Senior Class Notes – February 12, 2023

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Winter 2022-2023 Unit 2 Session 4 – Does it Align with God’s Character? – Exodus 34:1-9; PSG 132-141.

February 12, 2023

The Point: God never calls us to do something that is outside His character.

Inspirational Verse: “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” (Exodus 31:18).

Exodus 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. God of second chances. After Moses smashes the first stone tablets containing the law. God gives him and the people a second chance with a second copy of the law. He also renews his covenant and reassures the people of His presence and their eventual victory at the end of their journey to become a free and just society.29 Prior to his special encounter with the Lord, Moses was to cut two new tablets of stone to replace the tablets Moses had broken in his anger at the people’s disobedience in making and worshipping the golden calf (32:19).18 The two tables of testimony contained the ten Commandments and were to be placed inside to Ark of the Covenant in the most holy place in the tabernacle to remind the people of the covenant that the Israelites had promised to keep (25:16). The two tablets were not two sections, but duplicate copies of the covenant, one for each party.15 In keeping with ancient Near Eastern practice, these tablets were probably duplicates of the covenant document, not two sections of the Ten Commandments. One copy belonged to each party of the covenant. Since Israel’s copy was to be laid up in the presence of God (according to custom), both covenant tablets (God’s and Israel’s) were placed in the Ark (25:21).35

Exodus 34:2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. On some previous occasions Moses had ascended mount Sinai with others (24:1, 13). For this sacred occasion, however, Moses was to come alone. Only he had made the bold request to see the Lord’s glory, “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” (33:18, 20) and only he would participate in the experience (33:21-23).18 These instructions echo those given before the earlier theophany (divine appearance) (19:12, 20-24), but they exclude others from coming up with Moses, suggesting that another theophany is about to occur.27 Moses had asked to see God’s glory. What is God’s glory? It is His character, His nature, His way of relating to His creatures. Notice that God did not give Moses a vision of His power and majesty, but rather of His love.32

Exodus 34:3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. This brief statement of restrictions focuses on the fact that Moses alone is to be seen throughout all the mountain, which seems a more strict warning than when the law was initially given.5 The fact that the flocks and herds were to keep their distance from the mountain stressed that the limits previously set were still in place. “And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through [that is, shot with an arrow]; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount,” (19:12-13)18

Exodus 34:4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. Moses complied fully with the Lord’s instructions. It is difficult to picture exactly what occurred on the mountain. Perhaps on occasions such as this human language simply fails in explaining what is happening.18 In Exodus 3 Moses had offered several excuses for not obeying God’s command to return to Egypt. Apparently over time Moses had learned to trust God and obey Him readily. He prepared the two tables of stone and climbed the mountain to meet God again.22

Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The text simply states that the LORD . . . stood with Moses and then passed by before him as a proclamation took place. The visual revelation was combined with a verbal revelation of a listing of the Lord’s characteristics.18 Name: a further symbol of God’s nature, character and person (see Psalms 20:1; John 1:12; 17:6). Here His name implies His mercy (grace) and His compassion.35 This is the theophany that 33:19-23 anticipates, but what Moses hears (vv. 6b-7) almost totally eclipses what he sees (vv. 5-6a). Hear the Lord more fully reveals His character, as anticipated in 33:19. His self-description becomes an important Old Testament statement of God’s nature (Numbers 14:18; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17, 31; Psalms 86:5, 15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3).27

Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, In this stunning self-revelation, Yahweh doubled the word LORD to say, “This is who I Am.”31 The repetition (The LORD, The LORD) suggests that God is more fully explaining His name’s significance.36 The LORD, The Hebrew for LORD sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I AM in verse 3:14. Like most English versions, the NIV follows the practice of translating the Hebrew word (yhwh – Yahweh) here as “the LORD” (using small caps to distinguish it from another Hebrew word kyrios “Lord”). The practice of translating yhwh as “LORD” derives from the earliest pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) in the third century BC. This significantly influenced the New Testament, not only in its use of kyrios (“Lord”) in Old Testament quotations but also in the use of this term for Jesus, thus identifying Him with the God of the Old Testament.27 God is overwhelmingly gracious. John’s description of the coming of Jesus echoes this passage, describing the Messiah as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, 17). To see Jesus is to see the Father (John 1:18).17 The Lord passed before Moses and then declared what His character was like. It is instructive, therefore, what God revealed first, God could have emphasized His power, purity, or wrath. Instead, God disclosed the following characteristics:40

