WHEN Moses came down from the mount, he brought again in his hand, two tables of stone. He had broken the two tables that he brought down the first time, before entering the camp; this time he placed them in the ark which the Lord had before directed him to make. There was no glorious shining of his countenance the first time; but, the second time, his face reflected the glory with which he had been surrounded, for God had made “all His goodness” to pass before him, and had allowed him to see His glory.
Moses was not conscious of the shining of his face, but when Aaron and the children of Israel saw the glory of his countenance they could not look upon it, and they were afraid to come near him. Was it any wonder that fear filled their hearts? The law was “the ministration of death” to those who failed to keep it.
We find two ministrations, or agencies in this third chapter of Second Corinthians. One is called “the, ministration of condemnation,” and “the ministration of death;” the other is spoken of as “the ministration of the spirit,” and “the ministration of righteousness.” These two are contrasted; both are glorious, but the glory of the latter so far excels that of the former that its glory is lost. And the former “is done away,” while the latter remains.
Let us see if we can gather something of the meaning of these two ministrations. Man is by nature a sinner; his heart is at “enmity against God,” and he cannot keep the raw,’ and so it becomes to him the ministry of condemnation and death. It is the agent by which he is made to know what a sinner he is, for “by the law is the knowledge of sin,” and it is that which pronounces the sentence of death. “The commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death,” “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
What then is the ministration of righteousness? Man had no righteousness for God and so the law must condemn; but God had righteousness for man, and through grace this righteousness has been told out, and not only so, but this “righteousness of God” is “upon all them that believe.” God, who is just, can and does justify the poor sinner who believes in Jesus, because all his sins have been met and righteously dealt with, and now it would not be just, it would not be righteous, to visit the strokes upon the sinner’s head, when Jesus has taken those strokes in his stead.
God is righteous, and in righteousness He justifies all who believe in Jesus, and this righteousness of God is ministered, through grace in the power of God’s Spirit, and so we get the “ministration of righteousness” which exceeds in glory and which shall not be done away.
Although the people were afraid to look upon Moses, he called them to him, and put a vail on his face that he might be able to talk with them. When, he went into the tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he took this vail from his face and then put it on again when he went out to speak with the people.
Moses has long since passed away, but to this day the vail is on Israel’s heart, God tells us. This is because they are blinded and their hearts are hard. When they will turn to the Lord the vail will be taken away; there will be nothing then between them and the glory; nothing then to make their hearts fail with fear.
Can God’s people now look upon the glory? Yes, with “open” or unveiled face they may behold the “glory of the Lord.” The glory that was connected with the law was a passing thing and it fades in the presence of “the glory that excelleth”—a glory that remains. How wonderful that we may by faith gaze upon this glory—the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ! Will that glory condemn us? No, for it is a proof to us, who believe, that our sins are gone, for it shines in the face of Him who bore the wrath of God on account of those sins, but who now is glorified at God’s right hand. To us it speaks of “no condemnation.” (Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1).)
ML 12/13/1903