This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

Moses is still on Mount Sinai when
his time with God gets interrupted.

The Israelites below have made an idol.
The idol served many roles for the people.

It was a more palatable
representation of God’s image

than the big thundering
cloud on the mountain.

They also thought this idol
could represent them to the big God

on the mountain, since Moses
had been away for so long.

They may have even thought that
this extra god would have made them

more successful in military
battles they would soon fight.

God tells Moses that he is going
to punish those who did this.

Moses intercedes, but when
he sees the idolatry for himself,

he commands all those
who participated be killed.

Moses goes back up the mountain and offers
his own life on behalf of the rest of Israel.

But God says he will punish everyone who worshipped
the idol, and does so, soon after, with a plague.

Moses begs God to dwell in the tabernacle and
lead them into the promised land like he planned.

Unlike the idol worshippers who
settled for a manmade image,

Moses wanted
nothing but God himself.

Amazingly, God agrees.

Then Moses makes a bold
request to see God’s glory.

And, again,
God says yes.

God would show Moses all his goodness.
But Moses could not see God’s face.

Because if he looked at God’s glory,
full on, he would die.

So, God puts Moses behind a rock with a
small crack in it and makes his glory pass by.

This encounter makes Moses’
face shine with the glory of God.

Unlike the idol which tried to be the image
of God and shine with gold, when Moses saw

the real image of God, he became like
him and shone with God’s actual glory.

The ultimate reason Israel wasn’t to make
any idols of God is because there could only be

one true visible representation
of Yahweh - the person of Jesus.

And Jesus does everything
Israel wanted this false god to do.

Jesus intercedes for us, shows us the image
of God, and leads us into God’s promises.

Jesus also goes before us like
Moses tried to go before God.

Moses asked that God would blot him
out as a substitute for those who sinned.

But God would not allow it.

Amazingly, what God would not do to
Moses, he does himself in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is a better intercessor
than Moses as well.

Moses did not succeed in saving the idol
worshippers from God’s wrath or his own.

Jesus, however, takes
the wrath we deserve

and instead of being angry with us in
our sin, he shows us nothing but love.

Jesus does not dwell in a tent, or behind
a rock, or through a messenger like an angel.

He is God’s presence itself.

How remarkable is it that this
glory that would kill us if we saw it,

would become flesh
and was instead killed for us?

And now, because of Jesus, we can see
what Moses saw - the light of Jesus’ face.

And when we do this we are
changed like Moses’ face was changed.

The more we look at the Gospel of Jesus, the
more we are transformed into the image of God.

I pray that the Holy Spirit gives you eyes to see
the God who is present with undeserving people,

and Jesus as the final intercessor
who makes that presence possible.