“The Word of God”
The following passage of Exod 34:27-35 has been translated from the Biblica Hebraica for the exegesis and theological reflection of this paper.
- And the LORD said to Moses, write these words for with these the words upon my mouth, these words I will cut with you and Israel my covenant.
- He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He ate no food and he drank no water, and he wrote upon the tablets with the word, the ten words of the covenant.
- Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai and in Moses’ hand were the two tablets of the testimony. Coming down from the mountain Moses did not know that the skin of his face sent out rays, because he spoke with Him.
- When Aaron and all of the Sons of Israel saw and beheld Moses and that the skin of his face sent out rays they feared to approach him.
- Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the chieftains of the assembly turned back to him and Moses spoke to them.
- Afterwards all the Sons of Israel came near and he instructed them all that the LORD spoke with him on Mount Sinai.
- When Moses finished speaking with them he put a veil over his face.
- And when Moses went in before the presence of the LORD to speak with Him, he removed the veil until he went out and spoke to the Sons of Israel that which he was commanded.
- The Sons of Israel saw Moses, that the skin of his face sent out rays and Moses put back the veil upon his face until he went to speak with Him.
This passage in Exod 34:27-35 is the renewal of the covenant on Mount Sinai and the second account of the “words of the LORD” in the passages of the Sinai Covenant, which supports a covenant theology in conjunction with the deuteronomic laws of the Torah. The larger unit of Exod 19-40, and especially chapters 19-24, points to the transformative quality of God’s presence in Israel through the “words” the LORD has spoken. The entire section, from chapters 19-40, is important for understanding the nine verses of the pericope of this paper. Although the first half of Exodus, from chapters 1-18, including Israel’s slavery and eventual liberation, is not part of the Sinai Covenant these event are worth mentioning to remind the reader of the context of what precedes the covenant on Mount Sinai. The last half of Exodus, from chapters 19-40, deals with the Sinai Covenant and the dwelling place of the LORD and will be included loosely as a whole. The need for reviewing the whole of Exod 19-40 in order to address the part of Exod 34:27-35 is that both cultic pre-priestly redactions and the final priestly redactions can be found within the pericope of Exod 34:27-35, which points to the larger picture of the covenant of the deuteronomic law and the Tabernacle. The renewal of the covenant is more clearly understood in the context of Exod 19-40 because it has been included as part of a literary device of repetition to strengthen the message of covenant fidelity and also to further development this theology. Therefore, references will be made to other parts of Exod 19-40 in order to explicate themes that are on-going and developing.
There are two primary symbols that reveal the divine כבוד often translated as “presence” or “glory” in these passages: Moses, who is model and mediator for the people, and Mount Sinai, the sacred mountain and place of divine theophany. This paper will illustrate that Exod 34:27-35 reflects the covenant theology of the Temple. The renewal of the covenant with Israel takes place after the golden calf incident wherein the Israelites have become unfaithful in following the words of the covenant. The idolatrous practices of Israel are part of the story and a response to this historical reality is found within the narrative. The Israelites are being reminded to live a life of imageless worship in the Temple based on the “ten words of the covenant,” because of the many idolatrous practices of the surrounding cultures which have influenced them. To reform the Temple practices and the Law, the priestly redactors are emphasizing that God’s glory in the Temple originated on Mount Sinai, while the deuteronomic redactors emphasize that those who keep the Torah are transformed by the radiance of God’s glory in their lives. Moses, being the exemplary model in the passage, reflects the divine presence through the skin of his face which sends out rays. Narrative and historical criticism will be used in this paper and all other biblical references outside of Exod 34:27-35 will be taken from the New American Bible.
