Exodus 34:10-28
“And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.” (Exodus 34:10-11)
Almost every vision of God precedes a revelation of things God is going to do, and the person seeing the vision’s part in it. While God had already revealed his intention to give Israel a land and drive out the people before them, He emphasizes the miraculous way he will do it at this time, and the importance of Israel’s obedience.
“Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.” (Exodus 34:12-16)
Israel was to avoid any kind of coalition, treaty, or agreement with any of the other peoples around them because they present the opportunity for them to be lead into breaking God’s laws. Making a treaty implied approval of what the people stood for, and might well encourage Jews to accept their religious practices and begin to go along with and even participate in them. Treaties especially increased the likelihood of marrying into families that worshipped other Gods, and once married, it would be difficult not to go along with the inlaw’s religion.
The command closely parallels the command for Christians in II Corinthians 6:14-17, and for the same reasons. “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Partnerships and agreements always require giving up some of one’s freedom to gain the benefit of the relationship. The greater the differences between the party’s basic values, the more they will have to sacrifice to maintain the relationship. It is wise to avoid such obvious sources of ethical conflict.
“Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.” (Exodus 34:17)
God reiterated and clarified his commands relating to worshipping God. This one was especially important because Israel had just made the golden calf to worship. In Exodus 20:4, God had commanded, “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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.” While the golden calf was not a carved image, it was still an image. The intent of the law was plain, and the letter of the Law, the exact wording could not be used to excuse disobedience.
“The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.” (Exodus 34:18-20)
The Law is unchanged, but two points were especially stressed, firstly that any animal they chose not to redeem was to be killed, and secondly that they were never to come before God empty handed.
“Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” (Exodus 34:21)
Only genuine emergency situations justified breaking the Sabbath. The urgency of getting crops in to avoid damage or loss was not enough. Those were predictable normal situations and should not be treated as an emergency. The time to rest was still to be taken because people are more important than profit. It is a blessing to see a national corporation such as Hobby Lobby take that position.
“And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.” (Exodus 34:22-24)
They were not to let fear of attack by their enemies distract them from attending the worship services. God would prevent anyone from wanting their possessions at those times. They were to obey God, demonstrating their faith.
“Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.” (Exodus 34:25)
No blood sacrifice was ever to be accompanied with any form of yeast or other leavening agent. Under this standard, the wine used at the Passover should not have been fermented, implying that the drink at the communion was not either. The entire Passover sacrifice was to be consumed. Partial acceptance was not enough.
“The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.” (Exodus 34:26)
They were to bring the first fruit they picked to God without waiting to see how much there was or making sure it was good enough. Again, it was a demonstration of faith. A mother’s milk was not be used to cook her own offspring. It too closely resembles a parent killing their own children.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.” (Exodus 34:27)
Moses was to write these clarifications down so they could know the tenor, the spirit or intent of the law, rather than focusing on the exact wording. Romans 7:6 expresses the same thing for the Christian. “…so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.”
“And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” (Exodus 34:28)
Moses spent another forty days and nights on the mountain without eating. Moses had not gone to the mountain to fast, but to meet with God. Too often our focus is on our fasting, our effort to get ready, rather than on meeting God. Isaiah 58:1-8 describes the typical fast and contrasts it with what God wants. In John 4:34, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.” Moses was probably unaware of the time that had passed or any sensation of hunger until he came down, because he was focused on God, rather than his own needs or desires.
“And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.” (Exodus 34:10-11)
Almost every vision of God precedes a revelation of things God is going to do, and the person seeing the vision’s part in it. While God had already revealed his intention to give Israel a land and drive out the people before them, He emphasizes the miraculous way he will do it at this time, and the importance of Israel’s obedience.
“Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.” (Exodus 34:12-16)
Israel was to avoid any kind of coalition, treaty, or agreement with any of the other peoples around them because they present the opportunity for them to be lead into breaking God’s laws. Making a treaty implied approval of what the people stood for, and might well encourage Jews to accept their religious practices and begin to go along with and even participate in them. Treaties especially increased the likelihood of marrying into families that worshipped other Gods, and once married, it would be difficult not to go along with the inlaw’s religion.
The command closely parallels the command for Christians in II Corinthians 6:14-17, and for the same reasons. “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Partnerships and agreements always require giving up some of one’s freedom to gain the benefit of the relationship. The greater the differences between the party’s basic values, the more they will have to sacrifice to maintain the relationship. It is wise to avoid such obvious sources of ethical conflict.
“Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.” (Exodus 34:17)
God reiterated and clarified his commands relating to worshipping God. This one was especially important because Israel had just made the golden calf to worship. In Exodus 20:4, God had commanded, “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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.” While the golden calf was not a carved image, it was still an image. The intent of the law was plain, and the letter of the Law, the exact wording could not be used to excuse disobedience.
“The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.” (Exodus 34:18-20)
The Law is unchanged, but two points were especially stressed, firstly that any animal they chose not to redeem was to be killed, and secondly that they were never to come before God empty handed.
“Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” (Exodus 34:21)
Only genuine emergency situations justified breaking the Sabbath. The urgency of getting crops in to avoid damage or loss was not enough. Those were predictable normal situations and should not be treated as an emergency. The time to rest was still to be taken because people are more important than profit. It is a blessing to see a national corporation such as Hobby Lobby take that position.
“And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.” (Exodus 34:22-24)
They were not to let fear of attack by their enemies distract them from attending the worship services. God would prevent anyone from wanting their possessions at those times. They were to obey God, demonstrating their faith.
“Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.” (Exodus 34:25)
No blood sacrifice was ever to be accompanied with any form of yeast or other leavening agent. Under this standard, the wine used at the Passover should not have been fermented, implying that the drink at the communion was not either. The entire Passover sacrifice was to be consumed. Partial acceptance was not enough.
“The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.” (Exodus 34:26)
They were to bring the first fruit they picked to God without waiting to see how much there was or making sure it was good enough. Again, it was a demonstration of faith. A mother’s milk was not be used to cook her own offspring. It too closely resembles a parent killing their own children.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.” (Exodus 34:27)
Moses was to write these clarifications down so they could know the tenor, the spirit or intent of the law, rather than focusing on the exact wording. Romans 7:6 expresses the same thing for the Christian. “…so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.”
“And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” (Exodus 34:28)
Moses spent another forty days and nights on the mountain without eating. Moses had not gone to the mountain to fast, but to meet with God. Too often our focus is on our fasting, our effort to get ready, rather than on meeting God. Isaiah 58:1-8 describes the typical fast and contrasts it with what God wants. In John 4:34, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.” Moses was probably unaware of the time that had passed or any sensation of hunger until he came down, because he was focused on God, rather than his own needs or desires.
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