II Corinthians 3 ~ Gaining Insight on II Corinthians 3:18
In Monday’s post, A Glimpse at Glory we discussed the nature of the glory of God as revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Getting a glimpse of the true and total nature of God and His glory helps us understand the reason for the fear that struck the children of Israel upon encountering it. Being under the law and having violated that law, seeing the glory of God on the face of Moses evoked fear, an expectation of God’s wrath proceeding from the “justice side” of God. In this condition, they feared to draw near, unable to even look at the glory emanating from Moses’ face. Therefore, Moses created another distance, shielding the people from the glory by placing a veil over his face.
Paul refers to this entire chronicle in his letter to the Corinthians. (Remember, these Old Testament accounts serve as examples to us and are for our instruction) In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul uses these events at Mt. Sinai to reveal profound truth by comparing and contrasting the old with the new. In this epistle, Paul declares himself a minister of a new covenant.
…our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant… II Corinthians 3:5b-6a NKJV
Like Moses had brought the old covenant to the people, Paul had brought the new.
Paul continues to make comparisons and declares that the old covenant, the law brought by Moses, is a ministry of death!
…the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones…. II Corinthians 3:7a
We certainly have seen the truth in that. Once the Israelites were under law and violated it, death swiftly followed. Exodus 32:27-28
Then Paul goes on to call the Law “the ministry of condemnation”. (II Corinthians 3:9a) It’s interesting to note that this word condemnation means to judge worthy of punishment. As we discovered, that is precisely why the children of Israel feared.
Paul then goes on to draw a contrast, exposing the difference between the covenant brought by Moses and the one brought by himself and others. How does he describe it? What does he call this new covenant? Paul boldly declares that it is “a ministry of righteousness”!
For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. II Corinthians 3:9
What Paul brought to the people wasn’t like what Moses had brought. The old brought condemnation, but the new brought righteousness. No longer did the people have to fear, having an expectation of judgment from the “justice side” of God. Under the new covenant, the people could hope, having a confident expectation of acceptance and favor from the “goodness side” of God….all because they’d been given the gift of righteousness. Paul continues…
Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. II Corinthians 3:12-13
Why did they have such boldness? It was because they knew that the gospel they ministered provided the people with the righteousness required by the justice side of God. As a minister of this new covenant of righteousness, Paul didn’t have to shield the people from God like Moses had. There was no longer a need to keep a distance, no longer a need to veil the glory of God. Paul knew that now they could look right at that glory. Now it wouldn’t destroy them…it would transform them!
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…. II Corinthians 3:18
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