1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:08,860 Speaker 1: Life Audio. The Bible Study Podcast, Episode 990. Today, the 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the book of 3 00:00:12,539 --> 00:00:24,630 Speaker 1: Exodus with Chapter 34. Welcome to the Bible Study Podcast. 4 00:00:24,690 --> 00:00:27,110 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We're going to continue on 5 00:00:27,150 --> 00:00:30,930 Speaker 1: with Chapter 34, the New Stone Tablets and the Radiant 6 00:00:31,430 --> 00:00:34,550 Speaker 1: Face of Moses, but first a word from this sponsor. 7 00:00:36,110 --> 00:00:39,190 Speaker 1: Chapter 34, the new stone tablets. The Lord said to Moses, 8 00:00:39,290 --> 00:00:43,290 Speaker 1: chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and 9 00:00:43,370 --> 00:00:44,990 Speaker 1: I will write on them the words that were on 10 00:00:45,030 --> 00:00:47,510 Speaker 1: the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the 11 00:00:47,550 --> 00:00:50,250 Speaker 1: morning and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself 12 00:00:50,350 --> 00:00:52,790 Speaker 1: to me there on top of the mountain. No one 13 00:00:52,830 --> 00:00:54,810 Speaker 1: is to come up with you or be seen anywhere 14 00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:57,670 Speaker 1: on the mountain. Not even the flocks and herds may 15 00:00:57,710 --> 00:01:00,820 Speaker 1: graze in front of the mountains. So Moses chiseled out 16 00:01:00,860 --> 00:01:03,660 Speaker 1: two stone tablets like the first ones and went up 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,390 Speaker 1: Mount Sinai early in the morning as the Lord had 18 00:01:06,420 --> 00:01:09,709 Speaker 1: commanded him. And he carried the two stone tablets in 19 00:01:09,750 --> 00:01:12,950 Speaker 1: his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud 20 00:01:13,050 --> 00:01:16,310 Speaker 1: and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 21 00:01:16,870 --> 00:01:19,570 Speaker 1: And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming the Lord, 22 00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:23,310 Speaker 1: the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, 23 00:01:23,430 --> 00:01:27,030 Speaker 1: abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and 24 00:01:27,090 --> 00:01:31,060 Speaker 1: forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave 25 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,770 Speaker 1: the guilty unpunished. He punishes the children and their children 26 00:01:34,870 --> 00:01:37,530 Speaker 1: for the sin of the parents to the third and 27 00:01:37,569 --> 00:01:41,530 Speaker 1: fourth generation. Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. Lord, 28 00:01:41,569 --> 00:01:43,910 Speaker 1: he said, if I have found favor in your eyes, 29 00:01:43,990 --> 00:01:47,050 Speaker 1: then let the Lord go with us. Although this is 30 00:01:47,110 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin and 31 00:01:50,940 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: take us as your inheritance. Then the Lord said, I 32 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,460 Speaker 1: am making a covenant with you before all your people. 33 00:01:56,580 --> 00:01:59,300 Speaker 1: I will do wonders and Never before done in any 34 00:01:59,330 --> 00:02:02,740 Speaker 1: nation in all the world. The people you live among 35 00:02:02,780 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, 36 00:02:05,540 --> 00:02:08,700 Speaker 1: will do for you. Obey what I command you today. 37 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:14,650 Speaker 1: I will drive up before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Pezarites, Hivites, 38 00:02:14,730 --> 00:02:17,630 Speaker 1: and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with 39 00:02:17,669 --> 00:02:19,730 Speaker 1: those who live in the land where you are going, 40 00:02:20,169 --> 00:02:22,580 Speaker 1: or they will be a snare among you. Break down 41 00:02:22,620 --> 00:02:25,970 Speaker 1: their altars, smash their sacred stones. And cut down their 42 00:02:26,110 --> 00:02:29,410 Speaker 1: Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god. For the Lord, 43 00:02:29,470 --> 00:02:32,709 Speaker 1: whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god. Be careful 44 00:02:32,750 --> 00:02:34,830 Speaker 1: not to make a treaty with those who live in 45 00:02:34,850 --> 00:02:38,140 Speaker 1: the land. For when they prostitute themselves to their gods 46 00:02:38,220 --> 00:02:40,940 Speaker 1: and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you 47 00:02:40,980 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of 48 00:02:44,980 --> 00:02:47,900 Speaker 1: their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters 49 00:02:48,060 --> 00:02:51,820 Speaker 1: prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons 50 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,419 Speaker 1: to do the same. Do not make any idols. Celebrate 51 00:02:55,460 --> 00:02:58,780 Speaker 1: the festival of unleavened bread for seven days. Eat bread 52 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,370 Speaker 1: made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at 53 00:03:02,410 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in 54 00:03:05,490 --> 00:03:08,590 Speaker 1: that month you came out of Egypt. The first offspring 55 00:03:08,630 --> 00:03:11,410 Speaker 1: of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn 56 00:03:11,450 --> 00:03:15,510 Speaker 1: males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. Redeem 57 00:03:15,570 --> 00:03:17,870 Speaker 1: the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do 58 00:03:17,930 --> 00:03:21,590 Speaker 1: not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. 