“Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the ten commandments, Moses didn’t realize that the skin of his face shone brightly because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw the skin of Moses’ face shining brightly, they were afraid to come near him.” Exodus 34:29-30
If you want proof that someone spends a lot of time in the sunshine, what do you look for? Well, I simply look at their complexion. Do they have some proof upon their epidermis that it has been exposed to the UVA rays of the sun thereby triggering their melanocyte cells to spur the bronzing affect we call tanning? Well, it’s pretty obvious, right? To get a natural suntan you have to be exposed to the sun. Speaking of, it’s kinda funny when our many U.S. short term student mission teams arrive on the field. They look at Margie and I and immediately ask why we are tan. Well, much of it is because Guadalajara is situated geographically well. It is in a dry tropical region with an elevation of 6200 feet above sea level and sits on a latitude of 20.65 (Maui, HI is at 20.79) which results in robust sunshine equaling almost 3,000 hours of sunshine annually. (By the way, did you know the sunniest spot on the planet Earth is Yuma, Arizona receiving 4015 hours of sunshine annually?) Anyhoo, areas with lot of sunshine equal people groups with darker skin, even missionaries. And it’s also funny to see those same US volunteers leave a week later kissed by the Guadalajara sun, returning home with a souvenir tan. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
But let’s make a jump and pull the above example into our study verse, also above. In it we see the wonder of Moses making his second journey up Mount Sinai to get replacement commandment tablets after he broke the first two in reaction to the golden calf debacle. (what happened there?) After Moses had spent 40 days and 40 nights in the presence of the Lord, he brought back a very different type of souvenir tan, the shekinah glory of the Lord. Interestingly, the actual word “shekinah” does not make an appearance in the Bible but is a Jewish word meaning “dwelling” or “one who dwells.” This is where we get the basis of John 15’s hyper-important message on what it means to truly abide in Christ as a necessity of a thriving Christiam life. And folks, I propose that just as Moses glowed from spending quality time in front of the Lord, so will Christians in this current age. You see, I believe that a life lived in the daily presence of God affects physical appearance, especially the face. And I also believe that the peace, joy, love, and goodness of God will be evident on the face of the one who spends quality time abiding in His presence daily.
The miraculous beauty of what happened to Moses was in the exchange. You see, it was nothing Moses did. It was nothing that Moses spurred, asked for, or caused to happen. It was merely where he was at and who he was with. And since Moses was in the very presence of God, he radiated what God was. And God is light, glory, and illumination. (John 9:5, John 8:12) Moses, because he was abiding with God on that mountaintop, physically received and radiated the very light, glory, and illumination of God. The source of that glow had nothing to do with Moses but everything to do with God. The source was God and Moses made the decision to sit with God and absorb who He was.
Today, we have just such a choice. But we also have many other choices that a dark and distracting world carefully places before us. We can spend time with God, or we can spend countless hours working to make money to buy the stuff we want that makes us look good and scratches our human itch for more. We can spend time with God, or we can spend countless hours surfing Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to ensure we keep up with our trending circle of influence. We can spend time with God, or we can spend countless hours in front of the TV, absorbing agenda-laden Hollywood offerings, news slanted in your preferred direction, and mindless reality TV. You see, don’t miss the obvious juxtaposition of what happened when Moses meandered back down that mountain to rejoin the Israelite camp. The people in the camp, including his own golden calf-crafting brother Aaron, were scared at what Moses presented in that Godly glow. And they were afraid of it. Apparently as Moses was spending time with God, the people that had just a month before been performing lude acts around a crafted idol, still did not know the difference in merely acknowledging God versus truly knowing Him. That is, pursuing Him with your whole heart in order to truly know Him by simply being in His presence and reveling in who He is.
I can tell. And so can so many others around you as they simply look at your face today. Are you truly abiding in (ie, dwelling in, living in, remaining in, staying connected to) Jesus Christ daily? (John 15:1-17) Are you engaged in a daily study, meditation, and journaling of His Word that sees you walking away glowing in the goodness of His truth? Are you thriving in a daily prayer life that sees you enjoying not one long prayer a day, but a thousand small, seeing you actively admitting to God that He is in control of it all, not you? If so, the world will see you glowing in the Godly joy of communion with your Maker. Are you basking in blessed fellowship with other believers, bearing each other’s burdens, sharing the highs and lows of the Christian walk, and holding each other accountable to a righteous walk before the Lord? If so, the world will see the Godly glow of peace upon your face.
Folks, the world can see where your walk with the Lord is at. And I pray that it is in a place that sees random strangers walk up to you and ask why you look so happy and seem to be so different than the other faces they see. For it is in moments like this that you have become the light that attracts. (Matthew 5:16) And in this attraction, the Holy Spirit will allow you to share the greatest news that has ever existed. That Jesus Christ saves sinners.
Abide deeply in Christ today and let His light shine through your life to reach the lost of this world.
Pray for each other…abide well ~ Dan
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
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