THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE -- Tomorrow:
"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor 3:15-18, KJV)
Devotion 9 of 33
"Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord . . . "
This is a technical point, yet is worthy of note. Paul has said that when Moses was read, the heart of the people had a veil upon it, so that they could not see the Lord. What is involved in such a people turning to the Lord? Ultimately, for the Jews, it comes when a discerning association is made with Moses' writings and the promised Messiah.
The Scriptures, including Moses' writings, were bearing witness to a single Person – the Lord's Christ. That is why Jesus said to His critics, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. AND YE WILL NOT COME TO ME, that ye might have life" (John 5:39). They had a veil over their heart. They did not come to Him because they could not see Him as He was. They did not want Him because they did not understand Him. Today, those same conditions are found where Jesus is not being pursued.
THE TWO ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS
Allow me to site a telling example of not perceiving Jesus – having a veil over the heart, then coming to comprehend Him – having the veil lifted. When Cleopas and his associate were on the road to Emmaus, they "talked together of all" the things that had recently happened – things relating to the death of Christ. They were having a religious discussion, although it was not an enlightened one. They saw no purpose or sense in Christ's death, and it caused them to be "sad."
When the risen Savior Himself joined them, He inquired about their communications, and they told him of the subject of their discussion. Their "eyes were holden," however, that they "should not know Him" of whom they were speaking. A veil was over their heart! After hearing the lengthy explanation of Cleopas, Jesus spoke with piercing plainness: "Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" (Luke 24:13-26). It was then that Jesus started with "Moses and all the prophets," expounding "unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." What a blessed occasion that was – still the two had no idea who was talking to them. A veil remained over their heart.
As they approached the village where they were residing, Jesus "acted as though He would go further." It was then that the two formerly despondent disciples "constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." THEY WERE TURNING TO THE LORD! Because Jesus does not quench a smoking flax or break a bruised reed (Matt 12:20), "He went in to tarry with them." There, as He "sat at meat with them," "He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them." Suddenly, everything was changed. It is written, "And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight." THE VEIL HAD BEEN LIFTED FROM THEIR HEARTS! It was taken away so that they could perceive what was formerly hidden from them.
Just as out text says, "Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away" (2 Cor 3:16). If, therefore, the veil has not been lifted from the heart, and the people cannot discern Jesus, their hearts have not turned to Him, profession notwithstanding. Using the example of Cleopas and his companion, they have not yet desired Jesus to spend time with them.
As those two men pondered what had taken place, they were able to interpret their experience with spiritual accuracy. Referring to the time when they did not know it was the Lord Jesus speaking with them, they said, "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). On the road, their hearts burned, yet remained veiled. That was when Jesus had joined them. But when they "turned to the Lord," asking Him to abide with them, He did not allow that veil to stay upon their hearts. It was taken away, just as our text says!
WHEN MEN TURN TO THE LORD
Men turn to the Lord when there is an association made with Scripture and the One to whom it bears witness – the Lord Jesus Christ. They turn when they perceive an association between their condition and the remedy declared in the Gospel. It occurs when men see, as the hymn writer put it, "beyond the sacred page."
With some, turning to the Lord may be thought to be synonymous with repentance. The parallel is made between "repentance TOWARD God" (Acts 20:21) and "turning TO the Lord." Although "repentance" is associated with turning, that is not the technical meaning of the word. The lexical meaning of repentance is "a change of mind leading to a change of behavior." As associated with salvation, repentance involves a "change" FROM an unacceptable way of thinking and manner of life – a change that results in acceptable thought and living. The emphasis in repentance is what men are leaving, repudiating, and abandoning. "Repentance" is therefore said to be "of this thy wickedness" (Acts 8:22) and "repentance from dead works" (Heb 6:1).
Turning to the Lord emphasizes the quest for the Lord. It stresses the individual's focus on the Lord Himself. It may actually precede repentance, as with the souls on the day of Pentecost. When they cried out "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" They were, in fact, turning to the Lord. Peter told them to repent and be baptized, and they did, without any hesitation whatsoever. The veil had been lifted. They never again considered Jesus "worthy of death," or not to be desired.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the reality of turning to You, and for the glorious and appointed results that follow that turning.