59 00:03:22,290 --> 00:03:25,190 Speaker 1: No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Six days 60 00:03:25,250 --> 00:03:28,030 Speaker 1: you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest. 61 00:03:28,610 --> 00:03:31,570 Speaker 1: Even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. 62 00:03:32,130 --> 00:03:35,940 Speaker 1: Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the first fruits of 63 00:03:35,980 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: the wheat harvest and the festival of ingathering at the 64 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: turn of the year. Three times a year all your 65 00:03:41,660 --> 00:03:43,980 Speaker 1: men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God 66 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,740 Speaker 1: of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and 67 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,060 Speaker 1: enlarge your territory. No one will covet your land when 68 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,990 Speaker 1: you go up three times each year to appear before 69 00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:55,490 Speaker 1: the Lord your God. Do not offer the blood of 70 00:03:55,550 --> 00:03:58,890 Speaker 1: a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and 71 00:03:58,930 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover 72 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: festival remain until morning. Bring the best of the firstfruits 73 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. 74 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,420 Speaker 1: Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. 75 00:04:12,140 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: Then the Lord said to Moses, Write down these words, 76 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,190 Speaker 1: for in accordance with these words I have made a 77 00:04:17,230 --> 00:04:20,450 Speaker 1: covenant with you and with Israel. Moses was there with 78 00:04:20,470 --> 00:04:23,030 Speaker 1: the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread 79 00:04:23,130 --> 00:04:26,190 Speaker 1: or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets concerning 80 00:04:26,730 --> 00:04:31,849 Speaker 1: the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. So this 81 00:04:31,930 --> 00:04:34,630 Speaker 1: is almost a do over here, right? We've got new 82 00:04:34,710 --> 00:04:38,830 Speaker 1: stone tablets, Moses going up again, again for 40 days 83 00:04:38,890 --> 00:04:42,990 Speaker 1: and 40 nights. We remember what happened last time. Fortunately, 84 00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:47,409 Speaker 1: this time, the people don't make an idol while he's 85 00:04:47,470 --> 00:04:49,810 Speaker 1: up there. Now, maybe they know he's going to be 86 00:04:49,830 --> 00:04:51,850 Speaker 1: gone 40 days and 40 nights this time, or at 87 00:04:51,890 --> 00:04:53,730 Speaker 1: least they know how long he was gone last time 88 00:04:53,770 --> 00:04:56,750 Speaker 1: and that he came back, or they remember how God 89 00:04:56,890 --> 00:05:01,330 Speaker 1: was so angry afterwards. But at least this time, nothing 90 00:05:01,410 --> 00:05:04,970 Speaker 1: happens while he's there. Nothing bad happens. And so that's 91 00:05:05,010 --> 00:05:09,590 Speaker 1: good news. But this whole thing reads like a second try. 92 00:05:10,230 --> 00:05:13,529 Speaker 1: We get the two stone tablets. They're blank when Moses 93 00:05:13,570 --> 00:05:15,300 Speaker 1: carries them up the mountain. I never really thought about 94 00:05:15,330 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: Moses carrying stone tablets, how heavy that would be. to 95 00:05:18,339 --> 00:05:20,380 Speaker 1: carry him up a mountain, and he's already an old man. 96 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 1: And so he brings them up. Nobody else can be 97 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,970 Speaker 1: around the mountain at the time. No one can even 98 00:05:26,089 --> 00:05:29,550 Speaker 1: graze their sheep up there. And then we hear about 99 00:05:29,770 --> 00:05:33,890 Speaker 1: God in passes in front of Moses proclaiming, the Lord, 100 00:05:34,089 --> 00:05:37,570 Speaker 1: the Lord, the compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding 101 00:05:37,620 --> 00:05:40,700 Speaker 1: in love and faithfulness. We sometimes think of the God 102 00:05:40,779 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: of the Old Testament as being a vindictive God, but 103 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:50,230 Speaker 1: that is not how God describes himself here. And remember 104 00:05:50,290 --> 00:05:53,210 Speaker 1: that the people who are down the mountain, who he's 105 00:05:53,270 --> 00:05:55,890 Speaker 1: about to take to the promised land, the people who 106 00:05:55,950 --> 00:05:59,070 Speaker 1: he is still promising to drive out all those other 107 00:05:59,110 --> 00:06:03,830 Speaker 1: people in front of them have already been disobedient. So 108 00:06:03,970 --> 00:06:07,790 Speaker 1: he could, at this point, just be done with them. 109 00:06:08,430 --> 00:06:12,450 Speaker 1: But he