciplines is not merely busy activities that do not change your heart.

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“Instead of complaining that God had hidden Himself, you will give Him thanks for having revealed so much of Himself.”

-Blaise Pascal

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Radiating His Glory

What is the best day on earth that you could possibly imagine? What is the best news that you could receive? Receiving the toy that you always wanted as a child? Being proposed to? Your wedding day? Or perhaps simply being told, “I love you?” There are certain things in life that we really look forward to, and when they actually happen, our entire body responds. We can’t stop smiling or giggling. Energy floods up and down our body. Ecstasy radiates out from our body and infects everyone around us. We beam.

Exodus 34:29-35 states that Moses’ face was radiant. But this isn’t the figurative “best day ever” flow. Moses’ skin literally shone. As J.R. Miller writes, “When Moses came down from the mount – his face shone with a strange brightness. So dazzling was the shining, that in order to conceal the glory, he had to put on a veil when he talked with the people.”

Moses’ face did not just shine on its own accord. It shone because of all the time that he was spending with God. And Moses had been spending a lot of time with God one on one. According to Exodus 34:28, Moses spent forty days and forty nights in God’s presence, without eating or drinking anything. And this isn’t the only extended amount of time that Moses spent in our radiant King’s presence. The point is this: The more time we spend with God, the more we will radiate His glory to those around us.

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A Letter to God

Lord, thank You for uncovering the veil of my heart and revealing Your glory to me.

Thank You for privileged times in the wilderness that allow me to trust You and draw nearer to You.

Grant me strength not to waste my days in the wilderness.

Show me Your Glory.

Amen.