Page 20 - Sojourner Newsletter-SPRING 2022-5

20 THE SOJOURNER

NATIONAL CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE

The Shining Face of Moses

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Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his
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hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.* When Aaron and all
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the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to
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them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the
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Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.* When
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Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face,* but 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
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been commanded,* 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.
I think most, if not all of us, remember Sgt Schultz of Hogan’s Heroes. His famous line of all times was, “I see
nothing!!” We can, of course, think of the three or four monkeys sitting on a branch, the fourth saying, “I do nothing.”
Schlutz, of course, was a huggable, blunderer, the jolly old elf who was trying to stay out of the limelight and more
importantly stay out of trouble.
Moses had already been up the mountain one time. He had spent 40 days with God. God had given him the 10 words of
the Decalogue. As Moses was coming down the mountain he saw the great celebration going on in the assembly of the
Israelites. They were worshipping the golden calf in the absence of Moses. After 40 days he could very well be dead, so
they needed to move along. In true Burt Lancaster style, he slams the tablets to the ground, smashing them. In his rage,
he grinds up the Golden Calf and boxes his brother Aaron’s ears. He dumps the gold dust into the water, thus polluting it
which kills off thousands of the Israelites.
Later when both he and God have calmed down he ascends the mountain once more for another set of tablets. Another
40 days, and again God gives him another set of tablets. As he is descending the mountain he notices the people are
running away from him. He then finds that he is basking in the glory of God, the shekinah glow. Throughout the rest of
his life he would have to wear a veil anytime he is in the presence of man. The sad part is that people had taken on the
stand of the four monkeys.
I have a friend who had an unfortunate accident in his shop, he smashed his pinky in the drill press. He came very close
to severing the finger. He went on to the hospital and sat around for close to 20 hours waiting to see who was going to
put his finger back together again or even to see if they could save the finger. After a pack of crackers, he was sent home
because he had mistakenly eaten. My contention is that they had to find a doctor to do the work and then to have the
hardware to do the job. They apparently had their eyes closed for those hours.
I was recently reading an article written by a woman whose husband is suffering from metastatic melanoma. He is
taking chemo and suddenly was in a great deal of pain. He went on to the ER, waited 13 hours, and was then in the
process of being discharged. The wife called his Oncologist and questioned the care he was getting. The oncologist
called the hospital and I am sure there was a heated conversation. The oncologist asked for all the tests that were
performed. Probably not many or at least ones that would isolate the issues. It was found that he had double pneumonia,
a collapsed lung, and various other maladies, He was promptly admitted. The doctors had seen nothing on their own.
Jesus has gone up the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John, His inner circle. While up there He too
comes into the presence of God and begins to glow as Moses did. The disciples are afraid to look and are lost in a daze.
Jesus is in deep discussion with Moses and Elijah. Jesus and Moses are both basking in the shekinah glory and glow of
God’s presence. Jesus’ is shine is exponentially brighter!! The disciples hear the booming voice of God, saying, “this is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” Peter is inclined to stay on the mountain top, build three
tents or tabernacles and avoid what lies below in the valleys. Peter is thus wanting to close his eyes.
Jesus must go down to heal the epileptic and ultimately face the cross. I lost my mother to cancer in 1978. A friend
developed much the same tumor a few years ago. She was immediately whisked off to Mayo in Jacksonville, Florida.
She had the advantage of MRI, CT, and PET scans. Ultimately she had surgery using a Gamma knife. The precision is
far greater than an ordinary scalpel. A very bright light indeed.
Moses as he came down the mountain with the Law was spotlighting man’s sin and depravity. Jesus in His glory was
offering a way to rid us of the tumors and manifestations of man’s depravity.
How is our sight today and what are we seeing? Do we need to see more?
Peace, blessings, and shalom my brothers and sisters.
Thom Davies