Learning from a Faithful Witness

INTRO: Have you ever known someone whose life—more than their words—deeply impacted your faith? Maybe it was their quiet strength, their bold testimony, or simply how they lived day to day. A person’s witness—what they say and how they live—can leave a lasting mark.

That’s what we see in today’s passage from Exodus 34:29–35. Moses comes down from Mount Sinai after spending forty days and nights in God’s presence. He hasn’t eaten or drunk anything—God sustained him physically. But more than that, God transformed him spiritually. The result? His face literally shone with God’s glory.

This is a scene unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed. And yet, even though we’re far removed from Mount Sinai, there’s a powerful lesson for us here.

Now, this passage isn’t a step-by-step guide. You and I aren’t going to glow with visible light. But as we study this moment, we’ll see how it points us to Jesus, and how it calls us to live as faithful witnesses today.

Here’s where we’re going:

First, we’ll walk through the passage itself and see how Moses’ shining face foreshadows the glory of Christ.

Then, we’ll consider three characteristics of a faithful witness that Moses displays—qualities we’re called to live out as followers of Jesus.

Let’s open our Bibles and picture the scene together:

Exodus 34:29–35 NASB95

29 It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

I want you to picture the scene: Moses is heading down the mountain again with two new tablets containing God’s Law. This descent is different from the last- the last time he did this, he flew into a rage because of the idolatry of the Israelites and ended up breaking the tablets. This time, Moses’ demeanor was different.

In fact, it was so different that the text tells us his face literally beamed light… this is not just an expression. This is not like that glow that you may recognize when someone has a new love interest or is pregnant.. No- this is light being emitted from Moses’ face.

The response of Aaron and the other elders to Moses reveals this reality. They were afraid to come near him. This must’ve been a bizarre scene and no doubt they understood Moses’ face to represent God’s glory. But, like God called Moses up to the mountain, Moses called the people to him.

This invitation to Aaron and the people would have been received as a relief. This was not the punishment they deserved, but an act of mercy being extended. Thus, as Moses spoke God’s Word to them, they listened as from the Lord.

There is an odd part of this story: After speaking God’s Word to the Israelites, Moses covers his face with a veil. This would likely not hide the shining all together, but surely would limit the exposure of the people to his shining face. Why would he do this?

This passage does not say directly. Many commentators talk about this veil as a separation of the common from the holy- a picture of the veil in the tabernacle which separated the holy places from the common places. Remember, he did leave his face unveiled while he spoke of God’s commands and he unveiled his face when he met with God in the tent of meeting.

However, the apostle Paul commented on this event in 2 Cor. 3:7-18, and says that Moses put on the veil so that the people would not look intently on what was fading away. In other words, the shining of Moses’ face would evidently fade between his times communing with God. Let me read that for you.

2 Corinthians 3:7–18 NASB95

7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 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.

Paul teaches that the glory reflected in Moses' face was temporary and fading, but the glory we receive through the Spirit is permanent and transforming. Unlike the veil that covered fading light, we now live with unveiled faces—continually being changed to look more like Christ.

Let’s take just a moment and look at how this points to Jesus.

Moses descended from the presence of God to deliver the Law / Jesus descended from heaven and fulfilled the law.

Moses’ face shone as a reflection of God’s glory. / Jesus is the light of the world, in Him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) Jesus humbled himself and entered into the darkness of humanity to bring forth the light of Hope.

Moses’ shining face and calling out to the people was an invitation to encounter God through obedience to the Law. / Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life and no man can come to the Father except through Him.

In Matt. 17:2, we see an event we call the transfiguration. Jesus took his 3 closest disciples up on a mountain where Jesus literally beamed in glory and God spoke. Two other figures were there- the glorified Elijah and the fully glorified Moses.

Moses spoke confidently and authoritatively the word of God to the people. / Jesus is the Word of God in flesh and He too taught with authority unlike anyone had ever seen or heard.

Matthew’s gospel introduces Jesus as the better Moses, for He came to bring God’s presence to mankind, reconciling the perfect law of God and the sins of humanity.

Moses veiled his face - a sign of separation between sinners and God / Jesus came and removed the veil - both in the temple and in the hearts of those who would believe.

Taking the whole perspective given in the Bible, we can easily see the parallels of this event and we ought to give thanks to God for His mercy. After all, He has given us grace upon grace. But I believe we can also learn from Moses and his witness on that day.

Having seen how Moses’ radiant face points us to Christ’s glory, let’s now turn to what this story teaches us about being a faithful witness in our own lives today. Moses models three key principles…

The first principle is:

A Faithful Witness Shines the Glory of God

When Moses came down the mountain, he was shining forth a reflection of God’s glory BECAUSE (29b) God Almighty spoke to Him. Now, Moses couldn’t see the shine, but others couldn’t help but notice. And even when he put on a veil, people would recognize what was going on.

The same is true of faithful Christians. Not that we are physically emitting light, but we are intended to reflect God’s glory and goodness to the world. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14–16 NASB95

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

This is exactly what we see in the faithful witness of Peter and John in Acts 4:13

Acts 4:13 NASB95

13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

ILL: If you’ve had kids, you’ve probably noticed their inability to eat a cookie without getting it all over themselves, right. You don’t have to ask them if they had a cookie, it’s all over their face!