Sinai, The Sacred Mountain
As the story of Exodus unfolds the symbol of the mountain in the narrative of the Sinai Covenant serves as a mythological place of encounter with the divine for Israel. It becomes part of the foundational epic of the new life of Israel as a nation. The encounter with the divine presence of the LORD on Mount Sinai is at the heart of the covenant that Moses brings to the Israelites. However, in Exod 34:27-35 the divine presence does not remain on the mountain alone, but rather this passage within the Sinai Covenant catches a moment of transition where the divine presence moves from the sacred mountain to the meeting Tent outside of the camp and eventually to the ark of the covenant. The narrative reads, “Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai … because he spoke with [the LORD]” (v. 29). By the time the narrative gets to verse 34 it states, “and when Moses went in before the presence of the LORD to speak with [the LORD]…” the place where Moses was going is the meeting Tent outside the camp. Thus, from verse 29 to verse 34 a movement from the sacred mountain to the community takes place. The ark will later be placed in the Temple, the center of worship in Israel, carrying with it the same divine presence brought down on Mount Sinai, something that the deuteronomic and priestly redactors seem to intend while the story was being molded into its final form.
Beginning then with the presence of the mountain within the larger context of this story the narrative states that, “while Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God” (Exod 19: 2-3). At the beginning of the Sinai Covenant the ever present motif of the mountain is introduced. This mountain motif will remain throughout the dialogue between God, Moses and the Israelites. Anthropologically mountains are places in cultic religions that often function as centers of worship, the center of the tribes’ universe, and a focal point for life. In the narrative of the Sinai Covenant, God and Moses on Mount Sinai function in this way.
Moreover, mountains are places that offer a broader, more complete perspective of the land below because one can see more from a higher point of view. Because mountains offer a view from the highest point, Mount Sinai becomes an appropriate place to refocus Israel’s vision of its faith life. Importantly, in verse 28 Mount Sinai is the place where Moses’ supernatural experience is indicated in the text by his forty day abstinence from food and water after which he wrote “upon the tablets with the word, the ten words of the covenant” (v. 28). This experience symbolically gives authority to the words that he wrote down, and within the narrative it is these words that give to Israel perception, order, and stability in their social, moral, and religious life.
Moreover, the mountain symbol functioning with perception, order and stability can be understood from within the narrative of the “ten words of the covenant” which is accomplished for Israel as it was put into written form around the time of the 7th century B.C.E. It seems likely, according to some scholars, that the second giving of the “ten words” were added by Deuteronomistic redactors to call the Israelites back to the fidelity of the covenant during a time when there was much idolatry and laxity of religious practices among them. The attempt on the part of the Levites was to purify Israel’s sanctuary by simplifying the law to a more primitive form with fewer, more foundational laws which are found within Exod 34 and the “ten words.” There was no collection of the “ten words,” according to Anthony Phillips, before the 7th century B.C.E. and it was at this time, when the law had been broken completely in Samaria and Jerusalem, that the addition of the ten words came about. Thus, it was the theologians in Jerusalem, the Proto-Deuteronomists, who after the fall of the northern kingdom compiled first the narrative of Exod 19-24 and then followed it with Exod 32-34 as a reminder of the book of the covenant.
Further redactions seemed to have been done by the Priestly Tradition as can be seen when “the words” of the LORD are referred to as “the two tablets of the testimony” (v. 29), and with the presence of Aaron who gives to the narrative indirectly a Levite presence. The Israelites were in need of a new perspective to put their lives in order again, and it is most fitting that this event would take place on the mountain at the highest point of perspective, where they can see clearly again their value and vision as a chosen people. In another sense the Israelites are reorienting themselves according to the “Center of the World” which is often referred to as the axis-mundi, the place of the beginning of the world’s creation.
