2 Corinthians 3:13 Commentary and Bible Study

He has been speaking of these things and particularly of the far greater glory which belongs to the gospel than the law under Moses. This narrative comes really from Exodus 34 where we learn that Moses after the giving of the law and speaking with God, as he came down from the mount holding the tablets of stone which contained the Ten Commandments, his face was so radiant that it shone, and it scared and even terrified the people, and so he put a veil over his face so it could not be seen. When he went back to speak to God, he took the veil off and spoke to him face to face. But when he came back down to the people, the veil was put on once again.That veil was significant, and it was a great symbol of the fact that the people were not fit to approach God. They did not grasp his holiness, they did not see their need of forgiveness, they did not desire his mercy, and they were not fit therefore to approach him. They could not see or understand God’s word properly and fully without a sense of need, without a strong desire. Without these things they would not understand the meaning of the ceremonial law of God, and this is the point that the apostle is making here.