Page 67 - Pentateuch - Student Textbook

10. What demonstration does God given to Israel of his willingness to travel with them?

8.5 Let’s Personalize this Lesson…

God’s revelation of himself is not yet finished by a long way. Centuries must pass with prophet
after prophet speaking more of God’s word. Jesus will come and with his apostles to explain
further his life and death (Heb. 1:1-2; John 15:26, 27). Yet the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai
knows the basics of salvation by faith in a coming Messiah. Abraham knew this much. Adam also
had this information. In addition to word of a coming Messiah, Israel is pressed by the demands
of the law. They are constantly confronted by their own sinfulness, their own inability to obey God
(Rom. 3:19-20). The law pushes them toward the promise.

The veil worn by Moses is a sharp illustration of the flow of God’s revelation. The giving of the law
accompanied with such glory brought death. Moses wore the veil so that Israel would not see the fading
glory associated with this covenant. Not seeing his face shining at all was better than watching the
radiance fade. The purpose of the law was to drive them to the promise. Only when they understood
the greater glory in the promise could the veil be done away with. Then each person would look
unveiled upon the glory of God and be transformed by that glory into his image (2 Cor. 3:7-18).

How do we teach God’s law? Do we insist on following it, or do we use the law to prepare people for the
gospel? How does the law work in our own lives? Can we follow it all, or do we pick and choose some
laws that are easier for us to follow and ignore those that are difficult?

The dramatic close of Exodus gives us pause to reflect on our own spiritual experience of God. We
believe that Jesus is both God and man. “The fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Col. 2:9).” All that
glory on top of Mount Sinai and descending into the tabernacle is in Jesus. He was sinless, of course, and
needed no sacrifice for God and man to be united. We also teach that the Holy Spirit lives in every
person who believes in Jesus. His death is the sacrifice making possible God’s presence in the hearts of
sinners like us. So now the glory on top of Mount Sinai and descending into the tabernacle is in us. That
is the claim. In a very practical way, God’s presence in us must change us. We and all our worship
activities are plain, ordinary “tents.” It is God’s presence that makes the difference.

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