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Exodus 34:28-30 (KJV)  And {Moses} was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.  [29]  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with {God}.  [30]  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Fasting for forty days does not usually cause a person to look better, but to look starved. Moses had been on the mountain with God for forty days. He fasted. The Bible says that :

he did neither eat bread, nor drink water

This was not the first time Moses fasted. Deuteronomy 10:10 tells us that he fasted this long more than once.

Moses did not suffer for being without food or water.
The Lord sustained him.

When Moses came down the mountain the Bible tells us that:

the skin of his face shone; and they {the Israelites} were afraid to come nigh him

The people saw the shining of Moses’ face. The glory of God had literally rubbed off on Moses, and as they saw it they were frightened by it. The people were so frightened that they could not hear what Moses had to tell them. They were afraid to come near to him. Moses was God’s Ambassador, and he needed to tell the people what the Lord had told him. But the people would not come near or, if they did, they were more focused on the glow of Moses’ face than they were with the message that Moses brought. So what did Moses do?

He covered his face.
He hid the light of God’s glory,
So the people would hear what God had to say.

Moses Wanted The People To Hear God’s Word

Exodus 34:32-35 (KJV)  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.  [33]  And TILL Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.  [34]  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.  [35]  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Moses put the veil on his face so that he could keep his audience attention. Some of you may be thinking “How silly that they would be distracted by a shining face!”. I have stood and addressed audiences with the Word of God for over 22 years now. When a baby burps or giggles some will focus on the baby rather than on the Word of God. I have seen a wasp come into the Church while I was preaching, and all eyes stare at the wasp as it wanders across the ceiling. I saw one person stare throughout a service once at the carpet. After the service was over I went to where that person was staring and found a dead bug on the carpet. To be kind, perhaps the distracted one was praying for the resurrection of that bug. I don’t know. We are easily distracted.

A young preacher I was mentoring preached in my place one Sunday morning. Following the service an old, retired pastor in the congregation came to him and handed him a piece of paper. On that paper he had tallied up every tick or repeated phrase that young preacher used throughout the sermon. The retired pastor did not hear the Word of God – he heard the ticks or mannerisms. He couldn’t see the glory of God for the man that was there.

Moses wanted his audience to see the glory of God, to hear the Word of God, to be blessed by his encounter as much as he was blessed. So he placed a veil over his face so that the people could perhaps hear. I suspect some in the audience still didn’t hear, but were distracted by the veil.

The Apostle Paul spoke of the veil of Moses in 2 Corinthians 3. In 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle spoke to us the need of LOVE, love toward God and love toward one another. In 2 Corinthians 3 He speaks to us of the two Testaments or Covenants, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Apostle said that the Church was the “epistle or letter of Christ …

2 Corinthians 3:3 (KJV) … written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; NOT IN TABLES OF STONE, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Moses was a minister of the Old Testament, the Law of God. The people focused on the Law were frightened of Moses’ shining face. They were frightened of God. They did what God told them to do because the Law was written on tablets of stone. It was never God’s intent to save anyone by the Law, but by Grace.

The Law entered because Israel, experiencing the grace of God over and over again, never trusted in God nor received His Grace.

It was by Grace that Israel was not destroyed of the Destroyer. It was the Blood of the Lamb without blemish, sacrificed, eaten, that caused the Death Angel to Pass Over Israel. This is Grace. This is love.

It was the love of God and His graciousness that parted the Red Sea for Israel. It was not by works that Israel was saved, but by God. The armies of Egypt died, but Israel lived because of God’s love.

It was the love of God for His people that He gave them manna and water in the wilderness, yet Israel would not believe. So God called Moses up the mountain and gave the Law. If you are not under Grace, you are under the Law. If you are under Grace you are not under the Law. You must be one or the other. There is no fence sitting with God.

Moses’ Face Shined NOT Because Of The Law
BUT Because Of Grace

God called Moses up the mountain to receive the Law.

Exodus 34:1-3 (KJV)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.  [2]  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  [3]  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

Moses cut two tablets out of stone, but it is God Who wrote the Law on these tablets.

It was not the Law that caused Moses’ face to shine.
It was GRACE.
It was that God communed with Moses.

Exodus 34:4 (KJV)  And {Moses} hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

Grace loves God.
If you are under Grace you love God!

John 14:15 (KJV)  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

God told Moses to hew two tablets of stone like the first. Cut out TWO tablets. Not three. Not one. Two. TWO. What size should they be? “Like the first”. Moses, you know what that is. You broke the first set of tablets, so make them again. Make them EARLY.

Exodus 34:4 (KJV)  … and Moses rose up EARLY in the morning …

Don’t procrastinate. People say “I’ll read my Bible later on, when I have time.” Or they say “I’m going to read through the Bible … but NEXT year”. We put God on the back burner. Moses didn’t do that. God said “Do it” so Moses “Did it”. He went “Early in the morning”. When God went to Father Abraham and said:

Genesis 22:2 (KJV)  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Did Abraham put it off to a better time? No! The Bible says:

Genesis 22:3 (KJV)  And Abraham rose up EARLY in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

The Lord says in Proverbs 8:17 (KJV)  I love them that love me; and those that seek me EARLY shall find me.

Moses did not procrastinate. The Bible says:

Exodus 34:4 (KJV) … Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, AS THE LORD HAD COMMANDED HIM, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

A lot of people say “I Love God” but never show it.
God wants to see your love in action!

