Does Your Face Shine?

“It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.”  Exodus 34:29

As Moses led the children of Israel in their journey through the wilderness, Moses grew in his relationship with the Lord and as a leader. Moses greatly desired to spend time fellowshipping with the Lord and he also wanted to know the Lord as much as possible. The Lord graciously allowed His goodness to pass before Moses and also protected Moses in the cleft of a rock so that Moses’ life would be spared as he experienced the glory of the Lord (Exodus 33:17-23).

While Moses was in the presence of the Lord, the Lord renewed His covenant with Moses and the Israelites and He replaced the two tablets that contained the Ten Commandments, which Moses destroyed when he encountered the Israelites’ idolatry. Moses spent forty days and forty nights in the presence of the Lord without eating or drinking water. When Moses returned from Mount Sinai, Moses’ face was shining and all who saw him were afraid to come near him.

​This passage demonstrates to us that the time Moses spent with the Lord brought a change that others could see and identify as unlike anything they’d experienced. Although our faces may not literally shine after we’ve spent time with the Lord, we should shine in other ways. Others should see the light of Christ in our lives and notice a change. They should be able to see a difference in us that is unlike anything they’ve experienced. Our thinking, behavior, and speech should be different. We may not know that we are shining because we regularly spend time with the Lord, but others will know.

As you read of Moses’ encounters with the Lord, think about your time with the Lord. Think of how each time fellowshipping and spending time studying His word brings about a change in your life. Make an intentional pursuit to continue to spend time with the Lord so that your light continues to reflect His light in a world that so desperately needs the Light of the world.