TEN YEARS GONE: The Face of Someone Who Has Been With God (Revised)

On Moses and the Light We Carry

First published Wednesday, February 3, 2016. Revised Sunday, June 14, 2026. 

Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

— Exodus 34

One of the most intriguing details in the Old Testament is that Moses apparently did not know his face was shining.

The people around him noticed it. Moses himself did not.

That detail has always fascinated me.

Whether we understand this as a unique miracle, a physical manifestation of God's glory, or something beyond our ability to explain, the central point seems clear enough: spending time in the presence of God changed Moses in a way that became visible to others.

I used to wonder why we do not see more things like that today.

Perhaps our faith is weaker. Perhaps our expectations are lower. Perhaps we have become uncomfortable with mystery. Or perhaps God simply works differently than we imagine.

What makes the story even more interesting to me is that science has discovered that our bodies actually emit tiny amounts of light. Not enough for us to see with the naked eye, but measurable nonetheless. We are, in a very literal sense, creatures of light.

Now, I am not suggesting that Moses merely experienced some heightened biological process that happened to be noticed by everyone around him. The story is describing something far more extraordinary than that. Still, I find it fascinating that the idea of a human being radiating light is not completely foreign to the physical world. Reality often turns out to be more mysterious than we first assume.

What I have noticed, however, is that people who spend years walking closely with God often do seem to shine in a certain way.

Not necessarily with visible light.

But with peace, kindness, patience, and a calm presence that changes the atmosphere around them.

Most of us have met people like that. They walk into a room and somehow make it brighter. They listen more than they speak. They carry joy without demanding attention. They make others feel seen and welcomed. You leave their company feeling better than when you arrived.

Something about them shines.

Perhaps that is why Jesus later tells His followers to let their light shine before others. Not so they can draw attention to themselves, but so that the goodness of God becomes visible through ordinary human lives.

Moses may have experienced something extraordinary on that mountain. But the principle remains. Time spent with God changes people.

Often the change is gradual. Often we are the last ones to notice it. Like Moses, we may not realize that anything is happening at all.

But others notice.

They see more patience where there once was anger. More peace where there once was anxiety. More grace where there once was judgment.

And maybe that is miracle enough.

So if there is an aspiration in this passage, it is not necessarily to make our faces glow. It is to spend enough time with God that His presence slowly becomes visible in our lives.

Talk to God.

Spend time with Him.

And see what happens.