Exodus chapter 34, verse 10, follows God revealing His glory to Moses after he returned to the top of Mount Sinai. God declares, “I am making a covenant with you… I will do wonders never before done in any nation in the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord will do for you“. Have you ever wondered why God blesses you? Notice that first, God does the work, and His reason is that non-believers will see God’s mighty hand. God adds, “Obey what I command you today“. Easy enough, right? God will do wondrous things in your life so the people in your world will have to acknowledge Him, and all we have to do is obey Him. Ha, like Israel, God always keeps His part, but we do not. God explains, “I will drive out before you the (inhabitants of Canaan)” and adds, “Be careful not to make a treaty with those that live in the land… they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars… do not worship any other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God“. We think of jealousy as a very negative term, but it is a term of intimacy. There are levels of intimacy that are only to be shared between a husband and wife, crossing that line SHOULD be met with jealousy. God warns not to let your sons take their daughters as wives because, “those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods and will lead your sons to do the same“. We are not to play with sin because we are too easily corrupted.
God also commands them, “Do not cast idols” and “Celebrate the feast of unleavened Bread“. God continues, “the first born of every womb belongs to Me… No one appears before me empty handed… the seventh day you shall rest…Celebrate the Feast of Weeks… and the Feast of Ingathering“. He reminds them to observe the purity of the sacrifice and “Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil and your households to the Lord your God“. God is not to get our leftovers and spare change, the first fruits of the harvest are the most valuable, most important and vital after a long winter. Are you giving God your first fruits, or just ‘tipping’ God after a great meal? “Moses was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water“. And notice what happens, “Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant“. We do not realize how spending time in fellowship with God through prayer produces a radiance in our lives too. When you regularly spend time with God, people notice!
We read that Moses began to wear a veil to cover his face “because the people were afraid to come near him“. In 2 Corinthians chapter 3 the apostle Paul explains that the veil covered the fact that the radiance faded away. The apostle explains that the Law was given to point out our need for a Savior because we cannot keep the Law perfectly. Moreover, Paul Explains that it is only by the Holy Spirit of God that we can live lives that honor God. Paul says of us who accept Christ as Lord, “you are a letter of Christ… written not with ink, but with the Sprit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of human hearts“. He continues the picture by explaining there are many today that still have “a veil that covers their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord the veil is taken away“. His exhortation to you and I is to regularly seek fellowship with the Lord and let your light shine to all those around you. Because “we, with unveiled face… are being transformed from glory to glory“. In spite of our faults, God continues to mold us onto instruments He can use. Spend time with God today and He will minister through your life.