Christ Church of Central Arkansas Chris Perry

Why does Moses' face shine?

INTERPRETATION 1: Moses has been in God’s presence for forty days.
According to Exodus 34:29, Moses’ face was shining “because of his speaking with Him.” Moses is taking on the characteristics of God. See Exodus 24:18.

INTERPRETATION 2: Moses has fully repented and is now 100% living by faith.

INTERPRETATION 3: Moses experienced a supernatural fast (e.g., no food and water for forty days). This changed the constitution of his heart and he was now fully receptive to God.

INTERPRETATION 4: Moses has been writing out God’s Words for forty days.

INTERPRETATION 5: Humans have a genetic property that allows the diffuse reflecting of light on their skin. See Genesis 3:1-7.

INTERPRETATION 1: There is nothing theologically significant about the phrase pass by. It is just a supporting comment for the larger theological story.

INTERPRETATION 2: The phrase pass by refers to the ontological difference between God and His creation. Moses (disciples) is incapable of a face-to-face encounter with God.

INTERPRETATION 3: God (Jesus) is intentionally passing by as a means of revealing His character to Moses (disciples).

INTERPRETATION 4: The phrase “passing by” is a heurism God (Jesus) uses to teach Moses (disciples) not only Who He is but why and how he (they) should respond to Him.

NOTES
Exodus 33:1-6
What started out as Egyptian tribute became the material for a calf cast in gold. God makes Israel responsible for jewelry. See 1 Cor 5:6-8; Gal 5:9, 24.

Exodus 32:19 - 34:1
God makes Moses responsible for “shattering to pieces” the two tablets made by His own hands.

Exodus 33:7-11
Worship is granted to the repentant. One day worship will be face to face.

Exodus 33:12-23
God allows Moses to see His back as He passes by. This embodies the core idea of what it means to follow God.

Sometimes when God is preparing something beautiful for us we doubt and compromise our faith for a cow.
> 1 Corinthians 2:9, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.

God takes worship very seriously.
> Exodus 20:2-4, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other
gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any 
 likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.

Idolatry and lying to cover our sin pushes us away from God. 
> 1 Cor 10:6-7, 6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that 
 we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. 7 Do not 
 be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” 
> Hebrews 12:17, For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Turning away from our sin (repentance) and turning to God in faith restores our relationship to Him.
> 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.