Sermon Notes: Exodus 34:29-35

Exodus 34:29-35  

Moses’ life and his person, looking through the lens of the New Testament, served as a “type”, a shadow of sorts, to testify beforehand to who Jesus is so that anyone who reads and listens to Moses has a gospel witness to Jesus.  

John 5:46 (ESV) 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 

Moses was writing about Jesus and his kingdom in everything he testified to, even in himself as he recounted his encounters with the eternal Son of God.  

Moses is a prophet of God, a mediating priest, and a good shepherd for Israel. In these roles, Moses prepares us to see Jesus as the prophet who faithfully preaches God’s word. Moses prepares us to see Jesus as the Great High Priest who not only mediates for his people but once for all atones for their sin by his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. And Moses prepares us to see Jesus as the Shepherd/King who leads and rules his people perfectly.  

Moses also testifies to the transforming work of God’s salvation and presence in his life in such a way that we are to expect that same transformation in ourselves when we follow Jesus by faith. As the Lord transformed Moses, so he can transform us.  

NOTE: I wonder what it was like for Moses to grow into his calling at the age of 80 in all of God’s necessary preparation for his calling, and then find that age 80 was a transition to knowing God in truth and his most fruitful season of life.  

I wonder whether Moses was fully aware of what the Lord was doing in him. The Lord was doing a thousand things in and through Moses and I’m not sure if he was aware of them all or the level of gospel witness that was happening in himself and through his work.  

Moses was probably a lot like us. As John Piper once said, “God is doing ten thousand things in us at any given moment, and we are probably aware of three of them.” 

The Lord was doing so much gospel work in and through Moses that its volume is almost unfathomable. 

Today we get to study a part of that unfathomable in a strange text that will lead us to a New Testament text to see a couple of good glories among likely thousands of good glories I’m just not yet tuned to observe. I’ll probably revisit this text in a few years and see more clearly than I do today.  

Let’s read it together. Exodus 34:29-35. 

If I told you I fully understood everything in our text today I would not be telling you the truth. There is a mysterious and glorious depth to this text and what the Lord is doing in Moses. Paul speaks to the depth of this text in his second letter to the Corinthians, and we will look at what Paul wrote in a moment to highlight two main points.  

Let me walk through the text and make some summary observations that will help us get to those two main points I’m fairly confident in.  

Observations:  

First, Moses comes down from Sinai after 40 days and nights with no food and water, having been sustained by the Lord, and he has the two tablets of the covenant with him.  

We talked about the 40 days and nights last week. Note this week the two tablets. The fact that there are two tablets is likely because one tablet was for the people to have access to in order to read God’s word and be reminded of the covenant, and the other tablet is a testimony that remains before the Lord. It was customary that the two parties of a covenant each have a copy of the covenant. 

God making sure Israel has a copy and he has a copy as a witness before him show us that God is serious about Israel keeping the covenant like he is serious about keeping the covenant. It matters.  

Next, the text tells us Moses’ face “shone” and “was shining” because he had been talking with God.  

The grammar used for these three occurrences of “shone” and “shining” (Qal perfect) indicates that Moses’ face shining was the ongoing state of things. Moses’ face kept the shine from his time of talking with the Lord.  

The word “shone” and “shining” shows up in the text three times, and as the repeated word, is the emphasis and the meat of the two main points we’ll get to in a moment.  

The words “shone” and “shining” can also be translated as “have horns”. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin for the common language of the western church, translated it that way, and that poor translation led to a host of medieval paintings and sculptures of Moses having horns. Very creepy. 

The Hebrew is clear. Moses did not have horns. It does make clear in its picturesque Hebrew way that Moses’ shining face was not merely a glow, but there were beams of light radiating from his face continually. Thus, the picture of “horns” in Jerome’s mind. 

Moses’ face radiated with light because he had been carrying on a conversation with the Light of the World, and Moses’ physical transformation was evident and continual. 

Next, we learn that Aaron and the people are afraid to get close to Moses because his face is radiating beams of light.  

I understand their hesitation to come near Moses. Moses’ face is radiating with beams of light due to the transforming power of God’s presence, and that holy radiation of glory uncovers sin, unbelief, and misunderstanding. 

Next, Moses calls for the folks who distanced themselves, and Aaron and the leaders come back to Moses to hear the report of what the Lord said.   

The text says they returned to him. The implication is that they fled from his presence.  

