The Glory of the Old Testament

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? (2 Corinthians 3:7–8 NIV)

Less anyone object that Paul had tried to diminish or erase all together the glory associated with the Mosaic Covenant or the Old Testament, he clarified the difference. There was glory that came with the Law of Moses. First, there were numerous miracles associated with the entire event: the plagues of the Exodus, the miraculous supply of meat and water, the leadership of God through the wilderness, the miraculous victories over enemies, and, especially here noted, the engraving of the commandments in stone and the shining face of Moses.

Due to his humility and the intensity of his intimate encounters with God, Moses’ face shone (Exodus 34:29–35). His face shone so intensely that the people could not look upon it directly, rather he put a veil over his face until he went in to speak with God again.

Yet the glory of his face faded, signalling the temporariness of this stage of salvation history. We may in our moments of dedication also become very sincere about obedience to God’s commands, very disciplined in how we live our lives, and we may all have our own types of “shining moments” where our dedication appears impressive. But then, as it was with Moses, we lose excitement and focus. Our Christian walk slips in some way or another. Our prayer life lags, we gossip more, complain more, avoid costly dedication, and feel the burden of it all.

It is glorious to know the will of God, to know the standard of God’s righteousness, to know that He calls us to responsible living, but eventually, if it is only based on our own dedication, we tire of it all. It brings death to us in that we are condemned for our failures, and it kills our enthusiasm and our joy in the Lord.

The great moment comes when we realize that in this Church Age God has also sent the Spirit to indwell each believer, to empower us, strengthen us, fill us with His love and joy, and this is one of the huge differences between the Old Covenant and the New.

In the new life in Christ our dedication — though still important — receives less of an emphasis than His power and His calling and His enabling. The testimony of scripture is that in the Church Age that Christ assumes responsibility to complete His work of transformation in our lives: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6 NIV).

So the question we must constantly ask is if we are submitting our wills to Him, if we are depending on Him, if we are living according to His power and not according to our own determination. The outstanding trait of the life of the Spirit is the utter freedom of the human spirit redeemed in Christ.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:17–18 NIV)

Are you depending more on your effort than on His power? That is the way that is sure to fail. If we live in Him though, receiving the constant flow of His life in us, we will have a constant newness in our lives.