Exodus 34

Exodus 34 is a pivotal chapter that recounts God's renewal of the covenant with Israel following the golden calf incident. It features Moses making new stone tablets, ascending Mount Sinai to meet with God, and returning with a radiant face after being in God's presence. The chapter outlines specific commandments and festivals, emphasizing God's mercy, justice, and the necessity of obedience to maintain the covenant.

Exodus 34:1-3 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.
2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.
3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”

These verses initiate the restoration of the broken covenant. God commands Moses to cut two new stone tablets identical to the first, signifying a renewal rather than an entirely new covenant. The directive for Moses to ascend Mount Sinai alone, with no one else even on the mountain, underscores the sacredness of the covenant renewal process and the exclusivity of Moses' role as mediator between God and Israel.

Exodus 34:4-7 (NKJV)
4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Moses obeys God's command, and God reveals His character in a profound declaration that highlights His mercy, grace, and patience, but also His commitment to justice. This proclamation not only serves as a foundation for the renewed covenant but also defines the moral character of God that Israel is called to emulate. It underscores the balance between God's mercy in forgiveness and His justice in holding the guilty accountable, reflecting the complexity of divine justice and mercy.

Exodus 34:8-9 (NKJV)
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.
9 Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

Moses' immediate response of worship reflects his reverence and gratitude for God's willingness to renew the covenant despite Israel's failures. His plea for God to remain with the Israelites despite their stubbornness highlights his understanding of the people's dependence on God's presence for identity and protection. Moses' request for forgiveness and for the people to be taken as God's inheritance reaffirms the covenant relationship, framing Israel as God's treasured possession.

Exodus 34:10-13 (NKJV)
10 And He said, “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
11 Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.
13 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images

God promises to perform unprecedented marvels, setting Israel apart from all other nations as a demonstration of His power and as a sign of His special relationship with them. The instructions to avoid treaties with the inhabitants of Canaan and to destroy their religious symbols are aimed at preventing idolatry from corrupting Israel. These commands emphasize the exclusivity of worship to Yahweh and the need to maintain spiritual purity by distancing from local pagan practices.

Exodus 34:14-16 (NKJV)
14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice
16 (and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods).

God's directive not to worship other gods is reinforced by describing Himself as a "jealous God." This anthropomorphic term emphasizes His exclusive claim to worship and allegiance, which is critical for maintaining the covenant relationship. The warning against intermarriage with the Canaanites underscores the danger of being led into idolatry, as familial bonds could lead to compromises in Israel's worship and allegiance to God.

Exodus 34:17 (NKJV)
17 “You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.”

This concise command reinforces the prohibition against idolatry, specifically the making of molded images, which was a direct violation of the second commandment. It serves as a reminder of the incident with the golden calf and underscores the necessity of worshiping God in the manner He has ordained, free from physical representations.

Exodus 34:18-20 (NKJV)
18 “The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.
19 “All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. 20 But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you do not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.”

These verses remind Israel of the annual Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrating their deliverance from Egypt. The instructions about the firstborn highlight God's claim over all firstborn as a continual reminder of His saving acts in Egypt, where the firstborn of Egypt were struck down. The redemption of firstborn sons and unclean animals underscores the value of life and the necessity of sanctifying these to God.

Exodus 34:21-24 (NKJV)
21 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
22 And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.
23 Thrice in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel.
24 For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.”

These commands link sabbath rest and the agricultural feasts directly to God's provision and sovereignty. The sabbath, even during the busiest times, is a testimony to trust in God's provision. The feasts of Weeks and Ingathering celebrate the harvest, recognizing God as the source of all bounty. The requirement for males to appear before God thrice annually at the central sanctuary was designed to foster national unity and devotion, with the promise of divine protection during these times.

Exodus 34:25-26 (NKJV)
25 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.
26 “The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

These instructions ensure the proper observance of sacrificial rites and offerings. The prohibition against leaven during sacrifices and the prompt consumption of the Passover lamb emphasize the holiness and urgency of these observances. The commands about the firstfruits and not boiling a goat in its mother's milk (a practice possibly linked to Canaanite ritual) underscore the separation of Israelite worship practices from those of their neighbors.

Exodus 34:27-28 (NKJV)
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for according to the tenor of 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 nor drink water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

God instructs Moses to record the covenant terms, emphasizing their permanence and binding nature. Moses' 40-day fast highlights the intense spiritual significance of this covenant renewal. The divine inscription of the Ten Commandments on the tablets underscores their foundational role in Israel's communal and religious life.

Exodus 34:29-35 (NKJV)
29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the community returned to him; and Moses talked with them.
32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
33 And till Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he took the veil off until he came out; and he came out and spoke to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded.
35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. Then Moses would put the veil back on his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Moses' radiant face serves as a physical manifestation of his encounter with the divine, marking him as a unique mediator between God and Israel. His need to veil his face reflects the overwhelming glory of God, which was too intense for the people to bear directly. This radiance and the subsequent veiling symbolize both the closeness and the distance in the relationship between God and Israel, illustrating the holiness of God and the mediated nature of the divine covenant.