TEXT: EXODUS 34:29–30 KJV
[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 him. [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.
Discussions:
Today’s text is the story of Moses. The Bible says that God spoke with Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (Numbers 12:8). Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, and the glory of God’s presence upon him was so evident that the children of Israel were afraid of him when he came down from the mountain.
The Scripture says that the skin of his face shone while he talked with God. There is something special about God’s presence. No genuine encounter with God leaves a person unchanged. Everyone who had a significant encounter with God was never the same again. Saul of Tarsus, Jacob, and many others.
There are some important lessons we can learn from the Moses kind of encounter:
1. Moses Went Up to God on the Mountain
God did not come down to Moses in the valley; Moses went up to God on the mountain. This kind of encounter places a high demand on us to take deliberate steps toward God. It requires a high level of consecration, discipline, and focus. It is a place where nothing else matters except God.
We cannot remain in the valley and expect to have the Moses kind of encounter. This means we must make the effort to seek Him through prayer and fasting. This is what is called waiting on God. It is in this place that He reveals His majesty and kingship. He takes His time to work in us. This is not a cheap kind of encounter. It is the kind of encounter that kept Moses without food for forty days and forty nights.
2. Obvious Glory
The children of Israel saw the glory of God’s presence on Moses’ face—not in a dream, but physically. Many times, we claim to have experienced God’s presence based only on our feelings, but that was not the case here. They saw it with their own eyes, and they were afraid.
Bear in mind that they were not seeing God; they were seeing Moses. Yet Moses’ contact with God was enough to make them afraid. There was a residue of God’s glory upon Moses that was powerful enough to impact those around him.
I perceive in my spirit that God desires to raise many Moseses in our generation, but He will not lower His standards. He is calling us higher. I pray that God will help us to pay the price required to experience His glory, in Jesus’ name.
Practical Steps
1. Desire God’s Presence – There is more in God than we have yet discovered.
2. Make Fasting and Prayer a Lifestyle – While giving up things like chocolate may have health benefits, it may not be sufficient for this kind of spiritual pursuit. This will require more sacrificial fasting, carried out with wisdom and understanding, while gradually training your body to embrace a lifestyle of fasting and prayer.
3. Create Time to Wait on the Lord Personally – This is a time when distractions are put aside. Your phone and other competing interests must not accompany you. A high level of focus on God is required, where you set your face like a flint toward seeking Him.
4. Consecration – This is where a standard of holy living is required. It is a place where every aspect of your life is committed to pleasing God.
May the Lord help us as we desire more of His glory, in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point:
Oh Lord, take me into Your presence today, that I may behold Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Light Up Christian Fellowship
