Your Epidermis is Showing!

Exodus 34: 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. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (NRSV)

"Pardon me, but your epidermis is showing," words from the first song I heard on my music player as I took my first walk in a long time. It's a Christian song by dc Talk and its message is about skin color and how we must all come together as the Maker intended. When I first heard it I journeyed back to elementary school when a wiseacre said to me, and others, "Hey man, your epidermis is showing! Ha ha!" We all looked down and around because we had not yet had that science class. But imagine if your skin gave away when you spent time with God, what would your show? Let's say the more time you spent the brighter your skin would glow. Imagine the brightness in your church! Imagine the brightness in your home, your car, your places of play! In today's passage, that's what happened to Moses. You see, Moses went to the mountain as ordered by God and spent time with God and God shared with Moses the Law, and as he's coming down with the two tablets the people below noticed that Moses's face was glowing, and glowing bright! You see if you spend time with God, God rubs off on you. The holiness of God rubbed off on Moses so much that his brother Aaron and the people of Israel were terrified and ran off. Moses had to call them all back and then he talked to them and shared the Law with them. When he had finished speaking Moses put a veil on his face.

You have known people to attend a retreat and then come back glowing from what they experienced and received from the Lord during that time away. It was that experience multiplied a thousandfold and you get the beginning of what Moses experienced while talking with God. There is a glow that comes from the joy of knowing and walking with God. It may not be bright enough that we have to put veils on our faces, but nonetheless it give glory to God for God's holiness in our lives. The opposite I believe is true also about sin and its effects on our lives. Our faces may betray the lack or loss of joy and the face of hopelessness does not shine bright. It's our choice; which do you choose?

PRAYER: Loving God, may I choose You and time with You as that which will bless my life. Give me the brilliance of joy and hope so that it attract others to come and see You in me. If I have wandered away and the lack of joy and hope is obvious, erase that and replace it with Your touch. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio