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found acceptable to man's reason in every respect. It is only the hardness of man's heart
that refuses out of pride to see God as the Author of His record.
Lack of faith as we have said induces spiritual blindness and the result is widespread
refusal to accept the Bible's authority and plenary inspiration. To accept only part of this
record is to place man in judgment on the Holy Spirit as to how much of His own words
He managed to get recorded in the canon of Scripture. Diversity of human opinions
(resulting from only partial acceptance of the inspiration of the Scriptures) is evidenced
by a multitude of separate Christian church bodies all having their own opinions of
emphasis, selection or addition, especially addition to the record provided by God.
Israel were an example all through their history of the effect of the dire results that
accrue from the neglect of or lack of faith in the words of God. In Exod. 19: Israel met
with God:
"And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they
stood at the nether part of the mount" (Exod. 19: 17).
There Israel saw some of the glory of God--smoke, fire, earthquake and the sound of
the trumpet. Moses began to give them the words of God (chapter 20:) and God
authorizes them by prefacing the ten commandments and all that follows by:
"I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage."
In His earthly ministry, Christ patiently besought the Jews to see His marvelous works
as the power and presence of His Father working with Him. God has always given man
good grounds for faith and it is only the hardness of heart that man has inflicted on
himself that has kept him from the blessing and riches of the Truth.
Moses on the instructions of God returned to the mountain top to receive details of the
Tabernacle and other instructions. And Moses said:
"Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and behold, Aaron and Hur are
with you: if any man have any matter to do, let him come unto them" (Exod. 24: 14).
Moses was only absent forty days but on his return Israel had already forgotten that it
was God Who had brought them out of Egypt and had also forgotten the express words of
Exod. 20: 23 "Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you
gods of gold". What words of their's could be more obtuse or rebellious than:
". . . . . make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him"
(Exod.xxxii.1).
At the time of these events the skin of Moses' face shone after having been in the
presence of the Lord. Because of the fear this caused among the people, Moses put a veil
over his face. It is remarkable that this action has been perpetuated to the present day by
a veil being worn by the reader of the law in a synagogue.