Exodus 34 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Exodus 34

Moses Makes New Tablets

34:1 The LORD said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by 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 let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of 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 thousands,¹ forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

The Covenant Renewed

10 And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

11 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

17 “You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

18 “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male² livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. 23 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year.

25 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 And the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.³

The Shining Face of Moses

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.⁴ 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Footnotes

[1] 34:7 Or to the thousandth generation
[2] 34:19 Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
[3] 34:28 Hebrew the ten words
[4] 34:29 Hebrew him

Commentary

v1-3: Moses went back to meet with God alone. The Christian sees helpful lessons here, in developing his own relationship with God.

v1: The first thing Moses had to do was to cut out two more stone tablets, to replace those he broke. We meet with God on the basis of God's word.

v2: Present yourself; and nothing else. We an bring no goodness or merit of our own, for we depend on the Lord who is gracious and merciful.

v3: Moses was to be alone with God, no distraction from other men, or flocks and herds. Such things are not bad, but they can distract us from the primary object of our attention, who is God Himself. Beware poor priorities.

v4: Moses simply and accurately obeyed what God had commanded, making new stone tablets.

v5: The Lord descended to meet with even the greatest of men. We marvel at the utter greatness of God, and at His condescension, Ps 113.6.

v6-7: The Lord proclaimed His own Name, as in 20.5-6; 33.19. We need to get to know God as He is. There is too the punishment of sins, through later generations. Such ideas may have influenced the disciples in John 9.2.

v8-9: Moses worshipped and confessed; here is his response to God. First he bowed down to the ground, reflecting the utter greatness of God. Next he made request, for we can demand nothing of God. The emphasis is on the mercy of God; phrase after phrase declares His mercy, inviting any and all to come to Him. No wonder the psalmist declares that God’s mercy is higher than the heavens, Ps 108.4. See also Mic 7.18; He delights to show mercy

God abounds in “love and faithfulness” (NIV), or mercy and truth. Mercy is the ground of God’s promises to His people, and truth guarantees that those promises must be fulfilled.

v10-17: The covenant of God with the Israelites. This is exclusive, tolerating no rivals.

v10: God's people were picked out to witness wonderful things done on their behalf.

v11: The responsibility of the people was to obey what God commanded. The blessing to come was that He would drive out the Canaanite nations.

v12: The people were not to make covenants with the people of the land. This prohibition was important, and frequently repeated. In particular, the prohibition is linked with the Canaanites' idolatry. Whilst a treaty would not begin with the Israelites copying their worship, that is where it would lead to.

v13-14: Their objects of worship were to be broken down, for God alone is to be worshipped. All evidence of idolatry was to be destroyed; for there was nothing they could teach the people of God. The danger is that, by keeping such things, the people may be tempted to use them in worshipping God. Uncomfortably, God is called "Jealous", for He tolerates no rivals.

Whilst we show respect to all people, as Christians we cannot say that there are insights into God that we can learn from other religions. The concern is that we can be motivated more by tolerance of others than by the teaching of Scripture.

v15-16: Making treaties with the Canaanite peoples would cause the Israelites to fall into the same sins. The command was to be ruthless, as in Matt 5.29-30. The alternative is that we become ensnared in other ideas.

v17: Do not copy the methods of the ungodly. David erred here, see 1 Chr 13, and contrast 1 Chr 15.

v18-26: In contrast with the clear prohibitions, God then explains the proper way of worship. This is the right response of man to God; we must worship Him His way. We must put Him first even when there is work to do (see v21), and trusting God to protect His own (see v23).

v18: The Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days at the time they had come out of Egypt.

v19-20: The dedication of the first born to God, again a sign of gratitude that the first born had been saved in Egypt.

When the people came together, no one could appear empty handed, each must bring something of worship to God, as in 23.15. In 1 Cor 14.26, each Christian brings something to the worship of God.

v21: The weekly Sabbath was to be observed throughout the year, even when there was much work to be done. The priority of honouring God must be above other demands.

v22-23: Further Feasts; the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Ingathering. With the Feast of Unleavened Bread, these made up the three main Feasts in the year. All the males of Israel were to come together to worship God.

v24: The repeated promise that the Lord would drive out the Canaanite nations. Even when the men were away from home, He would protect their land from attack.

v25: The prohibition of blood, which was not to be offered.

Also, the Passover sacrifice was not to be left overnight.

v26: The best of the first fruits of the land to be offered to God.

The Baguirmi people of Chad say, similarly, ‘Do not try to cook the goat’s young in the goat’s milk.’ In Kenya, it is said, ‘One does not slaughter a calf before its mother’s eyes.’

v27-28: Summarising the covenant with the Lord. Moses had gone back up the mountain, with the new stone tablets (v4). He remained another forty days and forty nights.

v29-31: As a result of Moses meeting with God, his face shone. The Israelites were afraid to come near to him. Paul contrasts this incident with the glory of the in-dwelling Spirit in our lives (2 Cor 3.7-11). Should our lives also not shine with the glory of God?

v32: Moses passed on the commands given by God.

v33-35: Moses used a veil to cover his face, except when he met with God. He continued to bring further commandments from God.