The Movement of the LORD from the Sacred Mountain
The mountain setting in this narrative is not only a symbol but it serves as a structuring device which provides the sacred space for the theophany and divine discourse to take place which establishes the covenant between God and the Israelites. In the time frame of the believed-to-be historical author(s), the theophany of Exod 34:27-35 provides the cultic presence of the divine that gives authority to priestly legislation and the life of the Temple worship of the 7th century B.C.E., which was an interest of the priestly redactor. First, God is identified with the sacred mountain which reaches up to heaven and where a joining of heaven and earth can be perceived. The narrative of Exodus gives witness to this theophany of God who from a distance is present through peals of thunder, flashes of lighting, and a heavy cloud (Exod 19:16) and the narrative further reads, “Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire” (Exod 19:18). The text relates that “the LORD called to [Moses]” (Exod 19:3). God is speaking from above through the terrifying forces of nature. In the earlier account of Exod 19, the LORD is completely identified with the mountain, which is the axis-mundi for the Israelite people, and the revelation of God on the mountain is the great revelatory event of the Law and instructions for the Tabernacle.
Continuing from the view point of the world behind the text, a connection between the symbolism of Mount Sinai and that of the Temple is being made through the divine presence and the words spoken. The words of God form the basis of the Law for Israel and the design for the dwelling place of the LORD in the ark. Thomas Dozeman considers that the mountain setting was inserted in support of the Temple worship based on priestly redactions. This is credible to believe because in cultic religions a temple could function also as the axis-mundi touching heaven and earth and allowing for one to connect with God, much like how the mountain functions as the axis-mundi. Often times the center of temples are placed in a location that is thought to be the navel of the earth and the center of the world, as was believed to be the case with the rock upon which the Temple of Jerusalem was built. The Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant was placed, residing at the center of the Temple, represents heaven and the surrounding construction of multiple concentric courtyards represents the earth.
Other possibilities for the axis-mundi include the extent of its designated center of the universe which will allow for the LORD to move from the mountain and into the meeting Tent outside the camp. Mount Sinai as the axis-mundi can include the wilderness surrounding the mountain. It will function the same way whether it is a mountain or a region, as the Holy Mountain or the Holy City of Jerusalem. Thomas Dozeman suggests that the Sinai covenant functions in favor of priestly redactions, supporting the covenant theology of the Temple and Mount Zion as the axis-mundi, because it is placed within the narrative offering the foundational epic in order to give the ancient origin of the divine theophany and the life of worship in Israel. He asserts that Sinai is able to represent more than the mountain, because the point of contact with the divine is able to encompass the surrounding wilderness.Moreover, he explains how God is mobile enough to move from Judah during the time of the Temple in order to rescue Israel. Thus he concludes that the narrative of the Sinai covenant explains how God’s location moves as well.
Exod 34:27-35 has God move from the sacred mountain to dwell among the Israelites near their camp in the meeting tent (v. 29, 34). Yet the general sweeping movement of the LORD seen within the larger unit begins from heaven, where God is identified with the mountain. From there God’s presence is found at the meeting tent at the edge of the camp and eventually comes to rest in the ark in chapter 40. The significance of this movement is related to the covenant theology of Exodus which posits that God dwells with Israel in the ark of the covenant. The events which take place on Mount Sinai, and which this narrative retells, gives the Israelites their sense of place in the world. Mount Sinai is central to their God experience just as the Law is central to their life of faith, all of which is transposed to the Temple of Jerusalem.
As the narrative continues, concerning God’s location in the Sinai Covenant, a shift takes place in Exod 34 which sets God’s location to dwell not only in “glory” through a cloud (Exod 33:9), but more interestingly God appears in “glory” through means of Moses’ face (v. 29, 30, 35). Even though the specific word used to describe Moses’ face is ןקר that is, to “send forth rays”, and not, כבוד or “glory”, within the context of its use here it signifies the presence of God, which will be connected with an underlying motif of כבוד “glory” as an expression of the divine dwelling and will be explored in more depth later in this paper. However, while looking at the location of God, the character of Moses is present because of the following motif of God’s כבוד “glory” is present. God has come to the people through Moses, with whom the LORD would speak to “face to face” in the “the tent, which was called the meeting tent, [which] Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp” (Exod 33:7). These details, namely: the camp, the tent of meeting, and Moses meeting with the Israelites, all continue to add to the priestly redaction which gives a narrative of the Sinai covenant based in a rich cultic setting supporting the purification and renewal of the Deuteronomic laws and the Temple worship.
