7 For if the operation of the law, giving death, recorded in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the eyes of the children of Israel had to be turned away from the face of Moses because of its glory, a glory which was only for a time:
For if the operation of the law, producing punishment, had its glory, how much greater will be the operation of the Spirit causing righteousness? For the glory of the first no longer seems to be glory, because of the greater glory of that which comes after. For if the order which was for a time had its glory, much more will the eternal order have its glory.
Who has made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life.
But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who has faith.
And when his talk with Moses on Mount Sinai was ended, he gave him the two stones of the law, two stones on which was the writing made by the finger of God.
And the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain, and take your place there: and I will give you the stones on which I have put in writing the law and the orders, so that you may give the people knowledge of them.
For the outcome of the law is wrath; but where there is no law it will not be broken.
And while he was in prayer, his face was changed and his clothing became white and shining. And two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him; Who were seen in glory and were talking of his death which was about to take place in Jerusalem.
All my desire has been for your salvation, O Lord; and your law is my delight.
The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is certain, giving wisdom to the foolish. The orders of the Lord are right, making glad the heart: the rule of the Lord is holy, giving light to the eyes.
At that time the Lord said to me, Make two other stones, cut like the first two, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. And I will put on the stones the words which were on the first stones which were broken by you, and you are to put them into the ark. So I made an ark of hard wood, and had two stones cut like the others, and went up the mountain with the stones in my hands. And he put on the stones, as in the first writing, the ten rules which the Lord gave you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the great meeting: and the Lord gave the stones to me.
But the law is holy, and its orders are holy, upright, and good. Was then that which is good, death to me? In no way. But the purpose was that sin might be seen to be sin by working death to me through that which is good; so that through the orders of the law sin might seem much more evil. For we are conscious that the law is of the spirit; but I am of the flesh, given into the power of sin.
When I had gone up into the mountain to be given the stones on which was recorded the agreement which the Lord made with you, I was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights without taking food or drinking water. And the Lord gave me the two stones with writing on them done by the finger of God: on them were recorded all the words which the Lord said to you on the mountain out of the heart of the fire, on the day of the great meeting. Then at the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me those stones, the stones of the agreement.
And he gave you his agreement with you, the ten rules which you were to keep, which he put in writing on the two stones of the law.
And what great nation has laws and decisions so right as all this law which I put before you today?
And for forty days and forty nights Moses was there with the Lord, and in that time he had no food or drink. And he put in writing on the stones the words of the agreement, the ten rules of the law. Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two stones in his hand, he was not conscious that his face was shining because of his talk with God. But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, and the shining of his face, they would not come near him for fear. Then Moses sent for them; and Aaron, with the chiefs of the people, came to him; and Moses had talk with them. And later, all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all the orders which the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. And at the end of his talk with them, Moses put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to have talk with him, he took off the veil till he came out. And whenever he came out he said to the children of Israel what he had been ordered to say; And the children of Israel saw that the face of Moses was shining: so Moses put the veil over his face again till he went to the Lord.
And the Lord said to Moses, Make two other stones like the first two; and I will put on them the words which were on the first stones, which were broken by you.
And when he came near the tents he saw the image of the ox, and the people dancing; and in his wrath Moses let the stones go from his hands, and they were broken at the foot of the mountain.
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins for their clothing.
For this reason I have greater love far your teachings than for gold, even for shining gold. Because of it I keep straight in all things by your orders; and I am a hater of every false way.
And are not like Moses, who put a veil on his face, so that the children of Israel might not see clearly to the end of the present order of things: But their minds were made hard: for to this very day at the reading of the old agreement the same veil is still unlifted; though it is taken away in Christ.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 3
The apostle makes an apology for his seeming to commend himself, and is careful not to assume too much to himself, but to ascribe all praise unto God (v. 1-5). He then draws a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, and shows the excellency of the later above the former (v. 6-11), whence he infers what is the duty of gospel ministers, and the advantage of those who live under the gospel above those who lived under the law (v. 12-18).
2Cr 3:1-5
In these verses,
2Cr 3:6-11
Here the apostle makes a comparison between the Old Testament and the New, the law of Moses and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and values himself and his fellow-labourers by this, that they were able ministers of the New Testament, that God had made them so, v. 6. This he does in answer to the accusations of false teachers, who magnify greatly the law of Moses.
2Cr 3:12-18
In these verses the apostle draws two inferences from what he had said about the Old and New Testament:-