”But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 3:14 NKJV)
“Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV)
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15 NKJV)
As I have been pondering 2 Corinthians 3 – 4 focusing on the “veil,” here is what has been brought to mind by the Spirit…
…The Old Testament was written in such a way that without reading it through the lens of Jesus it is “veiled.” It was written reflecting the flawed culture and mindset of those who had lost the revelation of a relationship with a loving, good, life-giving Father, and replaced it with a rigid religion of rules and rituals based on death and decay.
…Those who wrote it were led by the Spirit, however they were not simply keyboards by which words were typed.Their own personal perspectives, cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and lives in general flavored and colored what they wrote.
…The Old Testament was “inspired” (breathed/recorded) by the Holy Spirit to accurately (without error) reveal the perspective of its human authors through the Old Covenant mentality and Hebraic Judaism. It is “veiled” by man made philosophy, perspective, and religious tradition.
…Just like in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, much of the Old Testament was written to show us how we are NOT to think, speak, or act. It reveals the flawed theology that dominated those living in that day, not to be repeated but to be learned from and corrected. Sadly, most of us read it through the veil and follow in their footsteps. We are New Covenant Sons of God thinking, speaking, and acting like Old Covenant servants of God.
So much more swirling about in my head, but that is enough for now.
Let’s ask God to lift the veil as we contemplate…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 497: Lifting The Veil Part 1