30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,
31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.
33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not realizing what he was saying.
34 While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” Luke 9:28-35.
The right focus of this Scripture is Jesus, His glory, and the identification and command of God: “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”
And yet, “Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”.
Like Peter, we too can lose the right focus and be eager to build tabernacles.
So, what kind of tabernacles do we build? Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents signs. We build a tabernacle of doctrine through which we focus on the Law. We build a tabernacle of doctrine through which we focus on signs. “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;” 1 Corinthians 1:22.
Jesus admonished those who sought after signs. “But He answered and said to them, ” An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;” Matthew 12:39
Paul admonished those who sought after the Law. “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain–if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:1-5. “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.” Romans 4:13-15.
So, as in “no sign will be given it”, and as in “where there is no law, there also is no violation”, Moses and Elijah disappeared. “And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.” Matthew 17:8.
“For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified …” 1 Corinthians 1:22-23. “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2.
We also remember the Scripture of the last devotion. “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. “But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:26-27.
How easy is it for us to take our eyes off of Jesus and our ears off of His words! We would rather do things, like build tabernacles, and prove our own righteousness through the Law or tickle our own desire to be amazed and amused through signs.
But, in conclusion, we read the right focus including the command: “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 