Moses speaks with all the people.  

After Moses addresses Aaron and the leaders, he addresses the nation.  

Moses covers his face for the sake of the people.  

The people have already run from Moses’ presence because there was a fear that came over the people (see verse 30). To keep people from getting sideways, Moses uses a veil to cover his face.  

We will see in a few minutes that Paul interprets Moses’ actions here as being timid because the people’s hearts and minds were hardened against the glory of God. Their hardness of heart and mind seems to affect Moses’ actions, and this dynamic will play out more over time.  

Rather than be attracted to the glory of God, the Egypt that was in the people’s hearts repelled them away from the glory of God.   

If you didn’t already know the story, you would rightly see this as an ominous sign of what is to come. Knowing the story, you see beyond the ominous sign to this being an act of unbelief that is a bitter root and will result in bitter fruit.  

Finally, when Moses, enters the tent to speak with the Lord, like he did on the mountain, he would uncover his face for that time of fellowship and instruction with the Lord.      

There is no need for Moses to hide his face from the Lord. Moses is a new creation, and he is looking at the face of the Eternal Son of God, the Lord. Moses is seeing glory, and he is understanding the truth.  

Moses does not need to hide from the Lord. Moses has believed and in that place of fellowship is welcomed to come face uncovered to enjoy the presence of the Lord. 

What is happening here? 

Let me read for you 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:6. 

There have been some false teachers who have come behind Paul and his ministry at Corinth and challenged the gospel he preached and his legitimacy as an apostle of the Lord Jesus.  

These false teachers are charlatans seeking to make some money on the gospel have entered the relationship and somehow have convinced the Corinthians that Paul needed letters of recommendation to validate his ministry. This action by these false teachers was, of course, to isolate the Corinthians from Paul and his missionary crew with their gospel authority and secure the Corinthian’s offerings for their ministries. Terrible people.  

Not much has changed. The world of Christian marketing is always looking for the allegiance of the local church to make them disciples to people and ideas they will never be accountable to. Beware! 

These folks countering Paul are likely Judaizers who are looking to hold the law over the Corinthians as Gentiles to keep them tethered to Talmudic Judaism and hinder the freedom of the Spirit.  

Paul will say of these false teachers, who are agents of the serpent dragon... 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 (ESV) “12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 

In making his case for the validity of his ministry, Paul appeals to our text, Exodus 34:29-35. Paul’s ministry is valid not because he and his partners are sufficient or have letters of recommendation, but because the gospel was so powerful as they preached it that the Corinthian’s hearts were changed and they left their idolatry and sin and followed Jesus with completely transformed hearts.  

So, the Corinthian’s hearts are Paul’s letters of recommendation. Their hearts have the law of God now written on them, and they don’t need the stone tablets Moses wrote with the old covenant because what was written on them has been fulfilled by Jesus so fully that this salvation that transforms hearts has transformed the Corinthians.  

NOTE: Biblically and thus culturally, there is spiritual authority in the kingdom of God with you when you preach the good news and someone believes or you are in a discipleship relationship with folks under membership of a local church that is ordained by God for good that needs to be headed. This truth sits in the background of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians for his authority over them for good, and they keep bucking it to their demise. Israel does the same thing to Moses. It’s an honor issue, and we are not very aware of honor. We are not aware of spiritual authority and how to honor it. Keep an eye out for that. 

Paul contrasts for us the glory of the covenant of law with the new covenant in verses 7-11. If Moses meeting with the Lord to get the old covenant that served a temporary role made his face radiate beams of light, how much more does the permanent ministry of the Spirit bring glory?  

The new covenant and its ministry of the Holy Spirit will bring to life and radiate Jesus’ glory in the people who turn to Jesus more so. This good news makes the individuals and thus the local church the very temple of God.  

After all, this is what the Lord’s purpose was in the law and in Moses, to POINT TO THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS AND THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN THE PEOPLE OF GOD.  

Paul likens Moses’ veil that kept people from seeing the glory on Moses’ face to hard hearts and unbelief. In other words, Moses had to cover the beams of light coming from his face because the people’s unbelief was put on display in their running from him.  

If a person will turn to the Lord and believe that veil of unbelief is removed and people are freed from the law and set free to belong to God and enjoy life in the Spirit, like Moses did.   

The problem is that, like Moses is opposed by unbelief, Paul and his team will be opposed by unbelief, and that unbelief is fueled and facilitated by none other than the serpent dragon blinding people to the glory of God in Jesus.  

