At its Finest

While reading today's My Utmost for His Highest devotional, one particular statement jumped out at me:

The ministry of Christ is characterized by an abiding glory of which the servant is totally unaware ("Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him" Exodus 34:29).

I've seen The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston more times than I could possibly remember. It came on every year in the spring, and we'd prepare for it: bake cookies, make popcorn, bring pillows and blankets into the living room - it was ON and we loved it. We especially loved Charlton Heston's legs (private joke, sorry).

I have also read the account of the Moses's encounter with God on Mount Sinai and never noticed the portion of the story where it says Moses didn't know his own face was shining. Just think about that for a second; to be so surrounded by God, so immersed in His presence, so intensely effected by conversing with Him that your face shines with the glory of God.

REFLECTION. Moses was so touched by God that His face became a literal reflection of God's glory. I am sure there is a theological explanation for why his face shined so brightly. But to my simple mind, this passage challenges me to be less a demonstration of me, and more of a reflection of God. Too many times I think we allow the stuff of this world and the things we fill our daily lives with to cloud our opportunity to be God's reflection. Moses talked with God; he had an encounter that changed his countenance. This is Christianity at its finest.

HUMILITY. Moses left that mountain a different man. A confident man. A man with destiny and purpose. A man who had just looked into the face of God, spent time one-on-one with Jehovah, Almighty, I Am, the Everlasting, the Alpha and Omega. A man who saw how immense God is, and was humbled in the presence of a being greater than himself. He communicated what God had spoken to him, the two tablets of testimony, with a veiled face. Can't you just imagine what the reaction of some of us would have been? "Look, everybody, my glowing face is so beautiful, aren't you just amazed by it?!" Okay that sounds silly, but think about it: it would be natural to want everyone to notice what was going on. I'm sure once Moses found out that he had a new, glow in the dark countenance he was tempted to want attention. Who wouldn't be?! But no, he hid his face behind a veil, I believe so that Israel would hear what God had to say without being distracted by or drawn to Moses himself. This is ministry at its finest.

"We all, with unveiled face, beholding . . . the glory of the Lord"
2 Corinthians 3:18