What New Testament passages connect to Moses' veil in Exodus 34:33? Setting the Scene in Exodus 34:33 “When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.” Why the Veil? • The radiance came from direct communion with the LORD (Exodus 34:29). • The people shrank back from the glory (34:30). • The veil hid a fading splendor that belonged to the old covenant written on stone. New Testament Echoes of the Veil • 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 – Paul’s most explicit commentary – v.7 “Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory … ” – v.13 “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of the fading splendor.” – v.16-18 “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away … And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image from glory to glory.” • Key truth: Christ removes the veil, replacing fading glory with ever-increasing glory by the Spirit. • 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 – the gospel and spiritual sight – v.3 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.” – v.6 links back to Moses’ shining face: the God who said, “‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” • The physical veil becomes a picture of unbelief that blinds hearts until divine light breaks through. • Hebrews 10:19-22 – the new and living way – v.19-20 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the veil—that is, His flesh—” • The torn temple veil (Matthew 27:51) and Christ’s body together signify unrestricted access, reversing the separation pictured by Moses’ veil. • Hebrews 12:18-24 – two mountains, two covenants • Sinai (terror, distancing) contrasts with Zion (joyful, approachable). Moses needed a veil; believers now approach “the mediator of a new covenant” with unveiled freedom. • Transfiguration parallels (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36) • Moses reappears in glory beside Jesus. The cloud lifts, and the disciples “saw no one except Jesus alone” (Matthew 17:8). The scene underscores that the radiant lawgiver yields to the surpassing radiance of the Son. Common Threads • Old covenant glory was real yet temporary; new covenant glory in Christ is permanent and transforming. • A veil—whether on Moses’ face or in the temple—signals restricted access; Christ removes every barrier. • Spiritual blindness lifts only when hearts “turn to the Lord” (2 Colossians 3:16). • Believers now gaze openly at God’s glory and are progressively conformed to it. |
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