  1. Despite His peoples’ foolhardy rebellion, God still had compassion for them. A perfect God had concern for His frail and sinful creation.40 Compassion and Gracious go together – He is extensively gracious.
  2. It is God’s grace that gives people what they do not deserve. He owes us nothing, yet He is immensely generous to us.40
  3. If God were quick to anger, His people would quickly be consumed. God is longsuffering and only becomes angry when His righteousness has been grievously provoked.40 Slow to anger – longsuffering – is a comic term in Hebrew; it means “long of nose” in the sense that it takes a great deal to make the Lord angry.31
  4. Abundant in goodness. “Goodness” comes the Hebrew word chesed. It describes the faithful, loyal love that God demonstrates toward those with whom He is in a covenant relationship (Deut. 7:7-9).40 Chesed – goodness When God revealed Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, He described Himself as overflowing with goodness. This is one of the most significant words that describes God’s character (Psalm 13:5). It is often translated as mercy (Ex. 20:6; Ps. 6:4) and sometimes as lovingkindness (Psalm 17:7). The basic meaning of the word is “loyal love” or “steadfast love.” It refers to God’s loyalty and faithfulness to His covenant. In the New Testament, this characteristic of God is described as His grace (Greek Charis; John 1:17).19 When God commits Himself to someone, He is faithful to keep every promise. The Israelites had broken their promise to God, but God would never default on His promise. This faithful love is maintained “unto the third and to the fourth generation.” When God enters into a relationship with people, He is fully prepared to continue that relationship with their descendants.40
  5. Abundant . . . in truth. The world wants to immerse us in lies, but God always speaks truth. Jesus would later reveal that not only did He tell the truth, but He is the truth (John 14:6).40 Abundant in goodness and truth: is also translated in the NIV as Abounding in love and faithfulness. These words, in Greek, describe Jesus in John 1:14 as “full of grace and truth.”31
  6. It was surely comforting to Moses that God forgives “iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” The Israelites needed forgiveness for all these transgressions – and we do too.40
  7. God forgives, but He does not leave the guilty unpunished. God does not punish people for sins they did not commit. (see Ezekiel 18). One of the sad consequences of a father’s sin is that the child might choose to follow the father’s example and engage in the same sinful practice. We’ve seen this as children willingly take up the drug abuse or immorality they saw in their parents. When the sin is repeated by the next generation, God’s punishment is also repeated.40

Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Forgiving iniquity: God is a God of unlimited grace, mercy, and forgiveness. But man is not automatically forgiven – “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” (Numbers 14:18). We receive forgiveness from God only when we repent and seek reconciliation with Him. The second covenant with Israel (34:10) included relief from the judgment of the people’s sin to allow them to be taught their need and seek forgiveness.17 There is no such thing as sin without consequences, which here, as in 20:5, impacts successive generations. (See also Deut. 5:9-10). The implicit tensions of verses 6-7 are only partially resolved by the various judgments of Israel’s sin that culminated with the exile; but they are fully resolved in the death of Jesus, which was both the ultimate expression of God’s love and a full expression of God’s wrath (Rom. 3:25-26).36 Clear: (Hebrew naqah) Closely associated with the concept of punishment, naqah means to be set free from something, or to be made clean and without quilt. So, anyone who takes the Lord’s name in vain will not be held “guiltless” (Ex. 20:7). However, as the Lord notes here (Numbers 14:18), He alone has the power to “clear” the guilty (see also Ex. 34:7).19 Although the Lord is indeed a God of mercy and compassion, He also reveals himself to be a God of judgment. The holiness of the Lord demands that sin be punished. Even in the case of the idolatry at Mount Sinai, we recognize God’s mercy when we recall that His first intention was to destroy the entire nation (32:7-10). The fact that the Lord visits the iniquity of the fathers . . . unto the third and to the fourth generation is nearly identical to the language God used in the second commandment, regarding idolatry “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)18

Exodus 34:8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped. Reverent worship was Moses’ immediate response.18 Capitalizing on the Lord’s self-proclamation, Moses asks the Lord to forgive Israel and so fulfill his original intentions.27

Exodus 34:9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance. KEY WORD: Stiffnecked – The Hebrew people were stubborn and resisted God’s leadership many times. Our word “hard-headed” might fit them.40 Moses then returned to the issue of whether or not the Lord would accompany the Israelites as they proceeded toward the promised land. Along with that request, he prayed that God would pardon the people’s sin.18 Only by grace has anyone ever been able to establish, develop and enjoy an intimate relationship with the God of glory. Moses and his people could not earn God’s favor, and we cannot either. All of our efforts will always fall short. Thankfully, we don’t have to work for God’s acceptance; He gives us His love freely (Eph. 2:8-9).2 Nowhere in Moses’ prayers for the Israelites did he point to their repentance or promise any improvement; their future would depend on the Lord’s ongoing grace, forgiveness, and faithfulness.15

References: Winter 2022-2023, December 4, 2022 – February 26, 2023

  1. (CERB) – The Common English Reference Bible Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
  2. (CFSLPB) – The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible Copyright © 2017 by Thomas Nelson. Text from the Holy Bible, New International Version copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
  3. (CSBDSB) – Christian Standard Bible Disciple’s Study Bible Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers, One Lifeway Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234.
  4. (CWB) – Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry – Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd. Copyright © 1960. Copyright 1961 by Zondervan Publishing House – Grand Rapids, Michigan.
  5. (ESVSB) – The English Standard Version Study Bible, Personal size. Copyright © 2008 by Crossway. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway.
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  7. (HBAKJV) – The Holy Bible Authorized King James Version, Copyright © 1950 by Book Production Industries, Inc.
  8. (HISB) – The Holman Illustrated Study Bible – The Holman Illustrated Study Bible Copyright © 2006 by Holman Bible Publishers. The Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers.
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  11. (IMO) – On occasion, with the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will make comments of my own, based on my understanding of the events. I will indicate such times with – In My O
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