You see, just like parents can tell where their children have been, so too can others observe our lives and know if we’ve been with God. They should be able to see God’s glory reflected in our words, actions, and disposition. True, we will look odd to many folks, but like Moses, we can invite people to come near- to see God’s glory in our lives as we live, work, and play.

I wonder what your life says about where you have been? Do you shine as a faithful witness of Christ?

The next principle is that

A Faithful Witness Shares the Word of God.

Moses, having called the elders and other over to himself, spoke the word of God to them. He did so confidently and authoritatively because it is the Word of God, not the word of man.

As Christians, we are called to share God’s word boldly and confidently. The Great Commission is: Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We cannot teach unless we tell. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses!”

Paul emphasized this in Romans 10:14, which we studied not long ago,

Romans 10:14 NASB95

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

ILL: Imagine if you will being in a courtroom. You’ve seen a crime take place and you have additional evidence that will ensure justice is carried out. Yet, you refuse to speak. You refuse to share the information. You would not be a very good witness, would you? You might even be charged with obstruction.

What if Moses had said nothing? What if he came down from the mountain… and stayed in his tent? No Word. No glory. No invitation. Imagine that.

They would have never received God’s mercy and would never have known God’s perfect character. And that is true of the people in our communities as well. They desperately need to hear the word of God!

And there is no way that we can call ourselves witnesses of God if we do not share the word of God. If we sit back and do not tell of God’s character; if we do not tell of His mercy unfurled in the Gospel.

Actually, I think that if we’ve truly received God’s Word, we wouldn’t be able to shut up about it! The disciples, when being threatened by the Pharisees to stop proclaiming the word of God replied in Acts 4:20 “...for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

I’m not talking about incessant babbling, but I am talking about sharing God’s word in love and truth and from a grateful heart. When was the last time you shared God’s word with someone?

A faithful witness shines the glory of God and shares the word of God. Finally,

A Faithful Witness Abides in the Presence of God

The glory on Moses’ face faded because it was a reflection of God’s goodness. But Moses consistently met with God in the tent of meeting, where his shine must have been renewed. You see, one encounter, as awesome as it was, was not enough to sustain Moses’ shining reflection of God’s glory.

That’s true for you and me as well. We need more than an encounter, we need God’s Holy Spirit indwelling us! And that’s exactly what God promises to those who repent and surrender to Christ as Savior and Lord.

Folks, Christianity is not a decision you made one day. Christianity is not a prayer you prayed. Christianity is not an emotional response you had in worship.

Christianity is your life wholly and fully surrendered to Christ, transformed by His power, and in being sanctified through the Holy Spirit. One day, we will be glorified- One day we will have bodies like the transfigured Christ, but today we are called to abide in Him.

In John’s Gospel, we see Jesus teach about the importance of abiding in Him. You see, the real spiritual fruit of our lives comes through abiding- that means being connected to God in prayer, knowledge of His word, and submission to His will.

I suppose Moses could have taken his encounter with God and his shining face, felt pretty good about himself, and then never pursue God’s presence again. You wouldn’t expect your phone to last all week on Sunday’s charge. The same is true for our spiritual lives.

But how often are we satisfied with an encounter even as God is offering His presence and glory to shine on us and through us at all times?

We cannot be a faithful witness if we are not shining his glorious reflection through our lives on a daily basis.

We cannot be a faithful witness if we are not sharing the Word of God- His Gospel - with unbelievers.

And we cannot be a faithful witness to the world, if we abide in the world more than our Lord.

So, what kind of witness are you?

Moses came down the mountain reflecting the glory of God—not because of who he was, but because of who he had been with. And the same is true for us. We are called to reflect the glory of God to a watching world—not with glowing faces, but with glowing lives.

We’ve seen today that a faithful witness:

Shines the glory of God—not by trying harder, but by staying close to Him.

Shares the Word of God—boldly, clearly, and compassionately.

Abides in the presence of God—because one encounter isn’t enough; we need to walk with Him daily.

Church, if we want to make a real impact in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our culture, it won’t come through gimmicks or polished appearances. It will come through people who have been with God.

We don’t need to manufacture glory—we need to reflect it. We don’t need to impress—we need to abide.

The veil has been torn. In Christ, we have full access to the glory of God. So why would we settle for anything less?

Let your life be a living invitation for others to come near—like Moses calling the people close—not to see you, but to see Jesus in you.

Let your witness be unmistakable.

Because the world doesn’t just need more voices—it needs more light.

[PRAY]

Discuss: Why do you think Moses’ face shone after being in God’s presence? What does this tell us about the nature of God’s glory?

Discuss: Read Matthew 5:14–16. How does Jesus’ command to let our light shine connect with Moses’ shining face?

Discuss: Share a time when spending time with God made a noticeable difference in your attitude, behavior, or witness.

Discuss: What’s one intentional step you can take this week to become a more faithful witness of Jesus?