Exodus 34: A New Copy of the Covenant
1 Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. 2 Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.”
4 So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.
When God originally gave Moses the Ten Commandments, God Himself gave Moses the two stone tablets on which the Commandments were inscribed. But when Moses saw the Israelites worshiping the golden calf, he threw those tablets on the ground, smashing them. Now God wants to create new tablets. Because Moses destroyed the first ones, God orders him to chisel out tablets and bring them up to Mount Sinai. Then God will again write out the Commandments on those tablets. Why doesn’t God demand that Moses write out the Commandments? God wants to make sure the Commandments are full and complete. This is to ensure authenticity and also to protect Moses, so later the Israelites can’t blame Moses when they find anything they don’t like.
5 Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. 6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
WOW! Even though God forgives iniquity, rebellion, and sin, He does not excuse the guilty. Guilty people bring curses on their families for four generations. Here, God is not being unfair but merely stating the generational effects of sin. It’s popular to assume that our actions affect only ourselves, but that is far from the case. Children copy what they see their parents doing, and the results can be devastating. Parents who abandon children to chase some mid-life dream teach children that the sacred responsibilities of parenthood are dispensable at the whim of a parent. Children in such families can be left with severe abandonment issues and struggle to trust others. Fathers who are emotionally distant, failing to protect their daughters, can leave daughters who harden their hearts and become tough because they have no other choice. Counselors who work with those addicted to drugs or other compulsive forms of behavior know many of those with whom they work come from families with various addictions.
8 Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. 9 And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.”
Here Moses is performing one of his greatest feats-interceding for the same people who have already repeatedly hurt and disappointed him. It’s easy to pray for those who have been kind to you; however, it’s a different matter when you’re begging God to forgive others who are likely not repentant. As Moses is interceding, he is demonstrating another of the pathways to spiritual peace. Later, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will advise his listeners, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:43-45)
10 The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome power I will display for you. 11 But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
12 “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. 13 Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.
15 “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. 16 Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. 17 You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.”
The One True Living God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last. God knows everything that will happen, and He knows that eventually, the Israelites will forsake Him and run off after the demonic religions of their neighbors. After all, Aaron has just created a golden copy of one of the Egyptian deities. But if God knows all this, why is He bothering to warn Moses? God wants His warnings to be recorded so that later they will bear witness against idolaters, and His warnings remain for all of us as well.
In Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus warns his followers, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” Few people wake up one morning and announce, “I think I’ll just go follow the Devil!” No, we fall away from God by degrees. First, we gradually stop praying and worshiping privately. We begin making all our decisions without consulting God. Next, our tastes in music, literature, and videos gradually shift to something secular. We begin to find ourselves attracted to things that would previously have disgusted us. We may begin dressing more immodestly, excusing ourselves by saying that we are only following fashion trends.
These changes can happen gradually or suddenly, depending on our exposure to outside influences. One veteran missionary couple in Ghana recounted the story of two young men who came to northern Ghana to start a new ministry. But in the process of cultural familiarization, these fellows chose to visit a very evil shrine, one in which visitors are required to strip naked before entering. Our friends did everything they could to warn these men to have nothing to do with that shrine; however, curiosity prevailed over common sense. The men toured the shrine but soon left Ghana, having abandoned their plans for ministry.
These days, it’s nearly impossible to read some of the stories posted on Facebook or other sites without being exposed to pornographic material in advertisements. One fine pastor we knew found himself addicted to on-line pornography and struggled for freedom and deliverance for years. Even though our friend succeeded in getting free, the toll this struggle took on his body allowed cancer to develop, and he eventually died with the cancer.
The lessons are clear: If you want peace, have nothing to do with darkness in any form! Flee! Run! Shun anything having to do with darkness and beg God to keep your mind, your thoughts, and every part of your body spiritually, emotionally, and mentally clean.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please keep us true to You in every way-our thoughts, our actions, our entertainment, and our life styles. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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