When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.”
Exodus 34:29-30
Gazing into the Face of God
There’s a famous work of art by Michelangelo, in which Moses is pictured with horns on his head. Why is that? It’s because the Hebrew word for “shine” is the same as the word for “horn,” and apparently the Bible which Michelangelo used had translated it as “horn.”
While that’s just a bit of (interesting?) trivia, there’s an important truth behind it. The word “horn” denotes “power, majesty, authority.”
Now think about this scene: Moses’ face is shining because he’s been in the presence of God. What kind of power, what kind of authority would it take to be able to cause that to happen? Why, it would take amazing power, stupendous power! And God has that kind of power.
Do you and I fully realize the amazing power of our God? Do we comprehend his majesty? Do we approach life in such a way as to make it clear that we recognize God’s power, God’s majesty? The Israelites–when they gazed at Moses’ face–were afraid! How much more would we fear if we were to gaze into the face of God himself! At Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter, James and John got a taste of it, as Jesus gave them a glimpse of his full glory. They were terrified!
But thank God that Jesus walked back down that Mount of Transfiguration. He again veiled his glory, exchanging it for the amazing humility of going to the cross to win salvation for us. The amazing grace of God!
That amazing grace of God is yours, for he won forgiveness for you. And so someday you and I will get to gaze into that face of God, and we will get to do so without fear. Will our faces shine, too? We’ll find out.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, forgive me for failing to appreciate your full glory. Fill me with appreciation for your saving love, that you were willing to lay aside your glory to save me. Lead me to reflect your glory in my life now, and to look forward to that day when you’ll receive me into eternal glory. Amen.
This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
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