Exodus – God’s Way Out
As easily distracted humans, we don’t always “get it” the first time we are told what to do and how to do it. Advertisers know this and for ages knew they must repeatedly put their sales message in front of us. They work hard to make you think you need what they have to sell. Many years ago, I was told, “It takes six to stick”, from a public relations friend. That meant you had to put the pitch in front of people at least six different ways before they will consider what you have to say. In today’s world, advertisers consistently bombard us with their pitch, even if it annoys us. They know how easily we forget.
God’s people are back in God’s graces after abusing every law God had written in stone the first time. But God has not forgotten the ease by which His people are distracted. So he makes it clear, once more, what they are not supposed to do so that their relationship with Him is made holy by His consistent love for them. God calls Moses up the mountain to meet with Him for a remedial lesson. Instead of the finger of God penning the Ten Commandments and their intent, Moses will painstakingly carve the message of The Laws of God himself as God dictates. God’s people get a “do over”, a second chance, to do what is best for them in God’s way of thinking. The relationship has been restored.
As God speaks, Moses chisels.
Exodus 34, The Message
1-3 God spoke to Moses: “Cut out two tablets of stone just like the originals and engrave on them the words that were on the original tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb Mount Sinai and get set to meet me on top of the mountain. Not a soul is to go with you; the whole mountain must be clear of people, even animals—not even sheep or oxen can be grazing in front of the mountain.”
4-7 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone. God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God. God passed in front of him and called out, “God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father’s sins to the third and even fourth generation.”8-9 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, “Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us.”
10-12 And God said, “As of right now, I’m making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you’re living will see how tremendous God’s work is, the work I’ll do for you. Take careful note of all I command you today. I’m clearing your way by driving out Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Stay vigilant. Don’t let down your guard lest you make covenant with the people who live in the land that you are entering and they trip you up.
13-16 “Tear down their altars, smash their phallic pillars, chop down their fertility poles. Don’t worship any other god. God—his name is The-Jealous-One—is a jealous God. Be careful that you don’t make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars, marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.17 “Don’t make molten gods for yourselves.
18 “Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib—it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.
19 “Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.
20 “Redeem your firstborn donkey with a lamb. If you don’t redeem it you must break its neck.“Redeem each of your firstborn sons.
“No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed.
21 “Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.
22 “Keep the Feast of Weeks with the first cutting of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
23-24 “All your men are to appear before the Master, the God of Israel, three times a year. You won’t have to worry about your land when you appear before your God three times each year, for I will drive out the nations before you and give you plenty of land. Nobody’s going to be hanging around plotting ways to get it from you.
25 “Don’t mix the blood of my sacrifices with anything fermented.
“Don’t leave leftovers from the Passover Feast until morning.
26 “Bring the finest of the firstfruits of your produce to the house of your God.“Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”
27 God said to Moses: “Now write down these words, for by these words I’ve made a covenant with you and Israel.”
28 Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn’t eat any food; he didn’t drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.31-32 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.
33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.
WHAT WE LEARN
This is God’s response to Moses’ plea to reaffirm the covenant. In many ways this is a brief reenactment of The Law being given to Moses the first time. God miraculously wrote it the first time, but now it is Moses’ turn.God manifests himself, offers his presence and protection, stipulates what the people’s side of the agreement will entail, and directs that the covenant be put in writing.
Interestingly, this proclamation of the covenant is one-sided. God merely states that he is willing to go on with the previous relationship even though it has been technically dissolved by disobedience. The stipulations deal specifically with two aspects: the response of the people to idol worshipers and true worship. This is as might be expected in view of the recent bout with idolatry.
As a parent would be with their disobedient children, they are reminded by God of what will get them into trouble. I AM your God and you will be My people. You will not have any other gods before me. None.
Compassion is not the dissolution of moral cause and effect. Unless there are real consequences for guilt, there is no such thing as mercy.
However, it should not be thought that God arbitrarily punishes the descendants of sinners. This statement means that a person’s actions have long-term consequences because God has made the world that way. God’s mercy is in his limiting the deadly effects of sin to three or four generations. The effects of righteousness he extends to a thousand generations (see Dt 7:9).
Ex 34:11-17 provides a theological explanation for the destruction of the peoples who lived in the land of Canaan. Any attempt to coexist with them would result in an acceptance of their false religions.
Jealousy (34:14) has an unsavory connotation in English. It is petty and possessive. That is not the case in Hebrew. It is the same word as is sometimes translated “zeal.” So it was because Jesus was jealous for the house of God that he drove out the money changers (Jn 2:17). God’s jealousy is on our behalf, not His. God is “jealous” of anything that keeps us from an intimate, loving relationship with Him.
Worship is specifically designed for God alone. In lieu of their past worship of idols, God makes it clear they are to worship Him alone and no one or nothing else. Worship was designed to be different from their old way of life. Hebrew worship would be set apart from the pagan worship practices of the Canaanites.
HOLY PAUSE
How easily distracted we are as humans. God knows that and so does our enemy.
Who do you worship above all? Who do you talk about most in this life? Do we really believe what we say we believe?
Who or what we worship can be reflected in our bank accounts. Where do most of our funds go? Do we give God the leftovers or the “first fruits” of our labor? How “cheerful” are we in our giving? Do we begrudgingly and dutifully give our “tithes and offerings”?
Who or what we worship can also be reflected in our time. Where do we spend the most time and who benefits from that time?
Do we set apart times of worship daily, weekly or is worship a lifestyle? In other words do we have “God-time” or is God all the time?
Dear Heavenly Father,You have incredibly provoked our thinking to going deeper into our intimate relationship with You. To be more like you we need more of you in our lives. I need you every hour. I worship you with my life. I am yours and you are mine. May everything within me give you praise, glory and honor. May your glory be reflected from me so others will know that I know you. May your glory in me draw others to you. You are God and I am not. Transform me still.
In Jesus Name, Amen
And we’re singing…
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
The sun comes up
It’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comes
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
You’re rich in love
And You’re slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Bless You Lord
And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore
Forevermore
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name…
