And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
The tables were the work of God Himself, and the writing engraved upon them was His own writing done by His own finger, in contrast to the calf which was merely the work of human hands with no power to save or harm. They were the two tables of the testimony, written on both sides and bearing the Ten Commandments, the law and commandments given to Moses to teach Israel. As the embodiment of His will and the symbol of His authority they represent the divine law, to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary as the visible center where He would abide as King and God, and because His character is unchanged that law retains its authority. Moses received them during forty days with God in the cloud on the mount to commit to Israel as His covenant people, while the impatient people refused to wait and turned back in heart to Egypt to demand an image to go before them in his place. When he came near and saw the calf and the heathen riot of shouting and dancing, he by divine direction purposely cast the tables from his hands and broke them beneath the mount in the sight of all, signifying that as Israel by open defiance and worship of a golden image had broken their solemn covenant so recently pledged, so God had broken His covenant with them.
Divine Tablets at Sinai
The tables were stone, and both the tables and the engraved writing upon them were the work of God Himself, done by His own finger. They stood in direct contrast to the calf, which was the work of human hands and had no power to save or to harm. They were the two tables of the testimony, written upon both sides. What was engraved on them was the decalogue or Ten Commandments, the law and commandments given to Moses to teach Israel.
As the embodiment of His will and the symbol of His authority they represent the divine law. They were to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary when made, that it might be the visible center of the nation's worship, where He would abide among Israel as their King and their God. Because His character is unchanged the law retains its authority and cannot be transgressed under claim of sanctification. Their divine authorship itself establishes God's authority.
Moses received them during forty days with God in the cloud on the mount, His law written down to be committed to Israel as His covenant people. Israel meanwhile was left to meditate on the law of God already heard and to prepare their hearts to receive further revelation. Instead of using the time to gain clearer understanding of God's requirements and humble their hearts, the people became careless, inattentive and lawless.
While Moses communed with God the impatient mixed multitude were determined to wait no longer for him, whether to go forward to Canaan or back to Egypt. Feeling helpless without their leader, the people turned back in heart to Egypt. They desired an image to represent God and to go before them in Moses's place. While God was writing above, demand rose below for other gods.
At the suggestion of those who had practiced it they returned to Egyptian superstition and made and worshiped a calf after the ox or calf regarded as a symbol of deity in Egypt. They did this though God had given no manner of similitude of Himself and had prohibited any material representation. The miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea had been designed to establish faith in Him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper and only true God, and desire for visible manifestation had been granted in the pillar of cloud and fire and in the revealing of His glory on Sinai, with the cloud still before them. To represent the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox was turning back in heart to Egypt. At the same time Satan was at the foot of Sinai carrying forward the same work of overthrowing God's law he had begun in heaven, stirring doubt, apostasy and rebellion until Israel denied loyalty to Jehovah and demanded gods of gold.
In Moses's absence Aaron showed weakness by yielding to the demand and making the calf. By joining the people in idolatry he failed to uphold God's authority established by the divine authorship of the tables. He also failed to cite to the people the solemn covenant they had made at Sinai to obey, given amid the perils of Sinai, which should have been used to check the apostasy. Moses felt his own weakness and felt the greatness of the work committed to him as no other man had felt it, and God was ever his counselor, while Aaron and Miriam thought they bore the burden of the work as well as Moses because they had been chosen to aid him and the Lord had spoken by them as well as by Moses.
Breaking the Covenant Tables
Moses came down from the mount bearing the tables of the testimony with Joshua at his side, fresh from the presence of God's glory, and together they heard a shout in the camp that was not the sound of war but of singing. As he drew near he saw the calf and the people shouting and dancing around the idol in heathen riot, an excited revelry in imitation of idolatrous Egyptian feasts and wholly unlike reverential worship of God. Though warned that the people had corrupted themselves, he was unprepared for such degradation, and coming straight from God's glory he was overwhelmed and his anger grew hot at the sight.
In utter discouragement and wrath at Israel's great sin, and to show his abhorrence of the crime, he cast the tables from his hands and broke them beneath the mount. This was done purposely and by divine direction, in the sight of all the people. He then burned the calf, ground it to powder, scattered it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink it.
The breaking of the sacred tables of the law, the work of God with the writing of God graven upon them, signified that as Israel had broken their covenant with God, so God had broken His covenant with them. By open defiance in the adoration of a golden image, in daring insult and blasphemy, they had broken the solemn covenant so recently pledged at Sinai to obey, given amid the perils of Sinai. Their destruction declared that breach complete.
God would not arbitrarily destroy Israel but gave them a chance. The swift judgment that followed maintained His law and prevented persistent rebellion from spreading and bringing greater ruin. Those cut off were only those who refused the opportunity to repent. The punishment was mercy toward Israel, toward the wider world, and even toward the transgressors themselves, since to spare them would have prolonged their evil course unto further corruption, conflict, and destruction.
