“His face shone” (Exodus 34:29-35)

Exodus 34:29-35

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, February 7, 2016

At the beginning of Israel becoming a nation, they had just been delivered from their captivity in Egypt. Their lives as slaves lasted for over 400 years. They are now a free people. They now have an opportunity to define themselves as a nation and a people. And Moses is hard at work serving God’s people. His first priority is beautifully expressed in our Scripture with the words “talking with God.” Moses talked with God. They had a constant flow of communication. God spoke to Moses. And Moses spoke back. When God speaks, we call it his Word. When Moses speaks, we call it prayer. This is a Christian discipline: to listen to God’s Word and to speak back to him in prayer. It is a honor. As the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” says, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” Moses has a friend in God. It is not a chore or a disruption in his life. It is a joy and a privilege.

When Moses comes down the mountain to God’s people, he is met by surprise. People are frightened when they see him. They scatter and run away when Moses approaches. Moses and the Israelites are both surprised. “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone,” our text says. Moses isn’t aware that his face is beaming. And those who see his face do not know what to make of it. It is so strange and unexpected that it fills people with fear. I want us to reflect on that for a moment: “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone.” You’ll recall when Jesus tells us to be his ambassadors in his sermon on the mount: he says, “when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt 6:3). “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone.” You’ll remember how Jesus describes genuine and authentic Christian living. He describes the faithful saying, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matt 25:37-39). Moses does not know his face shines. Moses does not realize that he is radiating the light of God. Moses is not aware that he is more than just a messenger and a courier of God’s Word. He is a conduit of his glory.  He reflects the light of Christ. He radiates the brilliance of God. But Moses does not yet know the impact he will have on a nation by his talking with God. He will soon discover that his relationship with God will fill his cup of blessing to overflowing and will spill out into countless lives around him.

When we invest time in prayer and conversation with God…when we carve out our schedule to include reading and listening to God’s Word…when we enter into relationship with our Creator, God will kindle the fire of the Holy Spirit within us. As God the Father says in Jesus’ transfiguration: “Listen to him.” “Your word” the Psalmist says, “is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105). That is to say, we follow Moses’ and Elijah’s lead. We follow Jesus’ lead. We follow the disciples Peter, James, and John’s lead. In Christ, we have our own personal transfiguration.
It begins by becoming a student of God’s Word. We answer God’s call to listen to his Son. It continues by receiving his gifts. It matures when we make our relationship with God a priority. Here is the catch--and a lovely catch at that. You will shock the world. You will blindside your coworkers. You will confound your own family. People will wonder what is going on with you. “Who is this person who is transfiguring before my eyes over the last weeks, months, and years?” they will ask to themselves. This is not the same Moses that comes down from the mountain that went up days ago! This is not the same Peter, James, and John that went up to the mountain with Jesus hours ago. Something big happened. There has been a life-transformation.

Do you know that your face shines? Do you realize that you radiate the light of God? You and I are not just messengers or couriers; we are the embodiment of the Word himself. We, too, are the conduits of his glory. We reflect the light of Christ. One thing I appreciate about our new Director of Family Ministry and Outreach is her faith in you. She wants to encourage you to see how you can be the light of Christ right where you are at home, among friends, in your workplace, and in the communities we already are developing connections with. Every week we are sent out from this holy mountain with the light of God’s grace. We are reminded that the light of Christ has dawned upon us. God sends us out into the world with his blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.” We encounter the radiance of Christ’s glory in his Word. We bask in this Son-light. We receive him into our mouths with the bread and the wine. And we go out into the world with the light of his grace upon us.

O wondrous type! O vision fair
Of glory that the Church may share,
Which Christ upon the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun He glows.  ("O wondrous type! O vision fair, LSB 413 v. 1)