The Time of the Temple Renewal
During the time frame of the 7th century B.C.E., the most likely time frame of the historical author(s), the reforms of King Hezekiah were taking place (2 Chr 29:1-2). The mountain as the place of God’s theophany, and the giving “to the [Israelites] that which [Moses] was commanded” by the LORD (v. 34), anchors the narrative in an ancient cultic setting, which priestly redactors may have included to give authority to the religious reforms of the social institution of the Temple and the deuteronomic law. Historians believed that during the time when Exod 34:27-35 was added to the Pentateuch both Hezekiah and the Levites were involved in a major project of purification of proper worship in the Temple. Within the text it is said that “Aaron and all the Sons of Israel” (v. 30, 31) were present to receive “the ten words of the covenant” (v. 28). Aaron, being from the tribe of the Levites, would give a priestly touch to the story and would facilitate a response of devotion to the priestly reforms.
Therefore, considering the renewal in the 7th century B.C.E., one aspect of the purification was that Israel return to the LORD and worship the LORD alone, because many of the Israelites worshipped false gods at the time. When the narrative includes a divine theophany based upon the words of God, then the LORD’s presence is revealed to be one of imageless sound. A large part of this theophany of the LORD has been through words. The theophany of Mount Sinai has revealed the presence of God through speech. God comes not only through natural phenomena, but rather the basis of the God experience for Israel is through the spoken expression of the words of the LORD. This gives testimony to Israel’s God as one who is intelligible and one who understands Moses and the people.
The Revelation of the LORD’s Words
The narrative of Exod 34:27-35 uses repetition of various forms of speech in order to intensify the importance of the presence of God in “words” within the Israelite community. In verse 27, הדברים, literally translated as “the words” is repeated three times: the words are written; the words are upon the LORD’s mouth; and “with” the words the covenant is cut. Repetition of speaking, writing, and instructing are used within this pericope, drawing attention to a very specific aspect of the LORD, who is here a God who communicates with the people of Israel, as distinct from the idols they are being asked to leave behind.
Furthermore, the repetition of the “words of the LORD” is placed in this way in order to emphasize the meaning of the words of God and to elicit a response from the people of Israel to practice true worship and to keep the covenant which was given to them approximately 600 years earlier. Within the larger unit God is presented in the text with the same motif of words when it is written “God spoke all these words to them” (Exod 20:1). A similar repetition can be found in Exod 34:27 where once again, “the LORD said to Moses, write these words….”
To emphasize further the importance of the words of the LORD, several other literary techniques are used to draw attention to the message. The use of intensification from one to ten is used in v. 28 where it is written “the word, the ten words.” Then also, the use of cause and effect is placed within the passage in v. 27 where “the LORD said to Moses, write these words for with these the words upon my mouth, these words I will cut with you and Israel my covenant,” making the covenant the result of the words spoken. Lastly, it is worth mentioning the significance of the number of words which are used in the passage as the words of God which is “ten”, a number of completion. Thus Israel is reminded that to follow the Law is to live perfection in this life, and then only will people have fullness of life.
Moreover, by the word of God, the covenant is formed with Israel according to the narrative which testifies to imageless worship. At Mount Sinai, in preparation for receiving the covenant, the people of Israel are asked to remove their ornamentation (33:5-6). This also supports the emphasis on imageless worship which “the words” of the LORD convey, because ornamentation in the 7th century B.C.E. was connected with the worship of false gods. Therefore Israel is being asked to reject idolatry and to keep faithfully the Sinai Covenant. Yet, even more so, it is the words themselves that give witness to an imageless God, because the LORD has been identified in an auditory way rather than a visual way. The covenant is not based in the column of cloud an image of glory, nor in the mountain, the sacred place of being; rather the covenant is found in listening to the voice of God. This is a significant revelation as the sense of hearing can go more deeply into a person. “The words” of the LORD, which the narrative repeats many times in the text, in themselves seem to form a kind of axis-mundi for the people of Israel by the centering effects of sound within a person that will lead to a person’s place within the world that the words create.
