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By Van Sprague

True, we see stars at night, but they are above us during the day too. The sun outshines the others so much that it is as if they aren’t there. It isn’t because the sun is bigger or brighter. It’s not. In fact, our sun is a speck compared to some of the other stars, and it isn’t the brightest. It upstages the biggest and the brightest because it is so much closer to us.

This illustration can help us understand Paul’s comparison of the glory, or brightness, of the Old and New Covenants. In Second Corinthians 3:7-11, Paul began by calling the Old Covenant the ministry of death and the New Covenant the ministry of the Spirit.

“But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (Unless otherwise stated: Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Used by permission. All rights reserved).

The Old Law was a law from God. Its origin gave it glory. It was so magnificent, the Jews had difficulty handling the brightness of the presence of the Lawgiver, Moses. He covered his face with a veil so the people would listen to him.

“Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech — unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains un-lifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

The veil in this passage changes places. First, it covered Moses’ face, then it was pictured as covering the hearts of those who would not look to Christ past the Law.

The Jews who had no faith in Christ could not see the brightness of God’s New Covenant, because they couldn’t see past the Old Law. It was the closest star in their sky.

We all have something or someone in our lives we are closest to. We see life from a perspective relative to what or who that is. Jesus, God’s Son, is meant to be the closest Star in our lives. Is He who you are drawing near?

Countless other things can appeal to us and appear to be worth making a focus of our lives. That’s one reason distractions from God are so pervasive leading to a life of sin. They can have very little brightness – with sin, it’s even darkness – and when we hold it close enough, it can block out the Son.

“Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Van Sprague is an evangelist at the Church of Christ at Houston Park. He has a wife and three children. You would be a welcome guest at any of their services. Sunday morning Bible class is at 9, with worship after, at 10. Worship on Sunday evening is at 5, and Wednesday night Bible class is at 6.