seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 34:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”
I got the commentary from the easy English site.
Moses had to cut two new flat stones so that God could write on them again. In verses 27-28 of this same chapter we read that God told Moses, ‘Write down these laws. I have made a special promise to you and to the Israelites.’ God told Moses the exact words to write. This is the same as if God had written the words. God wrote his messages in the Old Testament. But usually he used his servants, the prophets, to write the actual words. God reminded Moses about the rules that referred to the mountain. It was separate for God’s use (Exodus 19:12-13).
The cloud was a sign that God was present. Then God passed by Moses. The writer does not tell us whether Moses saw God. But the writer tells us what God said to Moses. It is very important to listen to God. We must hear what God says to us. It is more important than what we see. God’s name means God himself. It means who he is. It also means what he is like. His name refers to his whole character. He is the LORD, the great God, who wants to rescue his people. He loves us. He is very kind and he is willing to forgive people. They do not deserve God’s love. They should not insist that God forgives them. But God is very kind and patient with his people. His love does not change and it never ends.
These ways to describe God appear again in many places in the Bible. For example see Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalms 103:8 and 145:8, Jonah 4:2 and Joel 2:13. It is God’s nature to forgive people. But they need to be sorry that they have done bad and wrong things. Because God is holy, he must punish the guilty people. When people do wrong things, those things affect their children also. Often those things continue to affect other people in their families who are born many years later.
The cloud was a sign that God was present. Then God passed by Moses. The writer does not tell us whether Moses saw God. But the writer tells us what God said to Moses. It is very important to listen to God. We must hear what God says to us. It is more important than what we see. God’s name means God himself. It means who he is. It also means what he is like. His name refers to his whole character. He is the LORD, the great God, who wants to rescue his people. He loves us. He is very kind and he is willing to forgive people. They do not deserve God’s love. They should not insist that God forgives them. But God is very kind and patient with his people. His love does not change and it never ends.
These ways to describe God appear again in many places in the Bible. For example see Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalms 103:8 and 145:8, Jonah 4:2 and Joel 2:13. It is God’s nature to forgive people. But they need to be sorry that they have done bad and wrong things. Because God is holy, he must punish the guilty people. When people do wrong things, those things affect their children also. Often those things continue to affect other people in their families who are born many years later.
Moses didn't want to face the journey without God. Moses knew what God had done to accomplish the escape from Egypt. He also knew that without God, the trek would be impossible. There were over 2 million people down below. They were stupid humans, but they had been chosen to live this experience. Moses wanted God to lead them.
