Exodus 34

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. ³⁰ Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. ³² Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. ³³ And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, ³⁵ the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

When I was in high school I went to Rome and, while there, I was privileged to be able to see Michaelangelo’s majestic sculpture of Moses. It was, like all Michelangelo sculptures, absolutely breathtaking! It is a famous statue, not only because of the artist and the artistry, but also because of an oddity. If you look at Moses’ head, there appear to be horns coming out of it! Why is this? The answer has to do with our text and a particular translation of it. Patrick Murray, writing for “Art & Liturgy,” explains:

This statue of Moses, housed at San Pietro in Vincoli (Basilica of St. Peter in Chains), is part of the tomb of Pope Julius II, who was notable for commissioning the Sistine Chapel, as well as the destruction and reconstruction of St. Peter’s Basilica.

At first glance, the statue seems ordinary, or at least as ordinary as a Michelangelo masterpiece can. Look more closely, though, and you’ll find that the subject has sprouted a pair of horns.

Michelangelo’s sculpture is the most famous of many images with the same quirk. What’s going on here?

This bizarre addition stems from an oddity in Scripture.  Here’s the relevant passage, Exodus 34:29–30, in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV):

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

The original Hebrew uses the word qaran or keren here. It can refer to a horn (like a goat’s) or a ray of light. You know, because a light beam can be kind of horn-shaped, I guess. The first translation is more common by far.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, the Greek translation of Scripture, called the Septuagint, translates this phrase as “his face was glorified.” 

Later on, one of my favorite saints, Jerome, produced the Vulgate, which was the first comprehensive translation of Scripture into Latin. Jerome translated qaran as cornuta. The root of this Latin word, cornus, can mean a horn (like a trumpet) or a horn (like a goat’s). This is where we get the English words cornet, cornucopia, and, yes, unicorn.[1]

The “horns,” then, are a particular way of trying to translate and understand Exodus 34’s description of Moses’ face beaming with light as he came down from the mountain. I like this particular oddity because it shows just how difficult it is to take hold of, much less depict artistically, the reality of what happened to Moses in Exodus 34.

Why was Moses’ face shining and what was happening here? What does this mean?

God’s glory is contagious.

The most obvious aspect of this text is the contagiousness, if you will, of the glory of God!

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

Time and time again the glory of God is depicted in scripture in terms of or in proximity to the image of light. Consider the following examples:

Isaiah 60

¹ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lordhas risen upon you.

2 Corinthians 4

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21

²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

God’s glory is the shining manifestation of God’s character. Moses, having been in the presence of God in this beautiful moment of the revelation of his character in the re-giving of the law reflects God’s glory!

God’s glory is contagious! When we are in the presence of God, when we commune with God, dwell in His presence, and live our lives in the light of His glory, we cannot help but reflect it! “For us, when we are with God,” writes Tony Merida, “we will shine.”[2] This is true, though Victor Hamilton is certainly correct to point out that Moses had spent real and meaningful time with God. “Divine glory does not come upon those who treat time with God as a drive-through window,” writes Hamilton.[3]

There is a special intensity and, physically, a uniqueness to Moses’ literal reflection of God’s glory. Even so, it is simply what happens in all of our lives when we have been in the presence of God! Our very lives begin to reflect the glory of God and the beauty of God!

Exodus 34 has an obvious connection to Matthew 17 and the episode on the Mount of Transfiguration.

¹ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁵ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

We have seen on numerous occasions how Jesus is depicted as the better Moses, or, to put it another way, how Moses is depiucted as a forerunner of Jesus. Here we see, in Matthew’s account, yet another example. Notice that whereas Moses’ face shines, Jesus “was transfigured,” His face was shining “like the sun,” and “his clothes became white as light.” Christ, as God and man, reflects divine glory in a way that no mere man could, Moses included, for Christ’s illumination is never a mere matter of reflection.

Yes, Jesus reflects the glory of the Father but it is a glory that He shares as the second person of the divine Trinity. Christ’s glory is not diluted or dimmed. His was a life without sin. And though Christ was born and begotten, He was not created. There was never a time when Christ was not. So his glory is not diluted by being a creation. He existed in eternity past. Thus, in Christ, divine glory shines in resplendent power and majesty in a way that it never can for us for whom it must ever and always be mere reflection. Even so, we are privileged more than we could ever deserve, when we come to Jesus, to experience what Moses experienced. Our lives become conduits for and reflections of the beauty of the glory of God, for God’s glory is contagious!

God’s glory cannot help but be seen and noticed.

Being contagious, God’s glory cannot help but be seen and noticed. See in our text the strong emphasis on the visibility of Moses’ reflection of God’s glory.

