Exodus 34
The New Tablets of the Covenant
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed.
God cut the first two stone tablets. Moses cut the next set of tablets. However, God wrote on both tablets with His fingers.
2 Be prepared in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourself for me there on the top of the mountain.
God commanded Moses to climb up Mount Sinai for the third time.
3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.”
Moses was to travel alone.
4 So Moses cut out two tablets of stone like the first; early in the morning he went up to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
Moses cut the stones and took them up the mountain.
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name.
The Shekinah Glory descended from the mountain and stood with Moses on the top of Mount Sinai.
6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,
Jehovah passed by Moses in His own form. As Jehovah passed by, He gave His name to Moses. The name reveals the character of God.
The character of God is Jehovah, meaning that unlike pagan gods and human kings. He keeps His promises. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He is compassionate. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He is gracious and loves to give. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He is slow to anger. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He does not lose His temper. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He possesses a loyal love for Israel. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He is faithful to Israel. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, Israel can depend upon Him.
7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”
Jehovah continued to express His character to Moses. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He keeps a loyal love for thousands. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He forgives iniquity, transgressions, and sins. Unlike pagan gods and human kings, He punishes those who are guilty. Jehovah taught Moses that the effects of sin will pass from one generation to the next generation.
8 Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped
Moses bowed to the ground and worshipped Jehovah.
9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
Moses prayed an intercessory prayer for the nation of Israel. He asked Jehovah to lead them to the Promised Land. He confessed that Israel was as stiff-necked as a stubborn donkey. He asked Jehovah to pardon their evil and sin. He asked Jehovah to take Israel as His own personal inheritance.
10 He said, “See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you.
Jehovah promised to keep the Abrahamic Covenant. He promised that He would do powerful miracles that had never been seen in the earth by any nation. All of the Israeli people would be able to see the miracles of Jehovah.
11 “Obey what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Jehovah asked for the obedience of Israel. Jehovah promised to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan.
12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare among you.
Israel was warned not to make any covenants with the inhabitants. If they did so, it would become a snare to them. It would seduce them into the Canaanite culture.
13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles.
All of the idols of Canaan were to be completely destroyed.
14 For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Jehovah is jealous. Only Jehovah is to be worshipped.
15 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice;
Israel was warned a second time not to make any covenants with the inhabitants of Canaan. Israel was warned that the religious systems of the Canaanties would seduce Israel into spiritual prostitution.
16 and you then take his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well.
Israel was warned not to intermarry with the Canaanites, because it would lead to spiritual prostitution.
17 You must not make yourselves molten gods.
Israel was not to make idols.
18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.
Israel was commanded to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a reminder of their exodus from Egypt.
19 “Every firstborn of the womb belongs to me, even every firstborn of your cattle that is a male, whether ox or sheep.
All of the firstborn of people, cattle, ox, and sheep belonged to Jehovah.
20 Now the firstling of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. “No one will appear before me empty-handed.
The firstborn of donkeys could be replaced with a lamb sacrifice.
21 “On six days you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; even at the time of plowing and of harvest you are to rest.
Israel must rest on the Sabbath.
22 “You must observe the Feast of Weeks – the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat – and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year.
Israel was required to keep the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.
23 At three times in the year all your men must appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.
The Israeli spent three weeks of vacation a year with God Himself.
24 For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
Whenever Israel left their homes for the three weeks of festivals, then God would protect their land from foreign invaders, marauders, and thieves.
25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning.
Leaven was a symbol of evil. It was not allowed in any of the sacrifices. There were to be no leftovers of the Passover Meal.
26 “The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
The first fruits of the crops were to be sacrificed to Jehovah. Cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk was a Canaanite occultic practice which was forbidden to Israel.
27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
Jehovah wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger on stone tablets. Moses wrote the rest of the 603 laws on papyrus.
28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Moses did not eat bread or water for forty days. He was supernaturally sustained by God, God wrote on the tablets with His own fingers.
The Radiant Face of Moses
29 Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand – when he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
The face of Moses was reflecting the Shekinah Glory.
30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to approach him.
The Israelites were afraid to approach Moses.
31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them.
The people were afraid and walked away. However, Aaron called them back. Moses talked to the people.
32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.
Moses was a prophet who communicated divine information directly from God to the people. There are no speaking prophets today. The only divine revelation from God is the written Word of God.
33 When Moses finished speaking with them, he would put a veil on his face.
Moses placed a veil on his face to cover the brightness of Jehovah.
34 But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded.
Moses continued to give divine information to the Israelites. As long as Moses was in the camp, the people did not need the written word of God. During later dispensations, God used prophets. During the current dispensation, God uses only the written word of God.
35 When the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord.
The face of Moses continued to shine. This shining face of Moses was evidence that Moses was a prophet chosen by God. All of Israel knew that Jehovah was God and Moses was His prophet.