The tables were the work of God Himself, and the writing engraved upon them was His own writing done by His own finger, in contrast to the calf which was merely the work of human hands with no power to save or harm. They were the two tables of the testimony, written on both sides and bearing the Ten Commandments, the law and commandments given to Moses to teach Israel. As the embodiment of His will and the symbol of His authority they represent the divine law, to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary as the visible center where He would abide as King and God, and because His character is unchanged that law retains its authority. Moses received them during forty days with God in the cloud on the mount to commit to Israel as His covenant people, while the impatient people refused to wait and turned back in heart to Egypt to demand an image to go before them in his place. When he came near and saw the calf and the heathen riot of shouting and dancing, he by divine direction purposely cast the tables from his hands and broke them beneath the mount in the sight of all, signifying that as Israel by open defiance and worship of a golden image had broken their solemn covenant so recently pledged, so God had broken His covenant with them.
Divine Tablets at Sinai
The tables were stone, and both the tables and the engraved writing upon them were the work of God Himself, done by His own finger. They stood in direct contrast to the calf, which was the work of human hands and had no power to save or to harm. They were the two tables of the testimony, written upon both sides. What was engraved on them was the decalogue or Ten Commandments, the law and commandments given to Moses to teach Israel.
As the embodiment of His will and the symbol of His authority they represent the divine law. They were to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary when made, that it might be the visible center of the nation's worship, where He would abide among Israel as their King and their God. Because His character is unchanged the law retains its authority and cannot be transgressed under claim of sanctification. Their divine authorship itself establishes God's authority.
Moses received them during forty days with God in the cloud on the mount, His law written down to be committed to Israel as His covenant people. Israel meanwhile was left to meditate on the law of God already heard and to prepare their hearts to receive further revelation. Instead of using the time to gain clearer understanding of God's requirements and humble their hearts, the people became careless, inattentive and lawless.
While Moses communed with God the impatient mixed multitude were determined to wait no longer for him, whether to go forward to Canaan or back to Egypt. Feeling helpless without their leader, the people turned back in heart to Egypt. They desired an image to represent God and to go before them in Moses's place. While God was writing above, demand rose below for other gods.
At the suggestion of those who had practiced it they returned to Egyptian superstition and made and worshiped a calf after the ox or calf regarded as a symbol of deity in Egypt. They did this though God had given no manner of similitude of Himself and had prohibited any material representation. The miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea had been designed to establish faith in Him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper and only true God, and desire for visible manifestation had been granted in the pillar of cloud and fire and in the revealing of His glory on Sinai, with the cloud still before them. To represent the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox was turning back in heart to Egypt. At the same time Satan was at the foot of Sinai carrying forward the same work of overthrowing God's law he had begun in heaven, stirring doubt, apostasy and rebellion until Israel denied loyalty to Jehovah and demanded gods of gold.
In Moses's absence Aaron showed weakness by yielding to the demand and making the calf. By joining the people in idolatry he failed to uphold God's authority established by the divine authorship of the tables. He also failed to cite to the people the solemn covenant they had made at Sinai to obey, given amid the perils of Sinai, which should have been used to check the apostasy. Moses felt his own weakness and felt the greatness of the work committed to him as no other man had felt it, and God was ever his counselor, while Aaron and Miriam thought they bore the burden of the work as well as Moses because they had been chosen to aid him and the Lord had spoken by them as well as by Moses.
Breaking the Covenant Tables
Moses came down from the mount bearing the tables of the testimony with Joshua at his side, fresh from the presence of God's glory, and together they heard a shout in the camp that was not the sound of war but of singing. As he drew near he saw the calf and the people shouting and dancing around the idol in heathen riot, an excited revelry in imitation of idolatrous Egyptian feasts and wholly unlike reverential worship of God. Though warned that the people had corrupted themselves, he was unprepared for such degradation, and coming straight from God's glory he was overwhelmed and his anger grew hot at the sight.
In utter discouragement and wrath at Israel's great sin, and to show his abhorrence of the crime, he cast the tables from his hands and broke them beneath the mount. This was done purposely and by divine direction, in the sight of all the people. He then burned the calf, ground it to powder, scattered it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink it.
The breaking of the sacred tables of the law, the work of God with the writing of God graven upon them, signified that as Israel had broken their covenant with God, so God had broken His covenant with them. By open defiance in the adoration of a golden image, in daring insult and blasphemy, they had broken the solemn covenant so recently pledged at Sinai to obey, given amid the perils of Sinai. Their destruction declared that breach complete.
God would not arbitrarily destroy Israel but gave them a chance. The swift judgment that followed maintained His law and prevented persistent rebellion from spreading and bringing greater ruin. Those cut off were only those who refused the opportunity to repent. The punishment was mercy toward Israel, toward the wider world, and even toward the transgressors themselves, since to spare them would have prolonged their evil course unto further corruption, conflict, and destruction.