THE NEW TABLETS OF THE COVENANT THE RADIANT FACE OF MOSES EXODUS 34:1-35

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 THE NEW TABLETS OF THE COVENANT THE RADIANT FACE OF MOSES EXODUS 34:1-35

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: THE NEW TABLETS OF THE COVENANT Exodus 34:1-35, THE RADIANT FACE OF MOSES 1. The Lord said to Moses, Cut out two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. 2. Be prepared in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourself for me there on the top of the mountain. 3. No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain. 4. So Moses cut out two tablets of stone like the first; early in the morning he went up to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name. 6. The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7. keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children s children, to the third and fourth generation.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 8. Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped 9. and said, If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance. 10. He said, See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. 11. Obey what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12. Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare among you. 13. Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14. For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15. Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice; 16. and you then take his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well. 17. You must not make yourselves molten gods. 18. You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, as I

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 commanded you; do this at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt. 19. Every firstborn of the womb belongs to me, even every firstborn of your cattle that is a male, whether ox or sheep. 20. Now the firstling of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one will appear before me empty-handed. 21. On six days you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; even at the time of plowing and of harvest you are to rest. 22. You must observe the Feast of Weeks the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year. 23. At three times in the year all your men must appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24. For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year. 25. You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. 26. The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother s milk. 27. The Lord said to Moses, Write down 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 did not eat bread, and he did not drink water.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29. Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand when he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to approach him. 31. But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32. After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33. When Moses finished speaking with them, he would put a veil on his face. 34. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded. 35. When the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord. (NET) Introduction: I. Key points:... A. The new tablets of the covenant (verses 1-28).

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 1. Moses cut two new stone tablets and ascended Mount Sinai (verses 1-4). 2. The Lord declared His omnipotence (verses 5-11). 3. The dangers of a covenant with pagan nations (verses 12-27). 4. Be faithful and keep His commandments (verses 18-28). B. The radiant face of Moses (verses 29-35). II. Key quote: Exodus 34:6-7, The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children s children, to the third and fourth generation. (NET) Commentary: I. The New Tablets of the Covenant (verses 1-29). A. Exodus 34:1-4, The Lord said to Moses, Cut out two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. Be prepared in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 yourself for me there on the top of the mountain. No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain. So Moses cut out two tablets of stone like the first; early in the morning he went up to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. (NET) 1. God commanded Moses to meet Him on Mount Sinai and to replace the two broken tablets. a. Deuteronomy 10:1-2, At that same time the Lord said to me, Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark. (NET) 2. The fact that God was willing to replace the tablets of testimony was proof to Moses that the Israelites were reconciled with Him. a. This was a demonstration of God s mercy. 3. Through reconciliation God forgave the sins of the Israelites and reaffirmed His covenant promise to bring them to their land.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 a. Deuteronomy 31:8, The Lord is indeed going before you he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged! (NET) 4. Moses was warned that the mountain was off-limits to the people and their livestock as long as God was on it. a. God had given this same warning prior to His first appearance on Mount Sinai. b. This was to protect those who might try to see the majesty of God and die as a result of their trespass. i. Exodus 19:12, You must set boundaries for the people all around, saying, Take heed to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! (NET) B. Exodus 34:5-11, The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name. The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 fathers by dealing with children and children s children, to the third and fourth generation. Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped and said, If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance. He said, See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. Obey what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. (NET) 1. The Lord declares His omnipotence. 2. This was the fulfillment of His earlier promise to Moses. a. Exodus 33:19, And the Lord said, I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. (NET) 3. In verses 6-7 God proclaims His name by stating the attributes of His character:... a. He is loving and faithful,...

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 b. full of grace and mercy,... c. willing to forgive sins, and... d. vengeful to those who are unwilling to repent of their transgressions. i. Psalm 89:14, Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. (NET) ii. Psalm 116:5, The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate. (NET) iii. Psalm 117:1-2, Praise the Lord, all you nations! Applaud him, all you foreigners! For his loyal love towers over us, and the Lord s faithfulness endures. Praise the Lord! (NET) iv. Ezekiel 33:18-19, When a righteous man turns from his godliness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. When the wicked turns from his sin and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. (NET) v. Isaiah 13:9, 11, Look, the Lord s day of judgment is coming; it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger,

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 destroying the earth and annihilating its sinners. I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sin. I will put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. (NET) 4. He is compassionate and gracious. a. Compassion shows us that He cares very deeply for each one of us. b. He would rather shower us with His grace than punish us. 5. Slow to anger. He will not inflict immediate punishment for a sin, but He will give the offender time to repent and seek forgiveness. 6. Abounding in loyal love and faithfulness. a. The love of God is a blood covenant. b. From Abraham to the Ten Commandments to Jesus Christ, His promise was sealed in blood. c. His word is true and it will not fail. i. Genesis 15:17-18, When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch passed between the animal parts. That day the

