2 Corinthians 3 (3)

Pray Psalm 27.1-3.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

Sing Psalm 27.1-3.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise)
LORD, You are our Light and our Savior most dear!
You guard us with might; therefore, whom shall we fear?
Though evil surround us, our enemies fall;
no harm shall confound us when on You we call.

Read 2 Corinthians 3.1-9; meditate on verses 7-9.

Preparation
1. Why could the Israelites not look on the face of Moses?

2. What does the ministry of the Spirit promise?

Meditation
The “ministry of death” to which Paul referred is the Law of God. Not that the Law kills, but that it reveals our sin and thus condemns us to death before the holy God (Rom. 7.7). When the Law was given through Moses, God sought to remind His people to look through the Law to Him, for the grace which motivated the Law, the Law which He knew they would never be able to fulfill. The glory that appeared on Moses’ face as He came down the mountain from the Presence of God was a token and reminder of the glory of God (Ex. 34.29-35). But even as slight as that glory was, the people could not look upon it, and Moses had to veil his face.

But the glory on Moses’ face would pass away, because it was not the abiding glory God reserved for those who would come to Him, not through the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Moses was a type of Jesus, in that he mediated between God and the people, veiling the glory of God in His face, just as Jesus, our Mediator, veiled the glory of God in His incarnate flesh.

But the glory Jesus came to reveal is far greater than the glory of the Old Testament Law. Because He sends His Spirit to live in us, to make Himself and His glory known to and through us, even in the everyday activities and details of our lives. And there are so many more of us than just Moses; and the more we carry out our ministry in the Spirit in our Personal Mission Fields, the more the glory of Jesus breaks out from our soul, through the veil of our words and works, to show Jesus and His glory to the world. Thus the knowledge of the glory of the Lord becomes known over all the earth, as the waters covers the sea (Hab. 2.14).

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“For if the ministry of condemnation had glory,
the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory” (2 Cor. 3.9).

The Law had glory, Jesus’ work of salvation places us in glory. His glory.
“For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation,
but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one,
much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5.16, 17).

And in this we rejoice.
And that rejoicing—caused by the undeserved free gift of salvation—should emanate from our faces and lives as a glow of glory based solely on His touch of grace upon our lives. “We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom. 5.11).

The Law, which illuminates our sin and need for a Savior, is also the means by which light shines in the darkness of the world when we keep it through the Holy Spirit’s power. The laws, testimonies, statutes, commandments, and judgments of the LORD, when kept, bring a “great reward” (Ps. 19.7-11).

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” (Phil. 2.14-16).

Keeping the Law, after salvation, brings great reward for others and for us, and causes us to shine, maybe just a little bit like Moses—emanating God’s glory—that does not fade. “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4.18).

For reflection
1. How does keeping the Law of God glorify Him?

2. We don’t keep the Law to be saved. Why do we keep it?

3. How can believers encourage and assist one another in glorifying the Lord through obedience to His Law?

The gospel so much exceeds the law in glory, that it eclipses the glory of the legal dispensation. But even the New Testament will be a killing letter, if shown as a mere system or form, and without dependence on God the Holy Spirit, to give it a quickening power. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3.1-11

Pray Psalm 27.4-13.
Call on the Lord to show you the beauty of His glory and to glorify Himself in you as you serve Him this day.

Sing Psalm 27.4-13.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise)
One thing we request but to dwell with You, LORD.
Your beauty to test and to think on Your Word.
In trouble You hide us secure in Your grace;
no foe may o’erride us: We sing of Your praise.

Hear, LORD, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
LORD, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
preserve our good station when on You we call.

LORD, teach us; LORD, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, LORD, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.