TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:15 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Back in January, I worked with one of my clients on their awards banquet, and the theme of the year was “Masquerade.” We had a ton of fun planning the event, but after we got the pictures back, we realized a tiny problem with our plan… We hardly had any pictures of faces. Most of the team kept their masks on through the evening, making it hard to identify who was who.
Six months later, I’m seeing the same thing. Different kind of masks. Same kind of problem on a much bigger scale. We’re not talking about 150 people now. We’re talking millions! Since we are a Selfie Generation, future grandchildren may wonder about these pictures… who is this? How am I related to them? And how could they breathe while hiking in a mask?
So let’s talk about another kind of mask… the veil of the heart. Today, let’s go to 2 Corinthians 3:12-16. It says, “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”
This passage is in reference to Exodus 34:29-35. Moses, after speaking to God, returned to the Israelites with his face shining because he had been in the presence of God’s glory. If you read the passage in Exodus, verse 30 explains that the people were afraid of Moses’ shining face. But here’s what’s interesting: Moses didn’t put on the veil until AFTER he instructed them to come near and spoke to them. He didn’t put it on to appease their fear but put it on after the fact. Doesn’t that seem backward to you? Paul explained the why in his second letter to the Corinthians… Moses hid his face behind the veil so that the Israelites would not see the shine of his face dim. He wasn’t trying to keep them from seeing God’s glory, but from the fact that the law, the first covenant, would fade because the Gospel, the new covenant that came through Jesus Christ, will endure forever. As Biblical scholar, F. W. Grant said, “The glory on the face of Moses must give way to the glory in Another Face.”
So let’s go back to the 2 Corinthians passage, specifically verse 15, which says, “Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.” When it comes to your heart, is there a veil, or to use our popular term—a mask? Are you trying to earn salvation based on your works? Or have you let Jesus remove the veil/mask so that you can take in the deep breath of relief that comes from knowing that your salvation isn’t earned but given?
That’s it in a nutshell. It seems too easy. So we live behind that veil/mask of good works hoping we can do enough. But not only did the death of Jesus result in the Temple’s curtain being torn (Matthew 27:51), so did it mean we could remove the veil from our hearts. It means we can enjoy eternal life, not because we earned it, but because He gives it.
Check your heart. Have you removed the veil? Are you living free from it, showing the world that you are a child of God because Jesus has redeemed you? Or are you still behind it, trying to earn what you can never earn?
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for offering Himself so that you can be a part of the enduring, everlasting covenant He offers. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you remove the veil from your heart and take a deep breath of gratitude that your place with God is secure because of Jesus Christ. Ask Him to help you show others the way to take off the veils of their own hearts.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