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 Lord made a covenant with Abram: To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River (NET) ii. Exodus 24:8, So Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people and said, This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words. (NET) iii. Matthew 26:28, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (NET) iv. Mark 14:24, He said to them, This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many. (NET) 7. forgiving iniquity and sin.... But by no means leaves the guilty unpunished. a. God is more than willing to forgive sin and grant mercy, but He will show His anger and wrath to the guilty that do not repent. i. Exodus 32:33, 35, The Lord said to Moses, Whoever has sinned against me that person I will wipe out of my book. And the Lord sent a plague on the

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 people because they had made the calf the one Aaron made. (NET) ii. 2 Timothy 4:18, The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen. (NET) iii. 2 Peter 2:9, if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment, (NET) iv. Psalm 51:4, Against you you above all I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn me. (NET) v. Acts 17:30, Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, (NET) 8. Transgressions of the father... children to the third and fourth generations. a. This is a reference to the sin of apostasy, to those who reject God and worship false gods and idols.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 b. Their iniquity and punishment will continue until they acknowledge and accept God as Lord and Savior. c. Those who are faithful will not suffer, but will be rewarded for their unwavering obedience. i. Exodus 20:5-6, You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (NET) ii. Deuteronomy 5:9-10, You must not worship or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject me, but I show covenant faithfulness to the thousands who choose me and keep my commandments. (NET) iii. Hebrews 6:4-6, For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt. (NET) 9. Moses once again pleads his case for God to remain with His people and deliver them despite their sinful actions. a. God answers with the wonderful words of Exodus 34:10, He said, See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. (NET) b. God is promising Moses that He will perform miracles to accomplish His covenant promise to bring the Israelites to their new land. 10. This is the assurance that Moses needed to hear. a. God s presence will continue to be with them and awesome deeds will be done to deliver them. C. Exodus 34:12-17, Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare among you. Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Be careful not to make a

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice; and you then take his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well. You must not make yourselves molten gods. (NET) 1. The danger of a covenant with a pagan nation. 2. A covenant made with a pagan nation would be a trap to the Israelites. a. It would begin slowly, perhaps by adopting some of their customs, then allowing marriage with the pagans. b. The intermarriages would be the quickest way for this corruption to spread. c. Then soon the Israelites would be seduced into joining their worship of false gods and idols. i. Deuteronomy 7:3-4, You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 3. In verse 15, God compared idol worship to the act of prostitution. a. The covenant between God and His people is similar to a marriage covenant. i. To be unfaithful to God or your spouse is a sin. ii. Both acts break commandments and are a rejection of God. 4. God commanded the Israelites to destroy all of the pagan shrines and idols of the nations they would conquer. a. This was to eliminate the possibility of apostasy. 5. The Asherah poles were part of the Syrian and Canaanite worship of their fertility goddess, Asherah, the mother of seventy gods, including Baal who was the most well known. a. Her shrines and places of worship were commonly located in groves of evergreen trees. b. God instructed the Israelites to cut down or burn the Asherah poles. i. Deuteronomy 12:3-4, You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 pillars, burn up their sacred Asherah poles, and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate their very memory from that place. You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship. (NET) ii. Deuteronomy 16:21-22, You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself. You must not erect a sacred pillar, a thing the Lord your God detests. (NET) iii. Judges 6:25, That night the Lord said to him, Take the bull from your father s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. Pull down your father s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. (NET) iv. 1 Kings 15:13, He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. (NET) v. 2 Kings 18:4, He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. (NET) D. Exodus 34:18-28, You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt. Every firstborn of the womb belongs to me, even every firstborn of your cattle that is a male, whether ox or sheep. Now the firstling of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one will appear before me empty-handed. On six days you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; even at the time of plowing and of harvest you are to rest. You must observe the Feast of Weeks the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year. At three times in the year all your men must appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year. You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother s milk. The Lord said to

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 Moses, Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (NET) 1. Be faithful to His commandments. 2. In verses 18-28 God summarizes the laws regarding feasts and Sabbaths from earlier chapters. 3. In the feast of the unleavened bread, the Israelites ate bread made without yeast for seven days as a reminder of the Passover and their hasty departure from Egypt. a. Exodus 12:15, For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Surely on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. (NET) b. Every firstborn belongs to the Lord. c. This feast commemorated the preservation of the Israelites firstborn as the angel of death passed over Egypt.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 i. Exodus 13:15, When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals. That is why I am sacrificing to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem. (NET) d. The seventh day was a day of rest. i. Exodus 20:8-10, Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. (NET) 4. The feast of weeks is also known as the Feast of the Harvest, and Day of the First Fruits. a. This celebration lasted seven weeks, or fifty days after Passover. i. In the New Testament this is referred to as Pentecost from the Greek word for fifty (Pentekostos).

