”When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them. Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the Lord.“
Exodus 34:29-35 NLT
A continual theme of Moses’ ministry is the pursuit of being in the presence of God. Here we see that being in God’s presence has a very particular effect. It makes one holy as God is holy. Moses had become radiant. In fact, his radiance was worrisome and a bother to the Hebrew people. He wore a veil to mask this radiance. Such things are described in other places as well. For instance, when Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus during the transfiguration, Jesus appearance was meaningfully altered to be brilliant. As Stephen was preaching in Jerusalem, his face began to glow as well. This, coupled with his message of repentance, prompted the Jews to kill him. What should be noted is that there is an effect of being in the presence of God. There should be a change to you that is displayed in a way that people can see it. When Christ left the Holy Spirit, he promised an anointing that would do just this. Now not a physical display, although sometimes so, but a display of character. Those who are with a Christian should reflect in their countenance that they have been with God. This should offend the non believers and be a comfort to the believers. In either case, it should be evident to all.
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