So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27 “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. God’s covenant with Israel embeds hope deep within it. Without divine intervention, man remains separated from God’s face, veiled by unbelief and disobedience. As hard as we try, we cannot fulfill God’s righteous requirements. The Lord Make His Face to Shine Upon Youĭavid says, “the Law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps 19:7), and yet mankind is not. The veil, in essence, was God’s mercy, protecting the sin-tainted congregation of Israel from the all-consuming fire of God’s holy justice. God’s righteous requirements mandated the death penalty for sin (Gen 2:17 Deut 24:16 Deut 32:24). Under the terms of the Sinai Covenant, the Tabernacle curtain was both a separation from God’s glory and a “veil of covering” for the people’s sake (Ex 35:12). Here, God promised to dwell among His people (Ex 30:6). This ornate, thick curtain hung as a wall of separation between the holy place and the most holy place, containing the ark of the testimony and the mercy seat (Ex 26:31-34). Scripture prominently features the veil of the tabernacle. Yet apart from the designated Tent of Meeting, Moses’ veil concealed the light of God’s glory from the people. Whenever Moses entered the tabernacle to speak with God, he unveiled his face. ![]() So Moses would veil his face to keep the people from beholding the glory radiating from his countenance. When Moses descended Mount Sinai with the tablets of the covenant, “the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Ex 34:29-35). What was significant about veils in the BIble? And what does it mean to have an “unveiled face”? In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4įirst, let’s consider insights from veils in the Hebrew Scriptures. ![]() “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In the New Testament, along with the temple veil, is the concept of a spiritual veil of blindness or unbelief, a hindrance to perceiving truth. In the Hebrew Scriptures, we see two primary illustrations of veils: Moses’ veil and the tabernacle veil. One common function of veils throughout Scripture is that of covering, consecration, or separation. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Veil Meaning in the Bible “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. It shows on their unveiled faces, so to speak. This ministry of reconciliation through God’s Spirit gives life, light, and hope, bringing freedom, transformation, and boldness. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. In his letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul introduces an interesting comparison of the old and new covenants, using the imagery of a veil–an unveiled face. hijab) is often a symbol of group identity, religious devotion, or even oppression – as evident in the modern plight of freedom for women in Iran. Among many modern cultures, a covered head or veiled face (e.g. Or something physical like a bridal veil, a shawl for modesty, or protection from the sun. ![]() When we think of a veil, we may imagine something abstract, like misty mountains, smoke clouds, or obstructed vision.
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