The Fog

It was such a lovely morning.
How beautiful the morning is this time of year; crisp and clear.
I need a jacket on my walk.
That’s fine with me; I enjoy the cooler weather.

I am not a fan of fog; it is too mysterious.
It is a bit ominous when you cannot see your hand in front of you.
The morning looked like a scene out of an Agatha Christie novel.
I was waiting for the detective in the trench coat to be around the next curve in the road.

A thick fog blanketed the roofs of the houses.
It seemed like everyone’s house ended at the second story windows.
No roofs could be seen, no eaves, no chimneys.
Hercule Poirot was sure to appear before I ventured home.

I researched fog when I came home from my walk.
I discovered that the type of fog I witnessed was called radiation fog.
This is a type of fog that forms by the cooling of the land after sunset.
It usually happens because of thermal radiation in calm conditions with a clear sky.

Things appear so different in the fog.
Ominous or beautiful depending on your perspective.

Before the end of my two mile walk the fog began to lift.
It was a gradual thing: I began to see the eaves, then the roofs, then the chimneys.
Finally as I turned into my driveway, the landscape was clearly visible.

Moses had a unique relationship with God.
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend.
(Exodus 33:11)

Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Testimony.
He had already received them once from the hand of God.
However, they were broken in anger when Moses saw the worship of the golden calf.

When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him…When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with Him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak to the Lord. (Exodus 34:29, 30,33-35)

Moses received the Law from the hand of God.
The Law does not save us.
The Law points us to our sin and our need of a Savior.

So many people rely on the Law as if it was a progress chart.
If I toe the line and if I do not miss the mark, I’m fine.
Except we can never toe the line precisely or hit the mark perfectly.

Relying on the Law makes us rely on our works and our performance.
Grace is not understood.
Instead of the Gospel being clear, it is veiled.

When we believe the Gospel, we trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
The perfect work, completed by Jesus Christ for our salvation.

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
(2 Corinthians 3:13,14)

The Law is the old covenant.
The old covenant pointed to the new covenant.
Jesus did not come to abolish the old covenant but to fulfill it.

The old covenant was a sacrificial system.
The blood of bulls and goats was offered as atonement for sin.
The blood of bulls and goats does not save.
The blood of bulls and goats must be offered over and over again.

When Jesus the Son of God came, He offered Himself as Atonement for our sins.
His Father accepted His Blood once and for all because Jesus was without sin.
There was no need of repeating Jesus’ perfect sacrifice over and over.
That is why Jesus said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

Those who rely on the law for salvation will repeat their works over and over.
They are never sure if what they offered to appease the wrath of God is enough.

Until they look to Jesus and His perfect, complete sacrifice on the cross, there will always be a veil over their hearts. They do not…they cannot understand.

But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
The fog lifts.
The Gospel is seen clearly.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)