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Without Veil

Without Veil

Words of Faith 9-14-17

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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2 Corinthians 3

   [12] Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. [13] We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. [14] But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. [15] Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. [16] But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

 

         Because the New Covenant is eternal its recipients had the certain hope of acceptance by God. This permitted Paul to be bold and candid in speech and action.   Paul saw this in contrast to the ministry of Moses who veiled his face as he addressed Israel so that they could not see the radiance produced by those meetings with God and the fact that it was fading away.

         Why did he do this? Did Moses believe that the rebellious Israelites would be less inclined to obey God if they witnessed a diminishing of this awesome radiance? Or did Moses consider them unworthy recipients of this display of God's glory and so veiled his face as a commentary on the hardness of their hearts? Perhaps it was the latter.

         Whatever was Moses' reason for using the veil, his action proved to be prophetic. Not only was ancient Israel unwilling or unable to comprehend (their minds were made dull) the transitory and preparatory nature of the Old Covenant, but the dullness remained with subsequent generations.

         The Jews of Paul's day (to this day) failed to perceive that the Old Covenant was a preliminary message, not the final word of God's revelation. Though the cloth that veiled Moses' glory and the Old Covenant was gone, Paul said a perceptible spiritual veil remains and has not been removed. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

         Paul wrote about this to the Roman believers-- “What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day" (11:7-8). "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in" (11:25).

         The veil of unbelief that covers their hearts can be taken away only in Christ, that is, whenever anyone turns to the Lord. Moses removed his physical veil in the presence of the Lord. So for any Jew-- or anyone-- who turns in faith to Christ the Lord, his spiritual veil is removed. The Lord who mediated the Old Covenant is the same Lord who established the New

 

         Father God, Help those around me to see You without veil, without blinded minds, dull hearts or a spirit of stupor. Open my eyes to be able to see all of You that You want me to know and to see all what You are doing that you want me to see. I will trust You with all the rest of what I do not see. In Jesus' Name.