FADING GLORY

" . . . the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was" (2 Cor 3:7, NASB )

ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE of all human experiences is that of Moses with God on Mount Sinai. On that occasion, Moses was "there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water" (Ex 34:28). Rarely has anyone experienced such extensive exposure to the presence of the Lord of glory – 1-1/3 months without interruption! Being in such a unique place did have an effect upon Moses' person. Although he did not know it, "his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord" (34:29, NIV). As he proceeded down the mountain, coming with the tables of the covenant to the people, he must have appeared like a portable sun, shining in its zenith.

WITNESSING HIS SHINING FACE, and knowing he had been in the presence of the Lord, the people "were afraid to come nigh him." When Moses finally began to speak to them, "he put a veil over his face" (34:33). When Moses returned to speak to the Lord, "he took the veil off," but when he spoke to the people "Moses put the veil upon his face again" (34:34-35).

ALTHOUGH THE BOOK OF EXODUS does not relate the diminishment of the glory reflected in Moses' face, our text informs us it was a "fading" glory. Because it was in the flesh, it could not last. With the passing of time, the shine, or radiance, left the face of Moses. Eventually he needed the veil no longer, and the people could look straight into his face without an intimidation at all.

WHEN JESUS WAS TRANSFIGURED, "His face did shine as the sun" (Matt 17:2), and "the fashion of His countenance was altered" (Lk 9:29). However, when He came down the mountain with Peter, James, and John, His face was no longer shining as the sun in its strength, and His garments were no longer "white and glistering." Even His flesh, sinless though it was, did not retain the glory. Much more was this true of Moses. With Jesus, the glory came from within, as well as from the Presence of the Lord. It is as though His inner glory merged with the glory to which He was exposed in His prayer. That glory remained within, even though it faded from His face and garments.

WITH MOSES, THE GLORY did not come from within, but from without. He was in the presence of Divine glory, and it caused his face to shine. Yet, because of the nature of the flesh, it was a "fading glory."

THE HOLY SPIRIT AFFIRMS Moses' experience stands for the Law as a whole. It started out in a blaze of glory, but began to fade. Soon the glory of Sinai was forgotten, and the people began to murmur and complain. Soon they could look at Moses and chide him instead of fear him. Soon they returned to their old manners, because the glory was a fading glory.THE SOURCE OF THE GLORY that lit up the face of Moses was genuine – it was the glory of God Himself. However, the treasure of that glory was in the frail vessel of the flesh, and thus began to dissipate. The flesh cannot perpetually hold what is eternal. If Divine effects are to be kept, they must go deeper than the flesh, and move beyond what can be seen.

MOSES LIVED IN AN ERA of restriction – a time when sin had not been "put away" (Heb 9:26), the Holy Spirit had not yet been "given" (John 7:39), and the world had not yet been "reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:19). It was a time when the glory of God "faded," regardless of its greatness.

BUT THIS IS NOT THE KIND of day in which we live! This is the day of salvation – the day in which Divine glory is "rather glorious," "exceeds," and "excels" (2 Cor 3:8-10). Rather than fading, it increases, as the saints "are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (3:18), or "with ever-increasing glory" (NIV). Those in Christ can "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior" (2 Pet 3:18), and "go on to perfection" (Heb 6:1). This is NOT the time for "fading glory!"

IT IS NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE professing Christians wane in their commitment to Christ, their zeal, and their devotion to the Lord. Countless numbers of church people have gone backward instead of forward. Their love for the Lord has cooled. They are not noted for any spiritual consistency. What has happened? Why is their present condition less then their beginning? It is because their glory is fading! They are a living contradiction. In the Divinely appointed day of increase, they are decreasing. During the time in which steady movement is to be made upward, they are going downward. Their glory is fading! They have less interest in the things of God, less likeness to the Lord Jesus, and less faith, hope, and love.

AND WHY IS ALL OF THIS SO? Why is their glory fading in this day of salvation? Because it has gone no further than their flesh! Their religion is not of the heart. Christ is not dwelling in their hearts by faith, nor is His word dwelling richly within them (Eph 3:17; Col 3:16). That is why their glory is fading.

– Given O. Blakely