Scripture: Exodus 34:1-9
The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and do not let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain, and do not let flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name, “The Lord.” 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
7 keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
yet by no means clearing the guilty,
but visiting the iniquity of the parents
upon the children
and the children’s children
to the third and the fourth generation.”
8 And Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped. 9 He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, my Lord, I pray, let my Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
Theme- God’s Mercy is the foundation of our relationship.
Questions
- What is the significance of Moses cutting new stones?
- How do you understand God’s self-description as compassionate following the golden calf and the breaking of the covenant?
- What does it say about God that compassion is emphasized over judgment in this passage?
- Why is Moses so insistent that God go with the people on their journey?
Helpful Information
Related texts: Matthew 7:1-5, Hebrews 4:12-16
The description of God’s character in verses 6-8 is the most quoted scripture in the Old Testament.
Moses breaking the stone tablets was a symbol of the breaking of the covenant, God telling Moses to cut new stones is a symbol of restoring the covenant.
The fact that compassion is emphasized reveals that God’s judgment and justice are less important than God’s mercy and compassion.
God traveling with the people means God is personally available to the people in the tabernacle.
For more background see my video here
Reflection
The golden calf was a horrific breach of the covenant Israel had made with God and Moses’ reaction to seeing Israel’s celebration displays how we are supposed to respond. Moses, the mediator between God and Israel, destroys the calf and calls for judgment throughout the community. We are given the impression that with the exception of Aaron all those who led Israel into this sinful demonstration were put to death. We can see in this event the gravity of sin and both how it leads to destruction and a proper response. It is important to add the caveat that Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-5 should govern our behavior that we should be quick and thorough in removing our own sin but sensitive with others in how we treat theirs. After purging the sin from Israel’s community, Moses begins to intercede with God on Israel’s behalf setting up a tent where he could take time alone with God. Moses behavior following Israel’s construction of the golden calf should be an illustration for us, root out our sin and begin to reestablish communication with God.
Moses’ behavior is a great example of how we should respond to the sin within our control but what makes this story truly remarkable is God’s response to Israel. After Moses has spent time with God interceding on behalf of the people God speaks to Moses and reveals the attributes at the core of God’s identity. The first thing God says is, “Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones” These stones were the symbol of the relationship between God and the people. Even thought the people have broken the covenant once God wants to reinstate it. The permanence of the stone tablets is a symbol of the everlasting nature of the covenant, and the fact that these are the first words to Moses implies that even though Israel’s actions threaten the covenant God views it as intact and binding. The reason God can say this is because God does not approach the covenant asking what Israel must do to merit God’s blessing, God approaches the covenant from a desire to provide for Israel. Keeping the covenant is not the origin of Israel’s blessings as God’s people, it is God’s character that is the source of goodness for Israel. And God provides a self-description of that character in verses 6-8, God is and wants to be known as merciful, gracious, loving, and faithful. The covenant is not a tool for God to wield power and demand compliance, if it were, then God would not have held out the opportunity for a restoration of the covenant so freely. The covenant is meant as a tool for Israel to see how their actions impact their relationships with God and neighbor so they can grow to be like God. God does not hold the failures of the people over their heads but in love and mercy extends grace to the people. We do see in these verses that God is committed to justice and rectifying wrongs. God is not going to allow sins and injustices to stand and continue, there is certainly a consequence to such actions. But we are told that God is not going to be carried away with retribution and punishment, such qualities with be held in check by compassion and love. As we read about Israel’s failures and ponder our own we do well to measure God’s grace toward the guilty. God’s character both mercy and justice are meant to help us grow out of our sins and into a Christlike character.
Even God’s desire to send an angel with Israel on the journey, rather than go with them personally, is done from a sense of grace and mercy. God tells Moses that God’s holiness would destroy sin and thus the Israelites who act in sin, God’s choice to remove the divine presence from the journey is out of a desire to preserve Israelite lives. And yet this mercy is overridden by a greater one, consistent access to the presence of God within the community. Moses as intercessor points out that God’s presence within the community will help the people, yes there is a risk, but I think he realized that God being present will help bring people nearer to God than simply a mere representative. And so, even though most would consider the covenant broken and the relationship forfeit, God shows incredible mercy to Israel, restores the relationship and continues to stand with them as they learn to become God’s people
Squinting in the Light 
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