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 (ESV) 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

Moses saw the backside of God’s glory in Jesus, and his face shone with beams of light that caused those in unbelief to run from him. When we choose to look into the face of Jesus Christ by faith and receive him, we are staring into God’s very glory and that decision to believe results in the veil of unbelief coming down and our hearts being transformed, and our reception of the Holy Spirit.  

Let me give you two big picture points or takeaways.  

1. If you want to be transformed from the inside out, and if you want your entire being to come to life from death, and if you want the beams of God’s glory to radiate from within you, turn to Jesus.   

Look into Jesus’ face through this good news. 

Repent and believe, and you will be changed.  

Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV) 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

2. If you want to conquer sin and unbelief and overcome the dark forces of the serpent dragon, it’s not a different tactic.   

Israel was fighting Egypt in their hearts. They were fighting unbelief.  

God had been gracious to deliver them from Egypt, and yet Egypt had a strangle hold on them.  

The dark forces of the serpent dragon were rooted deep, and rather fight it by ongoing repentance and faith, they would just run from glory, and continue to harden their hearts to God.  

Conquering sin is not optional for us. Conquering lingering unbelief in us is not optional for us. God gives us new hearts when we believe, and we have a flesh that still has to be tamed. The fight is just beginning at salvation.  

Romans 8:13 (ESV) 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

Following Jesus is not merely a one-time decision. The application of our salvation by Jesus is once for all, but our perseverance in the faith that receives that salvation is a daily and ongoing decision that Jesus is better right now. These two things are not opposed. They work together. And we must live in that tension.  

Israel would forget, and they would determine that fish and leaks were better than freedom and belonging to the God who created fish and leaks and would turn back to Egypt in their hearts.  

How do we conquer the desire to turn back to Egypt, to conquer sin? We conquer it just like we first believed.  

Here is how the same old apostle to the Corinthians put it to the Colossians:   Colossians 2:6-15 (ESV) 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 

Keep looking to Jesus just like you received him on day one of your transformation.  

Walk in that every day. Get up every day and renew the covenant. Get up fighting.   

Keep yourself rooted in Jesus and deepening in the faith like we teach you and preach to you.     Put off sin and strive for holiness.  

Application 

1. Like Moses and Paul, if we have been transformed by the good news and live in the fullness of the Spirit, our lives will radiate with the glory of God, and we will face unbelief and opposition inside and outside.  

There is something about the glory of God at work in someone that is instantly repelling to sin in the flesh.  

I can remember early in my walk with the Lord when I ran up on someone who God had appointed me to submit to and learn from, I was attracted and afraid at the same time. Something of the glory of the Holy Spirit made me have to decide if I wanted to grow or go back to Egypt. I would listen and kind of take it in, but I spent a lot of time internally and sometimes externally resisting.  

I’m not talking about discernment between false teaching and right teaching. I’m talking about things true and right, but my flesh wanted to fight it.  

If you are one of those in that place of discipling, just accept the fact that you are going to fought by those inside and outside.  

2. Be bold with the good news of God’s glory in the person of Jesus Christ.   

Israel’s hardened hearts and unbelief, according to Paul, caused Moses to not be as bold as Paul has been and he is calling the Corinthians to be with the good news.  

So, be bold with the good news. Lead with it.  

3. Don’t neglect the gospel for conquering sin and persevering in the faith.   

Ephesians 6:10-20 is Paul using the imagery right in front of him to expound on living the ordinary Christian life of living just like we received him.  

No doubt the ordinary Christian life is us doing spiritual warfare. But it’s not spiritual warfare instead of subduing our flesh.  

Ephesians 6:10-20 is not just how we battle unseen forces. It is that, but we battle unseen forces first by walking with the Lord in the normal rhythm of living a Godward life in Christ.  

We can’t be walking in sin and wielding spiritual warfare like a boss. We can only successfully battle evil in the heavenly places when we are successfully wrangling our flesh.  

We remain in the truth (Ephesians 6:14).   We pursue righteousness (6:14).   We are always ready with the good news (6:15).   We exercise faith (6:16).   We remember the good news and our salvation (6:17).   We wield the word of God by knowing it and applying it (6:17).   We live like this through praying in the power of the Spirit (6:18).   

4. Pray  

Increase us.  Make us holy.   Send us.