The spoken word in an oral culture such as ancient Israel has much power behind it in creating a sense of imageless worship which is reflected in the repetition of words and by which the covenant is made (v. 27). Evidence of the orality of the culture of ancient Israel can be found in its many repetitions of words and phrases. For instance, in verse 27, דבר simply meaning “word” appears twice in the plural. Then again in verse 28 “word” appears with reference to the tablets and is mentioned twice again. The sound of the words, the words, the words repeated in the text indicates that the story comes from an oral tradition, whose teaching device was in repetition. In primarily oral cultures the word exists only in sound, and the telling of the story enters deeply into a person’s psychic life with the ability to form them. The writing of the foundational epic concerning the covenant of Israel after its long history of oral tradition is done at this time of Israel’s history in order to bring about unity and stability through the words of the covenant from the early cultic setting. The fact that the LORD forms the covenant through the LORD’s words is itself clarifying and unifying, for sound itself is a unifying sense, whereas vision or sight is dissecting. If Israel in the 7th century B.C.E. is divided and broken because they have forsaken the covenant then the text gives witness to the narrator’s intention of calling them back to a unified society centered in its worship of the LORD by keeping the Covenant through the unifying sound of the spoken words of the LORD coming to them through the theophany on Mount Sinai.
Hence, the Hebrew understanding of a word is that it is based within an experience. It represents an event in time and not merely an abstract concept. God is speaking to the Israelites and forming the primary relationship with the LORD in the covenant by giving them “the words upon my mouth” (v. 27). The importance of this passage is that it reminds Israel that it has God’s words, which is itself a binding experience, for words have for thousands of years, been regarded as a holy instrument by which people could have an effect on their environment and a means by which they can look into the world in wonder.
Moses as Symbol and Metaphor
The second major symbol at work in the Sinai Covenant is Moses, who is mostly known and understood within the narrative through indirect characterization. The most remarkable aspect of this character in Exod 34:27-35 is that Moses’ face sends out rays (v. 29, 30, 35), which testifies to him being both divine mediator as well as metaphor for the people of Israel. Beginning first with Moses as the mediator for Israel, the text states that, “the LORD said to Moses” (v. 27), and shortly after it continues “… and [Moses] instructed them all that the LORD spoke to him on Mount Sinai” (v. 32). In indirect characterization, Moses is being presented here as the mediator for the LORD: “Moses went up the mountain to God,” (Exod 19:3) and afterwards he came down and “summoned the elders of the people” (Exod 19:7) to report all that the LORD had said. This begins Moses’ role in mediating the covenant on Mount Sinai which the narrative has Moses going up and down the mountain, carrying God’s words to the people of Israel. The earlier mediation of the words of God, where God is identified more closely with the mountain itself, is a vertical movement of mediation. God’s location is above and God calls out to Moses from the highest point of perspective which is the mountain, and begins to converse with the Israelites about the covenant laws. Later, in the second giving of the words of the covenant, Moses goes up the mountain for forty days and comes down radiant. The very fact that Moses’ face radiates the divine presence when he returns from his time with God on the mountain carrying the two tablets of the testimony identifies Moses indirectly as God’s mediator, because the presence of God still remains visible to the Israelites in Moses’ face (v. 29). This radiance also becomes a sign of Moses’ consecration as the mediator for the covenant of the Israelites and involves Moses as the law-giver and teacher for Israel.
Furthermore, the narrative gives indirect insights into Moses’ divine election when the text says that for forty days and nights Moses did not eat or drink because he was with the LORD writing upon the tablets (v.28). This emphasis on the supernatural nature of Moses’ character gives testimony to God’s divine presence with him. It indicates the extraordinary nature of this encounter and function within the narrative. By Moses being presented in the narrative as one living outside the normal bounds of human limitations (for he is able to live without food or drink for an extended period of time) tells the reader of the divine nature of his calling and mission.
