The Clothing of Glory

In the beginning

Adam and Eve were placed in a garden, innocent, pure, intelligent and connected to God their creator.  It was given to Adam to name all the animals - what an imagination! It was a precious time for God and man. God had made Adam and Eve with free wills.The ability to think outside the box, to question, to choose. After a time they decided that they were not content with being under the judge, they wanted to be the judge. They wanted to determine what was right and what was wrong. So they chose to disobey God, and eat from the tree of Knowledge. They didn't stay within their protected parameters, and for this choice God removed them from the garden and did not permit them to continue to eat from the Tree of Life so they wouldn’t remain in their sinful state forever. This was a mercy. Slowly they got old and eventually they died. They lost their intimate relationship with God and also lost something else - their covering.

What was the covering that they lost? They made clothes for themselves from leaves because they  "felt naked" and then God killed animals to make coverings for them. But what did they lose? What did they have that wasn’t replaced? Let’s first start with Moses.

1.  Exodus 34:29-35 

And 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 (Strong's H7160) because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw  Moses,  behold,  the skin of his face shone, (Strong's H7160) and they were afraid to approach him.  Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 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.  When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 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, the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone (H7160). So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

So Moses spoke with God and delivered the message to the people with his face shining. After he delivered the message he put the veil over his face to the people wouldn't see the glory fading. So how did medieval teaching say that Moses had horns, as seen in the statue by Michelangelo. How did this thinking come about?

Horn or Shine?

(H7161) qeren: The verb meaning  to push or gore, to shoot out horns, & figuratively: rays, strength,

The New Testament Confirmation

Exodus 34:29, 30 & 35, states quite plainly that the "skin on his face shone". The New Testament gives us the commentary to confirm this:

But if the ministry of death, engraved in letters 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, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? (2 Cor 3:7-8)

The definition of “glory”:

• an opinion, estimate, honour resulting from a good opinion, resulting in praise, honour, and glory, splendour, brightness  (Doxa Strong's G1391)

2 Cor 3:7-8 makes it clear that the glory of God on his face was fading, therefore we know that the correct interpretation is that Moses didn’t have horns like the statue – but just as Scripture says "the skin of his face shone"! It had rays of brightness!

Adam & Eve

Finally we come to  what I really want to emphasise. What were Adam and Eve clothed with by God - what had they lost when they had sinned that God needed to make coverings for them?

1. Before they sinned: Gen 2:25

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

2. After they sinned:  Genesis 3:6-11

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings. Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of  the  garden. Then  the  Lord  God  called to the man, and said to him, “Where  are you?”  He said, “I heard the  sound of You  in  the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

God is Light

Theses speak for themselves:

• Ps 104:1-2  God being light:

Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendour and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.

• Mat 17:1-2 Jesus transfigured in God’s presence:

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

• Rev 21:23  All we will need is God in heaven

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

• Revelation 1:16

and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

Conclusion

Adam & Eve were innocent before God. They enjoyed the pure presence of God. I would suggest that they shone like Moses, and the transfigured Lord. Their radiance that was like the sunlight, with flashing rays, they were clothed in splendour, they were covered with light as a cloak, they shone like the sun, were as white as light because they were filled with God’s presence. God illuminated them with of the lamp of the lamb. When they sinned, they lost the presence of God and lost their shining covering glory. 

Moses put a veil over his face so the people wouldn't see the glory of God fading, which was showing that the law in this form that God was giving, was going to fade away and be replaced by the New Covenant (Jer 31). However, when he went into the Tabernacle he lifted the veil and met with God, was filled with His presence and God instructed him. As we continue in our faith we also get transformed, changed into His image and go from glory to glory!

“So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image”. (2 Cor 3:18)

Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) He's the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)

and then he said: “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:14-16)

Our light (the knowledge and experience of who Christ is), is the glory that comes from being in His presence, knowing God and making him known. The Christians spiritual nakedness (sin) is removed because of faith in Christ. We are redeemed and filled with His spirit and are "clothed with Christ" - His glory, has returned spiritually and in the resurrection our bodies will gain immortality (Rom 2:7).

Paul stated:

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were immersed into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Rev 3:17-18).

As all of us reflect the Lord's glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18).

Adam and Eve tried to make themselves acceptable by their own works, sewing brittle fig leaves together. The first act of self righteousness (trying to be right before God).  God then killed animals to make coverings for them. This is like the Law. It was a God-given temporary covering for sin. The atonement offering had to be repeated every year to deal with the sin of the people then it had to be repeated again. It was not permeant. Believing in Jesus is our now our “unveiled face”. His own righteousness has brought back our ability to fellowship with God freely. It’s Jesus' death and resurrection that has accomplished this! And as we believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead and confess with our mouths that Jesus is the one that we must obey, we are saved and will be shining examples of His grace. We are clothed with Christ who is the redeemer. He is the "tree of Life". When we are "eating & drinking Him (John 6:53-58,) then we have eternal life (1 John 2:11-12) And is we abide in Him, we will, at the second coming of Christ gain immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53 Rom 2:7). Our relationship with Him will be seen through the good way we live our lives. Jesus said: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify you Father in Heaven". We are now through Christ living in the New Covenant, and being able to shine His presence by our lives.