When Moses did as God asked – showing his love for the Lord – we read that:

Exodus 34:5 (KJV)  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and STOOD WITH HIM THERE, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

God came down and stood with Moses.
God proclaimed His Name.
He proclaimed Who He was.
God did not start by giving the Law,
but by describing Himself to Moses.
Moses experienced God!

What is “The NAME of God?”. It is Who God is. God defines Himself to Moses. He moves into Moses’ presence.

Exodus 34:6 (KJV)  And the LORD passed by before him …

God defined Himself by His Presence. He is the LORD, the Eternal and Great I AM. This infinite and eternal God “passed before Moses”. He loves His people. He loves them that love Him. God defines Himself as:

Exodus 34:6 (KJV)  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed,
The LORD, The LORD God …

He is “The LORD, the LORD God”. It is the LORD God Who made the heavens and earth (Genesis 2:4). It is the LORD God Who made man, and put him in Eden (Genesis 2:15). He is the LORD God who punished Cain, but provided for Noah. It is the LORD God who called Abraham from Babylon, and promised the land of Canaan to his descendants. He is the One Who came in Christ to redeem His people.

The LORD Defines Himself To The Obedient

In our world today everyone thinks that they are an authority on Who God is. Yet God alone is the Authority on Who God is. God defines Himself to Moses, and defines Himself to us. God is …

Exodus 34:6 (KJV)  …. MERCIFUL and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  

God has not written one word on those stone tablets yet. He did not want to write anything on those stone tablets. Yet Israel would not see Him as He is. God is first of all MERCIFUL. He is filled with mercy. Why would God mention His mercy first? I read a statement the other day that said:

God’s Mercy Is Bigger Than Any Mistake
That You’ve Made!

Moses is standing before God right now.
Yet Moses is not perfect.

When Moses came down the mountain with the first set of commandments he broke them when he saw the children of Israel dancing before a golden calf, worshiping it! That was not in accordance with the will of God. Because someone else violates God’s Law is no reason for ME to break God’s Law. Yet many of us are like Moses. Someone does something wrong, then we respond by doing something wrong. My brothers and sisters, this must never be!

Self righteousness says “I would never do that”. Yet the truth is, we all are subject to failure. Moses had no right to break God’s Law just because Israel broke God’s Law. If someone breaks the Law of Love and hurts me, I have no right to break God’s Law and hurt them back. Instead, I am to …

Love my enemies. Do good to those who do bad to me.
Vengeance is God’s, not mine.

Though Moses did not worship the golden calf, he later would worship himself when he let anger get the best of him. Rather than glorify God Moses will strike the rock (Numbers 20:12), making himself a golden calf in the eyes of the people. Though Moses broke God’s Law and later would fall into idolatry God was still merciful to him. God came down to Moses in love. He comes to us in mercy and love.

Ephesians 2:4-6 (KJV)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  [5]  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  [6]  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

God is merciful and gracious.
Mercy is an ocean, and from it run rivers of grace.

God is not only merciful and gracious, but longsuffering. He is patient. He is more patient than we deserve. If God gave us what we DESERVED then none of us would be alive. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 103:10-13 (KJV)  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  [11]  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.  [12]  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  [13]  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Praise God for His patient and gracious love.

Exodus 34:6-7 (KJV) …. abundant in goodness and truth,  [7]  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

And yet God does not forget the guilty. To those who repent and come to Him in love, He forgives and loves. Yet God does not wink at sin. Today in America we think that god winks at sin. That’s just not true. God is abundant in GOODNESS and TRUTH. What is “truth”? Pilate asked Jesus Christ

“What is TRUTH?”

Do you know what Jesus said? He said:

John 18:37 (KJV) …. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Jesus Christ came into the world – Eternal God in human flesh – to bear witness to the truth. The truth is that we need the Lord. We need God in our lives. We need Him, and need to spend time with Him.

Moses’ face shined because he spent time with the Lord. Moses’ face shined because he loved the Lord. Moses’ face shined because he loved Israel, God’s people. We read:

Exodus 34:8-9 (KJV)  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.  [9]  And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Moses did not want to make excuses for his sin and the sin of the people. He bowed himself before the Lord. He asked God’s forgiveness for both himself and the people. And he asked that the Lord not just come and be a temporary blessing, but that the Lord …

go among us

If God Goes Among Us, We Too Will Shine

Israel was frightened of Moses’ shining face because Israel did not understand grace. Beloved, we who are Christ’s are called to shine as Moses shined. Jesus said to us in …

Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  [15]  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  [16]  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

And again in …

Philippians 2:12-15 (KJV)  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.  [13]  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.  [14]  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:  [15]  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

We are to shine for the Lord. We do this by entering into His Presence by prayer and by His Word. We spend time with Him. We do as He says do. We love the Lord by showing our love. We are not to hide the glory of God in our faces by a veil. We are to love the Lord boldly. We are to be a Spirit Filled people, loving and doing, walking hand in hand with our Savior. We are to shine for the Lord.

Romans 13:12-14 (KJV)  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  [13]  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  [14]  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

Oh that God would go among us. That He would visit His Church. That He would manifest Himself in our hearts, writing love and obedience there. Oh that we would worship Him so that unbelievers could see Christ in our midst. Oh God, come and be among us. Let us be revived again. Let Your Church be revived again, both here and throughout America.

In Christ’s name we pray.

Amen!