³⁰ Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. ³² Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. ³³ And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, ³⁵ the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

The people were afraid to approach Moses because of his shining visage. To help them, Moses put on a veil. What an unbelievable thing this is! The glory of God so inundated Moses’ face that he had to take steps to conceal it.

What would it be like to have that kind of experience and life with the Lord Jesus? What if the life and light of Christ shone so brilliantly through us that it was almost overwhelming to others? I am not talking about us acting religious or acting at all. I simply mean, what would it be like to reach the end of yourself and have the glory of God shine through your life with this kind of joyful intensity?

We see glimpses of this in scripture. One of the most charming examples is found in Acts 4 when those outside the church observe Peter and John.

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

This is what Moses’ experience might look like in our own day. The glory of God might not physically shine through us, but it can manifest itself in lives of courageous devotion and in acts of loving service and proclamation. These men “saw” Peter and John and were astonished. Whatever else they may have thought of what they saw, this much was clear: “they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

I realize that this can be read as a simple recognition that Peter and John were part of the original twelve, but surely these men’s astonishment meant more than that. Peter and John’s boldness and witness and lives were reflecting glory as a result of their ongoing walk with Jesus Christ. They could not help but do so!

All of us are reflecting something at every moment of every day. We are either (and, it would seem, are usually) reflecting our own agendas and ambitions or we have set all of that aside and are reflecting the glory of Jesus Christ!

God’s glory cannot help but be seen and noticed. This is what makes the modern idea of having a “private” religion that may or may not be in line with one’s “public” persona so very absurd. If you are truly dwelling faithfully in the presence of Jesus Christ you will not be able to conceal it.

There is great and transformative power in reflected glory and this has practical significance in our lives and in the lives of those around us. For instance, I believe Peter is appealing to this dynamic in his words to discouraged wives in 1 Peter 3.

¹ Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they see your respectful and pure conduct. ³ Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

How is it possible for a Christian wife to win her disobedient husband “without a word”? It is possible because of the power of God’s glory as it reflected in the wife’s “respectful and pure conduct, beautifully adorned “hidden person of the heart,” and “imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.”

Are you married to somebody who is not walking with the Lord? Then let God’s glory shine in your home through your life of joyful obedience to King Jesus. Very few people, men or women, are badgered into the kingdom. Of course it is right to speak gospel truth when the occasion presents itself, but we must not think that this is our only way witness. Glory-reflection is also witness-bearing.

Your spouse is watching you even if he or she is pretending not to. He is she is watching! Let your spouse see God’s glory more than your disappointment!

What does your spouse or your friend or your coworker or your fellow student see when he or she looks at you? Do they see you trying to manipulate them? Do they see anger? Do they see frustration? Or do they see glory! Let them see the glory of God reflected in your life!

We are called to be glory reflectors.

We are to be glory reflectors! In light of Exodus 34 and Moses’ reflection of the glory of God, consider again the well-known words of Jesus from Matthew 5:

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We know that we are to let our lights shine. This is one of the first songs I learned in church as a child! I bet that many of you learned it as a child as well:

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.
Don’t let Satan blow it out,
I’m gonna let it shine
Don’t let Satan blow it out,
I’m gonna let it shine
Don’t let Satan blow it out,
I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

We sing this little song but now we understand the origin of this light. It is not a self-generated light. It must not be understood as the light of self-effort. Rather, we must view it as the light of the glory of God! When we view it in this way, we understand the awesome privilege of having a light to shine!

God has given us a great gift and a great commission and a great stewardship. We are glory reflectors. And when we reflect the glory, something truly astonishing happens.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The glory is reflected in our lives, is seen by those around us, then they are changed by the glory as they come to the God to whom our words and deeds bear witness, and, in so doing, they give glory back to God! In other words, glory comes full circle. It emanates from the person of God Himself, is reflected in the lives of His people, changes and transforms those who see it and come to the Lord Jesus, and then returns to the Father as His people offer it back to Him!

What a beautiful and awesome privilege! What a grand and humbling stewardship! What a life this is!

Shine! Shine, church! Reflect the glory of God! Then watch as glory begets more glory throughout the earth. For glory is contagious and glory changes all who step into its light.

May we walk with Jesus, the light of the world, in such a way that our lives shine with the beautiful and life-changing light of His glory!

 

[1] https://artandliturgy.com/2016/01/14/why-is-moses-depicted-with-horns/

[2] Tony Merida. Exalting Jesus in Exodus. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. (Kindle Edition), p. 215.

[3] Victor P. Hamilton. Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary. (Baker Publishing Group), Kindle Location 18327.