One of the main reasons I wanted to blog through the Bible is to slow down and see the Bible piece-by-piece. I’m often guilty (as are most people) of hitting the highlights of the Text, seeing the famous stories, doing cursory research and moving on. This project has forced me to examine things on both a macro and micro level.
This scene with Moses’ shining face is the latest example. I have preached on this story more times than I can count, especially as Paul applies it in 2 Corinthians 3. But slow down a little and see it in it’s proper narrative. Moses isn’t just showing the people how close he was to God—he was also showing how far away they were.
Paul makes this exact point in the section in 2 Corinthians 3. People then, just like they did in Moses’ time, and just like they do today, don’t want to be confronted with the holiness of God. They want to shy away from it, because the righteousness of God reveals our unrighteousness (John 3:19-21).
Moses, on the other hand, leaned into it. The beauty of character studies is that you see the good and bad sides of Scriptural characters—the wins and the warts. Moses was great, but his life was also filled with errors. When given the chance to have semi-direct contact with God though, he didn’t run. He stayed.
Would I?
Adam and Eve did the same thing as Israel. When they ate the tree, their first reaction was to hide from God. When God came into the garden, He looked for them. They weren’t supposed to hide their imperfections from God, but to come closer to Him to be forgiven.
Vulnerability is a huge issue with us. We don’t want to be seen, we want to hide. We want to leave God’s presence and exist amongst people who won’t judge us and who will accept us how we want to be accepted.
God doesn’t do that. He made us and wants to accept us in His way. That means coming to Him with our broken lives, being forgiven of our sins by being washed in His blood, and bending our will to His own. Only someone who adamantly refuses to do God’s will would refuse such a generous offer.
No one is immune to this. I’ve been a Christian for nearly 30 years, and I still find times where I stubbornly choose my will over God’s. And when I inevitably go to Him for forgiveness, it’s hard for me to choke out any kind of admission of guilt.
In reality, I need to be more like Moses. I need to lean into God instead of moving away. Get closer to the mountain instead of running. And when I come face to face with the glory of God, welcome it as an embrace. The only question is whether or not I’ll have the courage to do so.
