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Grace mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord

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and Savior Jesus Christ.

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Amen.

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When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the

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testimony in his hand as he came down the mountain Moses did not know

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that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

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Aaron and all the people of Israel song Moses and behold the skin of

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his face shone and they were afraid to come near him but Moses called

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to them and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to

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him and Moses talked with them.

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This is our text.

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Must have been a strange scene Moses walking back down into the camp.

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People there at the foot of the mountain and everyone giving him

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uncomfortable looks and backing away and keeping their distance. What's

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going on Moses must have thought because the text tells us he didn't

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know that his face was glowing.

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Maybe Moses just assumed that the people were backing away because the

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very last time he had come down the mountain with two stone tablets in

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his hand Moses had seen the people dancing around the golden calf

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having so quickly and so easily forsaken the God who redeemed them.

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Maybe Moses assumed that the people were backing away because the very

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last time that he had come down the mountain to stone tablets in hand

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Moses had burned with anger in his face and turned beet red and he had

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cast the Covenant tablets to the ground shattering them.

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Maybe Moses assumed that the people were backing away because the very

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last time he had come down the mountain he had taken hold of the

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golden calf idol burned it in fire ground it to powder mixed it with

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water and forced the people to drink it.

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Or because the very last time he had called the Levites to his side

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commanded them to unsheathe their swords and dispatch them throughout

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the camp striking down 3000 of these faithless stiff-necked rebels.

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Or because the very last time Moses had come down the mountain the

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Lord had sent a plague against the people because they made the calf

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the one that Aaron made.

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Maybe that's why everyone was looking so uncomfortable and keeping

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their distance Moses might have thought.

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But no, this time it was because his face was glowing

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with Divine splendor,

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with Heavenly Glory,

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with the glory of the god of Israel

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because he had been talking with God.

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Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses and behold the skin of

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his face shone and they were afraid to come near him,

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The text says. At some point here Moses

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apparently it realizes what is going on at its face is shining, scaring

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the people and he calls to them and summons them near explains things

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reassures them and begins to speak to them the words of God.

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It's interesting that it is only here in the book of Exodus.

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It's only on this trip down the mountain that Moses face now shines

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with divine light and splendor. In chapters 19 and 20 when Israel

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arrives at Mount Sinai and God descends on the mountain in burning

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fire and smoke and cloud and thunder and lightning and earthquake and

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the people here him speaking with Moses and they stand far off

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trembling in fear Moses comes and speaks to them.

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But his face isn't glowing.

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After that Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was Exodus

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tells us and God speaks to him or giving him just ordinances for the

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people in chapter 21 through 23 and in chapter 24 Moses returns back

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to the people. He inscribes God's word on a scroll and reads it in

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the hearing of the people.

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He establishes God's covenant with them in blood.

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But his face is not glowing.

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And then at the end of chapter 24 we read now the appearance of the

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glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire at the top of the mountain

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in the eyes of the House of Israel.

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And Moses

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again, entered the cloud and went up on the mountain and Moses was on

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the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.

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And when he came down that time and found the people worshipping an

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idol of gold, I'm sure that his face was a sight to behold.

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But it was not glowing with divine light and glory.

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It's only on this trip down the mountain this trip in our texts this

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morning only on this trip down the mountain that the face of God's

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prophet now begins to shine with God's own light.

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Perhaps this is because it is only now in the story.

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Only now in the bear face of the people's iniquity and rebellion only

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now when God has seen when his becomes so clear that this is a

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stiff-necked people. Unworthy of their holy calling ,unworthy to bear

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the name of Yahweh.

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Only now when this Prophet has stood before the just and fuming wrath

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of the Living God and prayed forgive their sin, but if not block me

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out from the book that you have written.

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Only now when Moses has asked in wonder at God's merciful ascent show

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me your Glory

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and God has passed before Moses declaring the Divine name in all of

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its beauty and depth. Yahweh,

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Yahweh a merciful and compassionate God slow to anger and abounding in

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steadfast love and faithfulness guarding steadfast love for thousands

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forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

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Only now when hearing this Moses had fallen on his face and all and

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worship and prayed if now I have found favor in your sight

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Oh Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us for it is a

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stiff-necked people and pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us

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for your inheritance.

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It's only now when the Lord has answered Moses prayer by declaring

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that the time has come for the greatest miracle and wonder in the

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entire Exodus story a story full of Miracles and wonders, but the

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greatest of them God declares is that he will indeed now renew his

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Covenant with stiff-necked sinners in mercy.

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He will go with them.

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He will be their God and they his people.

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This stiff-necked people

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his people.

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Only now

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does the face of God's Prophet shine.

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With true Heavenly splendor the light of the God of our Salvation the

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god whose greatest glory is in showing mercy to sinners.

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Peter Emms in his commentary on Exodus writes this summing-up chapters

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32 through 34 the golden calf story which ends with our reading this

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morning. He writes

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it is not so much a story of rebellion as it is a story of God's

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forgiveness and Moses role in making this happen.

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It is in these chapters that Moses role as intercessor, as mediator of

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the Covenant reaches its zenith.

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If we wish to point to the episode that makes Moses truly special that

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makes him deserving of all the honor attention and respect that he has

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received through the ages.

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It is his shielding of an ungrateful people from the end that they

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most certainly deserve even if it means taking their place and bearing

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the full weight horror and ignominy of God's anger.

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And Emms concludes

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the world will not see the likes of this again for many generations.

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And it was many generations.

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But the world has seen the likes of this again.

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A prophet who gazed upon the merciful heart of God

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and whose face shone with the glory of this compassionate God. As St.

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Paul writes God has made the light of his glory known in the face of

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Jesus Christ.

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In the face of Mary's son lying in the manger we have beheld his glory

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at Jordan's stream, at Cana's wedding feast as he was moved by

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compassion for the crowds making whole palsied limbs and fainting soul

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casting out foul demons, cleansing lepers, raising the dead to life,

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preaching the Good News of the kingdom of God in Jesus face.

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We have beheld the glory of Heaven.

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The glory of a God who loves sinners.

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In The Shining face of Jesus on the mountain

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and above all in the bruised and thorn crowned face of our Lord on the

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cross.

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We have beheld the glory of the holy God

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who has Mercy on sinners.

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Oh savior of our fallen race.

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Oh brightness of the father's face, o son who shared the father's might

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before the world new day or night.

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Oh Jesus very light of light our constant star in sins deep night.

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From the father's throne you came his banished children to reclaim.

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O Christ Redeemer virgin born let songs of praise your name adorn whom

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with the father we adore and holy spirit evermore.

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Amen.