Veil

A veil over our faces keeps us from knowing the truth of God's glory. But it also prevents us from appreciating or even comprehending the reality which surrounds us as heaven sees it. Having this veil is loving darkness rather than light. Indeed, the very purpose of a veil is to produce darkness, to obscure a face from the revealing light. Having a veil is refusing to be exposed, to have our faces seen by those around us because we are afraid or ashamed.

The people of Israel complained about the shining face of Moses and insisted that he put a veil over his face so they would not have to be exposed to the glory of God even second-hand. Paul puts a different spin on this story when he says that Moses put the veil over his face so that the people would not notice that the glory was fading away. Then he goes on to say that it is this same veil that still covers the faces of those who study the Scriptures diligently but fail to view them through the lenses of a real relationship with Jesus. Because of this darkening veil it is still impossible to truly perceive the real glory of God.

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:15-18)

I see a correlation between this issue of a veil over our hearts and loving darkness discussed in John 3. In some way the person themselves is responsible as to whether the veil will remain or whether they will permit the Spirit of God to remove it so that they can really experience liberty. Nicodemus was covered with this veil when he came to talk with Jesus and this is the issue that Jesus was addressing in this passage of John 3.

When a person chooses to live without a veil to darken their heart, they become a person who loves the light, who comes to the light and who uses that light to behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. As they keep coming to the light and keep on being willing to be exposed by the Spirit of the Lord, they are in the process transformed in the image of God and increasingly reflect His glory. This is all part of being born again, of being born of the Spirit and giving the Spirit full access to continue the work of transformation.

The children of Israel under Moses resisted the light they saw on Moses' face so they insisted on the use of a veil instead of allowing that light to transform their own hearts. As a result we have the tragic history of their unbelief and resultant rebellion along with all its consequences throughout the 40 years of wandering around in the Arabian desert.

But Moses himself did not refuse the light of God and the Spirit of God kept using him and transforming him from one level of glory to another. And even though he also made a fatal mistake near the end of his life, God was so closely in touch with him and Moses was so humble and responsive to the discipline of God that God chose to elevate Moses after his punishment to even greater glory by honoring him as the first resurrected human ever to enter the gates of heaven.