We all have our morning rituals, sipping some coffee, watching the news, or starting our day off with a short stroll. I’m a creature of habit, so I usually start my day by feeding my flock of feral kitties who are meowing-LOUDLY-at the back door. I love walking out on the deck in the quiet of daybreak, scanning the valley before me, taking in the beauty of nature, and checking in on the neighbor’s herd of cows as they graze in the field below. But this morning was different, there would be no cow-gazing or valley-viewing, for a thick blanket of fog had draped itself over the valley. I knew that the animals were there, I could hear the distant mooing of the cattle herd, the wake-up calls of the roosters, the frenzied gobbles of our neighborhood wild turkey flock as they commenced on their breakfast quest, but they were all hidden from my view. That thick veil of fog would eventually surrender to the bright, October sun, burning off the mist and restoring my view of that beautiful valley.
After Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt, he ascended Mount Sinai where he, through direct face-to-face communication with the mighty God of creation, would receive the law, the commandments, and the intricate instructions concerning the tabernacle. When Moses descended from that blessed mount forty days later, the people “were afraid to come nigh him” for his “face shone.” The result of being in the presence of Jehovah God was evident on the countenance of Moses, so he put a “veil upon his face” to shield his fellow sojourners from the brightness of that shine, the glory of God Himself.
Centuries later, Paul would refer to that familiar story to illustrate the fact that a veil still remained upon those Jews who had rejected their Messiah. He was not speaking of a physical veil as Moses wore, but an unseen veil “upon their heart.” Because of that “veil,” Scripture and spiritual truth will be as “foolishness unto him, neither can he know them.” That veil hindered them from recognizing the Messiah in their midst. The “natural man,” a man who has not been regenerated by the Spirit of God, cannot “receive the things of the Spirit of God,” that veil HAS to be removed first. But praise God, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY,” there is understanding, the fog of spiritual obstruction is burnt away. The veil is gone, and now, through faith in Christ, “we all, with open (unveiled, uncovered) faces” can see firsthand the splendor and wonder of God. And as a result of that clear view of Christ, we can be “changed into the same image from glory to glory,” we are changed into HIS likeness!
Have you had the fog lifted in YOUR life? Have you had the veil removed so that you can partake of spiritual things? If you have, celebrate that liberty! Appreciate the wondrous gift of grace it is to have the Holy Spirit remove the wall of partition that once separated us from a holy God. Spend some time today in His Word, clearly beholding His glory.
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Thank You, Lord, for lifting the veil so many years ago by Your grace. Thank You for opening Your precious Word in my life, and for giving me Your Spirit to guide me through that precious Book.