The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Corinthians 4:6,
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
When Moses went back up on the mountain to get the second set of stone tablets containing the ten commands of the law, we read in Exodus 33:18 that Moses requested of the Lord, "Now show me your glory." The Lord told Moses he could not see his face and live but that he would put him in a cleft in a rock, cover him with his hand, pass by him and let Moses see his back.
As the account goes, Moses chiseled out two new stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning. There the Lord passed in front of Moses. Moses stayed forty days and nights with the Lord, and having written down the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone, he came down the mountain.
When Aaron and the other Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, "because he had spoken with the Lord." We read that this radiance was such that it struck fear in Aaron and the others, and Moses had to call after them as they were afraid to come near him. After speaking with them, Moses put a veil over his face because of the radiance. My assumption is that the radiance of the Lord's glory in the face of Moses was a fearful thing to behold for the Israelites.
Here in our 2 Corinthians 4:6 passage we see Paul making reference to the glory of the Lord that radiated from Moses face due to his encounter. In the previous chapter we read that the glory which accompanies the ministry of the gospel is even more glorious than that which was reflected in Moses' face. "What was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" 2 Corinthians 3:10-11.
As I think of the glory of the Lord, my thoughts go to two perspectives in which it is manifested. There is that objective radiance which is visible as what radiated from Moses face or that Peter, James and John witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration. We are told that the glory of the Lord was visible as the presence of the Lord filled the temple, as well as many other examples in Scripture.
I also think of a subjective manifestation of the Lord's glory. Not seen, but encountered in the hearts and minds of the Lord's people as they behold the manifold perfections of the Lord. His character and nature bring a stunning sense of awe and wonder as the lofty and exalted transcendent Lord manifests himself in his splendor to us within our hearts.
Here is the sense I see Paul speaking of as he acknowledges a wonderful reality: "God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." It is through Jesus Christ, and him only, in which we behold the glory of God!
Simply breathtaking! As he says of himself to Moses when he passed in front of him, he is "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…"
And what a glory that is!
When Moses went back up on the mountain to get the second set of stone tablets containing the ten commands of the law, we read in Exodus 33:18 that Moses requested of the Lord, "Now show me your glory." The Lord told Moses he could not see his face and live but that he would put him in a cleft in a rock, cover him with his hand, pass by him and let Moses see his back.
As the account goes, Moses chiseled out two new stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning. There the Lord passed in front of Moses. Moses stayed forty days and nights with the Lord, and having written down the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone, he came down the mountain.
When Aaron and the other Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, "because he had spoken with the Lord." We read that this radiance was such that it struck fear in Aaron and the others, and Moses had to call after them as they were afraid to come near him. After speaking with them, Moses put a veil over his face because of the radiance. My assumption is that the radiance of the Lord's glory in the face of Moses was a fearful thing to behold for the Israelites.
Here in our 2 Corinthians 4:6 passage we see Paul making reference to the glory of the Lord that radiated from Moses face due to his encounter. In the previous chapter we read that the glory which accompanies the ministry of the gospel is even more glorious than that which was reflected in Moses' face. "What was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!" 2 Corinthians 3:10-11.
As I think of the glory of the Lord, my thoughts go to two perspectives in which it is manifested. There is that objective radiance which is visible as what radiated from Moses face or that Peter, James and John witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration. We are told that the glory of the Lord was visible as the presence of the Lord filled the temple, as well as many other examples in Scripture.
I also think of a subjective manifestation of the Lord's glory. Not seen, but encountered in the hearts and minds of the Lord's people as they behold the manifold perfections of the Lord. His character and nature bring a stunning sense of awe and wonder as the lofty and exalted transcendent Lord manifests himself in his splendor to us within our hearts.
Here is the sense I see Paul speaking of as he acknowledges a wonderful reality: "God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." It is through Jesus Christ, and him only, in which we behold the glory of God!
Simply breathtaking! As he says of himself to Moses when he passed in front of him, he is "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…"
And what a glory that is!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment