Breaking the Word

17^th Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 3^rd August 2023 – Exodus 40,16-21.34-38; Mt 13,47-53

Guidance of the Glory of God

The book of Exodus opens with Moses seeing God’s glory in the burning bush, and it closes with the glory of God descending into the camp and filling the tabernacle. The presence of the glory of God in the camp of Israel was not luxury, it was a necessity. It identified Israel as the people of God and set them apart from the other nations. Other nations had sacred buildings, but they were empty. The tabernacle of Israel was blessed with the presence of the glory of God. The Lord’s presence is manifested in the cloud which hovers over the Holy Place. From now on, at every stage of Israelites journey, whenever the cloud lifted from the dwelling, they could resume their march. They never moved as long as the cloud hovered over the dwelling. And during the day, Yahweh’s cloud stayed over the dwelling. At night fire could be seen in the cloud. The glory of God dwelling in this manner, in Israelites journey reveals a clear message: as he had promised, Yahweh was with his people.

17^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 2^nd August 2023 – Exodus 34, 29-35; Mt 13,44-46

Fading of God’s Glory

The first reading describes Moses’ face as radiant when he leaves the presence of God. Being in the presence of the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, eating and drinking nothing, Moses had seen a glimpse of God’s glory. He did not realize that he had absorbed some of the glory and was reflecting it. Aaron and the Israelites had noticed the change in Moses. They were afraid to come near him. Therefore, Moses covered his face with a veil. Every time Moses re-enters the presence of the Lord, he lifts his veil to be re-enlightened and re-charged by God.

Paul explains in 2 Cor 3,13 that Moses veiled his face because the glory was fading away. He gives several applications of this remarkable event. First, he pointed out that the glory of the Mosaic Legal system was fading away, but that the glory of the gospel of God’s grace was getting more glorious (2 Cor 3,7-11). This was an answer to the legalists who taught that obedience to the law was God’s way of salvation. Second, he applied this event to the lost Jews of his day whose hearts were covered by a veil of unbelief (2 Cor 3,14-16). The only way to remove that veil was to recognize and believe Jesus as the true Messiah and Saviour. Thirdly, he applied Moses’ experience to Christians who by faith see the glory of Jesus Christ in the Word and experience a spiritual transformation (2 Cor 3,17-18).