is, in fact, compassionate and gracious, slow to 110 00:06:12,589 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. maintaining love to 111 00:06:17,020 --> 00:06:20,310 Speaker 1: thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. And it's a 112 00:06:20,430 --> 00:06:24,670 Speaker 1: good thing he is. It's a good thing for these people, 113 00:06:25,130 --> 00:06:27,670 Speaker 1: but it's a good thing for our people as well, 114 00:06:27,750 --> 00:06:32,030 Speaker 1: for us, for me, for you. Now, he doesn't leave 115 00:06:32,050 --> 00:06:34,490 Speaker 1: the guilty unpunished. Now, sometimes we wish he'd be a 116 00:06:34,510 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 1: little more quick with that. And then we get this, 117 00:06:37,070 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: he punishes the children and their children of the sins 118 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 1: of the third and fourth generation. I remember reading a 119 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,220 Speaker 1: book by Catherine Marshall, the late great Catherine Marshall, and 120 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:53,260 Speaker 1: she wondered if the sins being punished to the second 121 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,289 Speaker 1: and third generation, if some of that was not necessarily 122 00:06:57,130 --> 00:06:59,630 Speaker 1: the punishment of God, but just true. If you think 123 00:06:59,670 --> 00:07:02,850 Speaker 1: of things like child abuse, that it carries on from 124 00:07:02,930 --> 00:07:06,770 Speaker 1: generation to generation, a lot of things, the way that 125 00:07:06,790 --> 00:07:10,210 Speaker 1: we treat our children, because we were treated that way 126 00:07:10,290 --> 00:07:14,190 Speaker 1: by our parents, A lot of those sins carry on 127 00:07:14,630 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: from generation to generation, not necessarily as a direct act 128 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: of God, although that's sort of the way that this 129 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,980 Speaker 1: reads right here. And then Moses bows himself to the 130 00:07:27,020 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: ground and says, come with us. I know we're a 131 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,060 Speaker 1: stiff-necked people. Forgive our wickedness and sin and take us 132 00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:38,870 Speaker 1: into the promised land. And so God says, yeah, I'm 133 00:07:38,890 --> 00:07:40,630 Speaker 1: going to do that. I'm going to drive out all 134 00:07:40,670 --> 00:07:43,850 Speaker 1: these people before you. But let's think about this. I'm 135 00:07:43,890 --> 00:07:47,070 Speaker 1: driving out all these people because they have displeased me. 136 00:07:47,810 --> 00:07:51,330 Speaker 1: Their worship of these other gods, especially Baal and Asherah, 137 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: have been detestable to God. Not just because they're other gods, 138 00:07:54,900 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: but also it doesn't mention it here, but they sacrifice 139 00:07:58,020 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: children to their gods, which is particularly abhorrent to this God. 140 00:08:02,980 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: And so he says, don't make treaties with them. Don't 141 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: marry them. You're going to marry them, then you're going 142 00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:13,220 Speaker 1: to be ensnared by their religion. Don't make sacrifices to 143 00:08:13,260 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: their gods. Tear down their altars. Tear down their Asherah poles. Basically, 144 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: leave no trace of the religion of these people, which 145 00:08:22,380 --> 00:08:26,140 Speaker 1: is the reason that I'm going to destroy them. Again, 146 00:08:26,370 --> 00:08:29,810 Speaker 1: we've said all this before, and we'll say it all again, 147 00:08:30,490 --> 00:08:34,410 Speaker 1: but this is, again, like a second try at this 148 00:08:34,530 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: with a new set of tablets. written down the Ten 149 00:08:37,330 --> 00:08:40,170 Speaker 1: Commandments again. So we're hearing some of these things again. 150 00:08:40,590 --> 00:08:44,110 Speaker 1: Don't make idols. Remember these Feast of the Unleavened Bread. 151 00:08:44,870 --> 00:08:48,470 Speaker 1: Don't appear before me empty-handed that we're going to have sacrifices. 152 00:08:48,530 --> 00:08:52,030 Speaker 1: Don't forget to redeem your firstborn sons, as we learned 153 00:08:52,090 --> 00:08:56,070 Speaker 1: again during the time of the Passover. Again, the Sabbath, 154 00:08:56,210 --> 00:08:59,370 Speaker 1: celebrate the Sabbath, even during harvest and plowing seasons, even 155 00:08:59,429 --> 00:09:04,370 Speaker 1: when you're really, really, really busy, which would be harvest 156 00:09:04,429 --> 00:09:09,870 Speaker 1: and plowing seasons. Even then, you need rest. And this 157 00:09:09,910 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 1: is true for us too. We need that rest that 158 00:09:13,050 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: God desires for us even when we're really busy, maybe 159 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: especially when we're really busy. Celebrate the festival of weeks. 