A further sign of Moses’ character is found when he covers his face with a veil when not engaged in his task of receiving and delivering God’s words, because “the Sons of Israel saw and beheld Moses and that the skin of his face sent out rays they feared to approach him” (v. 30). One might conclude by this act that Moses is humble, because the glory of God accompanies him. Also it can be concluded that by Moses’ ministry he has been transformed from his former personal identity for the sake of his mission. Even though Moses is the active mediator in the narrative his personal identity is hidden in the story behind the radiance and the veil because it is God who is the real hero in the story. When Moses returns from the mountain after having his divine encounter with the LORD, the narrative tells the reader that “Moses did not know that the skin of his face sent out rays, because he spoke with [the LORD]” (v.29). After experiencing the great theophany of Israel, Moses did not come down as if he knew that he was special. Rather the narrative explains that he was unaware of his appearance, thereby supporting a characterization of his humility.
Another aspect of Moses’ character within the narrative is that he becomes a kind of metaphor for Israel. This can be seen through a theme of masking that takes place with Moses as the divine mediator. Much has been written about the rays that come from Moses’ skin and whether or not the telling of this event was based in some Mesopotamian cultural practice assumed into the culture of the Israelites. Much more has been written about the veil that Moses places on his face as a type of mask. The most frequent explanation offered is that of the ancient Mesopotamian priestly practice of wearing a ritual mask in the performing of the duties of the priest. There has been little evidence provided that gives reason to think that the priest’s wearing of a mask in the performance of his duties was practiced in the First Testament. Yet scholars like Thomas Dozeman and William Propp believe that the radiance and veil describe some mask-like quality from Moses’ historical encounter with God. Dozeman presents the argument that Moses does wear a mask while Propp adopts a unique position which states that Moses’ skin was disfigured because of his exposure to the radiance of God on the mountain. However, the general consensus of scholars has been that Exodus contains a story of Moses’ encounter with the LORD and that he was not wearing a ritual mask.
Yet the concept of a mask in Exodus as a literary device can be very insightful as to how Moses functions in the story. If one were to view the veil and the radiance of Moses’ face as symbolic masks then Moses actually wears two masks in the narrative. In a symbolic approach both masks function by covering up Moses’ personal and physical identity. The masks allow God to become the focus in the narrative and function as the hero in the covenant story.
The first mask at work in the narrative is the radiance which evokes a response of fear from the Israelites (v. 30). In the narrative it is significant that within the pericope of Exod 34:27-35, it is mentioned three times that Moses’ “face sent out rays” (v. 29, 30, 35), and this is done in conjunction with the delivering of the LORD’s words to the Israelites. Moses, while up on the mountain with God, loses the normal appearance he had before this encounter. He no longer remains the same man in external appearance, which also seems to suggest that he is not the same man within. He is a new creation. This change in appearance is further emphasized when the radiance does not seem to disappear when Moses finishes speaking. Rather, in verse 35 it states that “the Sons of Israel saw Moses, that the skin of his face sent out rays and Moses put the veil back on his face until he went to speak with the LORD” again. What does this new identity give to Israel? It gives them, and their foundational epic, divine legitimation and re-enforces the Deuteronomic laws, because Moses, the mediator for God with the covenant for Israel, now comes with the כבוד the “glory” the “presence” of the LORD.
The Glory of the LORD
Moreover, the priestly redactors’ work can be seen within the larger unit of Exod 19-40 when it ends with “…and the glory (כבוד) of the LORD filled the Dwelling” (Exod 40:34), namely the meeting tent with the ark of the commandments (Exod 40:2-3). This word כבוד carries with it meanings which signify abundance, fullness, plentitude, glory, splendor or riches. Clouds although wispy have a dense fullness in appearance. When the כבוד “filled the Dwelling” in Exod 40:34 the visual image offered in the narrative is the cloud. It seems that the main theological point of the passage, both in the larger unit (Exod 19-40) and the smaller unit (Exod 34:27-35), the lesson for the Israelites is to keep the Sinai Covenant faithfully and live according to the Deuteronomic laws. By the Israelites acting according to the Law, God will come to be with them in abundance and fullness of life.
