THE UNREALISED RADIANCE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 208, 18 September 1937, Page 14

THE UNREALISED RADIANCE

Exodus xxxiv. 29: Moses did not know, as he went down the mountain, that his face was in a glow after speaking to God." (Moffatt.) If we study the exxjerienco of thoso who havo had deep and intimato communion with God, we shall discover that the first effects are very humbling and disconcerting. In the light of God's perfeetion we realise our own manifold imperfections: like Peter, we cry "Dopart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Very likely God sets ns some task whieh is diffieult and distastcful this was the experience of J eremiah. But soon this conseiousness is swallowed up in another and a greater experience. We discover the marvel of God's pardouing grace: we know how Isaiah's vision became for him an occasion of Cleansing. We receive, like Paul, a baptism of power: God makes us cqual to the task He sets us. Tlius the sense of humiliation passes into a sense of exaltation: our soul is enlarged and our part is thrilled. • We feel, like the Psalmist, "By my god I can run through a troop: by my God I can leap over a wall." In coinmunion witn God we beeomc awaro of the Divine sufliciency: our cup of life overflows. Can we wonder that Moscs's glowing countonaace reflecled Ihe gkiw that was in his soulV Y"eb Mosos was unconscious of Ihe radiauce that streamed from his own exalted personality. His countenauco levealed soxnething of what God had wrought in him, but he was himself entirely unaware of the revelation. Yes, the noblest goodness is unconscious goodness: the noblest glory is the uurealised glory. Moses was not -trying to impress and awe the people: he wasn't thinking of himself at all. So is it always. Alexander Maclareu puts it very well. "In all regions of lii'e the consummate apex and crowning charm of exeellence is unconsciousness of exeellence. Whenever a man begius to suspeet he is good. he begins to be bad. The more a man is like Jcsus Christ, the less he knows it. The better he is, the less he suspects it." Jf we are lilled with the Spirit, we shall not think any more about self; if we eoine from. the scerot chamber with our souls aglow, we shan't need to ndverti^e our spirituality. Let us thcrefore not worry at all about inaking an impression on people: people who Jay themsolvoe out In iuo,feo ini|)reasio]u geuorally muko an iui'

presioa of the wrong kind. If we are uuoli with God, if we sojoura often in the mount, then the glory of God will be in our souls and even on our faces. Paul, basing his Words on this O.T. story, has expressed ite meaning for all Christian believers:— -"But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even ais from the Lord, the Spirit. ' '