160 00:09:21,340 --> 00:09:24,660 Speaker 1: Don't offer blood of sacrifice to me with anything containing yeast. 161 00:09:25,260 --> 00:09:28,090 Speaker 1: Best remember the first fruits. I don't know why in 162 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,709 Speaker 1: this short summary of the law, do not cook a 163 00:09:31,750 --> 00:09:34,210 Speaker 1: young goat in its mother's milk shows up there because 164 00:09:34,250 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: it seems like one of those really weird things that 165 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,740 Speaker 1: I've never thought about doing, but it's one of the 166 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,910 Speaker 1: reasons why people who keep kosher don't mix meat and dairy. 167 00:09:45,850 --> 00:09:49,330 Speaker 1: And then write these all down. Write these all down again. 168 00:09:49,350 --> 00:09:52,510 Speaker 1: We're going to write down the Ten Commandments again, and 169 00:09:52,890 --> 00:09:55,890 Speaker 1: Moses is up there again for 40 days and 40 170 00:09:55,890 --> 00:10:00,580 Speaker 1: nights doing all this. Continuing on, this last section here, 171 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,420 Speaker 1: the radiant face of Moses. When Moses came down from 172 00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:06,550 Speaker 1: Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law 173 00:10:06,670 --> 00:10:09,070 Speaker 1: in his hands, he was not aware that his face 174 00:10:09,110 --> 00:10:13,070 Speaker 1: was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When 175 00:10:13,270 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant. 176 00:10:17,270 --> 00:10:19,330 Speaker 1: and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses 177 00:10:19,390 --> 00:10:21,380 Speaker 1: called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of 178 00:10:21,420 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 1: the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward, 179 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them 180 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. 181 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,329 Speaker 1: When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil 182 00:10:35,490 --> 00:10:38,490 Speaker 1: over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord's presence 183 00:10:38,570 --> 00:10:41,090 Speaker 1: to speak with him, he removed the veil until he 184 00:10:41,130 --> 00:10:43,730 Speaker 1: came out. And when he came out and told the 185 00:10:43,750 --> 00:10:46,790 Speaker 1: Israelites what he had been commanded, They saw his face 186 00:10:46,830 --> 00:10:49,990 Speaker 1: was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over 187 00:10:50,050 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: his face until he went to speak with the Lord. 188 00:10:54,059 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: And again, this is the thing I was talking about 189 00:10:55,559 --> 00:11:00,260 Speaker 1: last week, that we are changed by spending time with God. 190 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,140 Speaker 1: Time in community, time in prayer, time in worship, time 191 00:11:04,220 --> 00:11:10,010 Speaker 1: in study, time in fellowship. We are changed as Moses 192 00:11:10,090 --> 00:11:14,510 Speaker 1: was changed and we reflect the glory of God. The 193 00:11:14,610 --> 00:11:17,550 Speaker 1: Hebrew word for that, I understand, is called Shekinah, which 194 00:11:17,630 --> 00:11:22,590 Speaker 1: is the glowing presence of God. And when we got 195 00:11:22,690 --> 00:11:26,950 Speaker 1: to our church where I've been going to since 1984, 196 00:11:26,950 --> 00:11:31,530 Speaker 1: Bethel Lutheran Church in Cupertino, they had a room over 197 00:11:31,570 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: by the youth room that was the Shekinah room. And 198 00:11:34,860 --> 00:11:36,900 Speaker 1: I didn't know what the word meant, and so I asked. 199 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,420 Speaker 1: And it is this face, this glowing face of Moses 200 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: that we're talking about here, this I've been changed because 201 00:11:45,570 --> 00:11:48,109 Speaker 1: I've been in the presence of God, is what that 202 00:11:48,170 --> 00:11:52,310 Speaker 1: word means. And may you be changed by God's presence 203 00:11:52,370 --> 00:11:54,790 Speaker 1: in your life this week. And with that, we're going 204 00:11:54,809 --> 00:11:57,929 Speaker 1: to end this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If 205 00:11:57,950 --> 00:12:01,420 Speaker 1: you have any questions, send an email to chris2x at gmail.com, 206 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:06,319 Speaker 1: or better yet, leave a comment on this episode at thebiblestudypodcast.com. 207 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:19,290 Speaker 1: And as always, thanks so much for listening. I want 208 00:12:19,330 --> 00:12:21,150 Speaker 1: to take just a second to thank the team at 209 00:12:21,210 --> 00:12:24,250 Speaker 1: Life Audio for their partnership with us on this podcast. 210 00:12:24,730 --> 00:12:28,110 Speaker 1: If you go to lifeaudio.com, you'll find dozens of other 211 00:12:28,270 --> 00:12:32,450 Speaker 1: faith-centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows about prayer, 212 00:12:33,010 --> 00:12:35,290 Speaker 1: Bible study, parenting, and more.