Another motif used in the narrative is light, and light is often a metaphor for divinity. The effective presence of God is described as light in the priestly blessing Moses gives to Aaron, “The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!” (Num 6:25). Also, light is considered the means by which one arrives to the holy mountain as Psalm 43:3 writes, “Send your light and fidelity, that they may be my guide and bring me to your holy mountain, to the place of your dwelling.” The light of the divine presence never left the Israelites as they were being lead to safety out of the land of slavery when the text reads, “the LORD preceded them…at night by means of a column of fire to give them light”(Exod 13:21). The symbol of rays communicated as a type of glory where God is present is found most personally in Exod 34:29-35, as God marks the divine presence in Moses face with rays. This is significant because it seems to indicate the desire on God’s part to dwell no longer on the sacred mountain calling out from heaven, but rather to dwell among the people and communicate in a personal way that they can understand through a human mediator who is delivering the words that God has spoken.
Then too, God not only instructs in areas of moral, religious, and social matters in the “ten words” but God also leads the Israelites in their journey to a new life away from slavery. Considering that Egypt was the place of slavery for the Israelites it is interesting how the Egyptians themselves perceived their own life in a box of light and order. The Egyptians worshipped the sun god, “Re,” and many of the Mesopotamian gods were endowed with “awe inspiring radiance.” Here in Exodus is the account according to the Israelite people tracing the awe inspiring radiance of the LORD, which ultimately comes to dwell in the ark of the covenant which will later be placed within the Temple. This radiance functions metaphorically within the narrative upon Moses’ own face and Moses conveys the utterances of the LORD to the Israelites. The divine presence emanates as rays of light, which in Mesopotamian literature is considered “fearsome radiance” which now reflects from Moses who leads the Israelites to worship the one LORD: God as revealed on Mount Sinai and the “ten words of the covenant” (v. 28).
Moses and the American Culture
The Sinai Covenant is a narrative recounting the sacred story of how Israel became a holy people chosen by God. It holds up Moses as the central model of faith for the Israelites, and the one who mediates the divine presence to the people of Israel. It would seem that Moses became the hero in the story and that he enjoys a unique celebrated fame. In some ways this is true, insofar as Moses is known to be the great Law-Giver of the covenant with Israel. Yet, God is the real hero in Exodus, who brings fullness to life and in the process of Moses’ encounter with the LORD his personal and natural identity is transformed in God’s glory.
The fullness of God’s divine life comes to rest on Moses not randomly, as if Moses some how became the lucky one who stumbled across a charm giving him access to a god while wandering around on the mountain. Rather, it is shared divine life that God initiates in a responsible relationship first with Moses and then with the people of Israel. An on-going and renewing covenantal relationship is what Moses found on the sacred mountain of Sinai and this transforms both his outward appearance and his reality within the community. Something can be learned from Moses’ transforming experience on the mountain, which is that a person’s inner life affects their social and communal reality. This passage is about a communal identity shaped by a common experience of the Divine resulting in a specific life-style for Moses and the community of Israelites.
From a white middle-class American woman’s perspective this passage challenges much of the modern day American experience. The law in the United States upholds the individual’s rights. The country supports the value of separation of religion and state politics. Therefore, as a result there is much diversity and independence in the culture of the United States of America, which is even more affected by the global reality that is impacting on Americans each day. The Sinai covenant placed order and values in the social and religious life of the Israelite community. Moses and the people of Israel in Exod 34:27-35 are transformed. First Moses, as the model Israelite is transformed by his encounter with the LORD’s words and as a result his face sends forth rays of divine presence. Secondly, the people of Israel encounter the LORD’s words through the radiance of Moses’ appearance. Then the result is the social formation of a new people who will eventually form a nation and worship together in their Temple. How does all of this speak to the American experience which is so very different?