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 22 ii. Deuteronomy 16:9-10, You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain. Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering that you will bring, in proportion to how he has blessed you. (NET) 5. The annual festivals required all males to be present at the sanctuary. a. This appearance before the Lord would guarantee the possession of their land and would reinforce the feeling of unity, that they belonged to the Lord. i. Deuteronomy 16:16, Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him empty-handed. (NET) ii. Exodus 34:24, For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 23 Lord your God three times in the year. (NET) b. Write down these words. i. With this command God reaffirmed His covenant with the Israelites which were once again to be written in stone. ii. In Exodus 31:18, Moses wrote that the first stone tablets were written by the finger of God. iii. Exodus 31:18, He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. (NET) iv. This is confirmed in the book of Deuteronomy. v. Deuteronomy 5:22, The Lord said these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said. Then he inscribed the words on two stone tablets and gave them to me. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 24 vi. In light of the fact that God instructed Moses to write down these words we may conclude that this time Moses wrote on the tablets at the direction of God. c. Moses was in the presence of God for forty days and nights without food or water. i. We know that the human body cannot survive without water for more than three or four days. ii. We also know that as Creator, God can control all things. iii. What we do not know is, How did God used His divine powers to sustain Moses during that time? iv. But we do know that He did. II. The Radiant Face of Moses. (verses 29-35) A. Exodus 34:29-35, Now when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand when he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to approach him. But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 25 to them. After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking with them, he would put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded. When the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord. (NET) B. After forty days Moses returned to the camp with the new stone tablets. 1. He attempted to tell the Israelites all that God had instructed him, but they were afraid to approach him because his face shined with a glow from being in the presence of the Lord. a. Paul recorded in 2 Corinthians that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face. i. 2 Corinthians 3:7-8, But if the ministry that produced death carved in letters on stone tablets came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), how much more

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 26 Conclusion: glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? (NET) b. The longer we are in the presence of the Lord, the more it will be reflected in our lives. i. This will be an inner glow, not one covered by a veil, but one that shines through from our heart and soul and declares to the world that we are His people. ii. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, 18, You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NET) c. The glow of Moses face was a stamp of authenticity, offering proof to all that he had indeed been in the presence of the Lord God and also verified God s message that Moses carried back to the Israelites.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 27 I. The important message of this chapter is stated in this key quote: Exodus 34:6-7, The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children s children, to the third and fourth generation. (NET) A. This proclamation by God explains His relationship with mankind. 1. His love for us is so great that it knows no boundaries. 2. He is willing to forgive our sins against Him just as a faithful and loving father can forgive the sins of his children. 3. He is hurt and disappointed when we break our covenant with Him, yet His love for us is so great that no sin that is truly repented of can remove us from His presence. 4. This amazing act of God s reconciling Himself to sinful man was achieved through the sacrifice of His only son Jesus Christ who died on the cross that all may be free from the punishment of sin through that reconciliation with God.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 28 a. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. (NET) II. Even with this wonderful gift, sinful man by his very nature is opposed to God and rebels against Him and His ways. A. Yet God both loves them and is displeased with them. 1. He patiently waits and offers them grace and mercy, yet He will not restrain His wrath against those who reject Him. 2. His day of judgment will come and the righteous shall be separated from the unrighteous. a. Romans 1:18, 21, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 29 b. Romans 3:23-24, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (NET) c. Psalm 32:1-11, How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord. And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. An evil person suffers much pain, but

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 30 the Lord s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! (NET) d. Luke 15:10, In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God s angels over one sinner who repents. (NET) III. God has blessed us with the ability to make choices. A. Make sure you choose wisely. 1. Joshua 24:14, Now obey the Lord and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the Lord. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 31 Questions on Exodus 34:1-35 1. Explain the significance of God s willingness to replace the stone tablets. 2. Through God forgave the sins of the Israelites. 3. List three of the many attributes of God s character: (1) (2) (3) 4. Explain why God is slow to anger and slow to inflict punishment for sin.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 32 5. Does God forgive the sin of apostasy? Explain why or why not. 6. Explain why God warned the Israelites not to make a covenant with pagan nations. 7. What specific act did God tell the Israelites not to engage in with pagan nations? 8. God compared idol worship to what act?

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 33 9. Explain what an Asherah pole was. 10. Explain what God told the Israelites to do with the Asherah pole. 11. Was this the only time the Israelites encountered Asherah poles? Yes ; No If no, identify other occasions on which the Israelites encountered Asherah poles. 12. Did the finger of God write on the replacement tablets? Yes ; No If no, who wrote on the replacement tablets?

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 34 13. Explain how Moses face became radiant. 14. Moses glowing face was proof to the Israelites that