Gazing into the face of God





This is a portion of our Old Testament lesson for Transfiguration Sunday: “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” Exodus 34:29-30

There's a famous work of art by Michelangelo in which Moses is pictured with horns on his head. Why is that? It's because the Hebrew word for "shine" is the same as the word for "horn," and apparently the Bible which Michelangelo used had translated it as "horn."

“Horn” denotes “power, majesty, authority.” And that’s interesting and all, but why would Moses’ face be shining with power, majesty, authority?

Moses’ face is shining because he is reflecting the glory of the Lord. Moses had been up on Mount Sinai with his Lord receiving the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. Moses had been given the grace of God to look into the face of God and live.

We look into the face of God every day. We see His glory in the sun shining off the icicles in the trees after a snowfall and quick freeze. We see His grace in the little baby born prematurely but still healthy and growing. We see His mercy in the cancer that finally removed our grandfather from this veil of tears to the mansions of heaven.

Do not be afraid to look out in the world and see God’s face in everything you see.

We most clearly gaze into God's face in God’s Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments. That splash of water that changes a lost soul into a child of God. That morsel of bread and sip of wine that is in reality also the very body and blood of Christ. The absolution spoken by the pastor that are the words of eternal life for they are the words of forgiveness. The written, spoken, and sung Words of Scripture that allow us to meet our God face to face.

Someday we will be like Moses on a different mountain – Mount Zion – and we will be able to gaze into the face of God for all eternity. I’m pretty positive we won’t have horns. But will our faces shine, too? We’ll find out.

Gaze into the face of God now so you will recognize His face when you get to heaven.

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