One point of similarity between Moses and the notion of American individualism is that Moses does in large part stand alone. He is the sole mediator. He alone encounters God on the mountain (Exod 19:21). Even though Aaron is with him, Aaron does not share Moses’ celebrated position. This can be very appealing in the popular American culture where stars intrigue people with images of total happiness by means of fame, beauty, and success and by standing alone in unique star quality – a kind of glory. Athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Vanessa Williams become models for many young people, while adults, too, watch them with admiration. Movie stars, also, hold the attention of many by their physical appearance and social finesse and appear gloriously from the luminous projection of the big screen and television screen. Internet news clips and magazines carry daily reports about the lives of the rich and famous. They never seems to tire of presenting Angelina Joline, Madonna, or Miley Cyrus and people are wanting to know more about their lives giving them celebrated images of glory in the popular culture.
There too, are other groupings of glorious persons in the world who are celebrated and adored here in America and who fall into the category of political or state idols. There are the American royal figures, as it were, of the Kennedys immortalized by President John F. Kennedy. The enchanting royal figures of England still captivate the attention of Americans. The vivid images of the beloved Princess Diana still alive captivate many Americans, and the lingering interest developing about her children Princes Harry and William. Oddly enough, in a similar way certain religious figures have made their way to these celebrated heights. Two are most obvious in the last century, Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa of Calcutta. People still look to those faces which shine with some unusual radiance of fullness of life, wellness and wholeness of being. There is a longing within the human person which calls for something more than daily existence. This transcendent quality that some how gives a mountain experience to life seems to continually attract millions of people to the “star celebrity” of the world.
But what can be learned from Moses whose “face sent out rays” (v. 29) and who can be seen in his own right as a celebrated star? First of all, Moses’ glory was not something he acquired by his own doing, nor did his radiance serve him alone. Unlike the glory of the “stars” who build their own fame and wealth, which leads no where transcendent except possibly to the status of a popular legend and entry into a Hall of Fame, much like that of Elvis Presley. The Sinai narrative, first of all, attests to the reality of God in the world, a spiritual and other worldly experience which leads people beyond appearances of wealth and success. Human glory and divine glory in this passage are two distinctly different things. In Exod 33:14 it states, “you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD is ‘the Jealous One’,” and this compares to the first of the laws from chapter 19, “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me” (Exod 19:2-3).
Moses is a model of an idol free celebrity, which can be seen through the two masks that hide his face. Moses is uniquely the mediator and Law-Giver to Israel, but he is present in a way that enriches the community. His experience on the mountain brings forth blessings of deliverance from slavery, giving order, stability and perspective in the personal and communal life of the Israelites. The narrative illustrates that Moses’ glory does not serve himself alone, but that he is celebrated in his unique glory within the community. This can be seen within the text when Aaron and the Israelites saw Moses’ glorious face “they feared to approach him. Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the chieftains of the assembly turned back to him and Moses spoke to them” (v. 30). Many people are afraid to approach famous figures of the world, because their glory seems to create a distance between the star and the ordinary person of society. It is not like that with Moses who not only covers his face after seeing the fear in the people of Israel, but who is at the service of the community delivering the LORD’s words to them (v. 35).
In conclusion, the Sinai covenant in the book of Exodus illustrates through literary motifs and devices that the LORD is a God of intelligible communication, who brings order, stability, and perception to life for those who listen to the sound of God’s voice. Tying into ancient cultic motifs and beliefs, Exod 34:27-35, communicates the divine theophany through the mountain, the cloud, and Moses. Specifically for the Israelite people Moses becomes both model and metaphor for the new life of faith that is being asked of them by the revelation of God on Mount Sinai. Moses does not draw attention to himself with this celebrated glory, rather in the narrative it is God who is the hero and Moses lives in the glory of the presence of the LORD.
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