Moses on Mount Sinai- 10 commandments

Article for Wednesday March 25, 2026

Exodus 34:1–3 ¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ² Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. ³ No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.”

Moses had been speaking with God for some time now after he had broken the tablets with the Ten Commandments.  Moses appears to make some demands if he and God’s people were to continue to follow God.  Not that Moses is trying to double down on God but that he is making sure God will stay with him and with God’s chosen people.  Moses is about to lead thousands and thousands of people through rough terrain and many nations. 

Stop and think, these nations that Moses is leading God’s people through are not ready to witness and trust such a multitude of unknown people.  It’s not like the news could report that the exodus of the Hebrew Nation would be passing through their country.  Who knew what the unsuspecting people of the surrounding nations knew or have even heard.

Moses had just been with God receiving the first draft of the Ten commandments and came down to witness that his own brother Aaron had betrayed him and fabricated a golden calf for the people to follow and worship.  In Moses’ anger he threw the stone tablets down and turned them into pieces and pebbles.  Now God steps in and Moses and God have a conversation on how to proceed.  God who made the first two tablets tells Moses to fabricate two new blank tablets.  Though Moses has to make these two tablets it is still God who will rewrite the laws for Moses and the Hebrew Nation to follow.  I think God wants to make sure there is no mistake in His laws.

Exodus 34:4–5 4So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

Another faction of the conversation between God and Moses is that Moses wants to see God.  God is going to grant this request of Moses to see Him, but God does put stipulations on this privilege He is presenting to Moses.  Moses may not see the face of God.  In fact, no man can see the face of God because they will die in seeing it.  So, God will shield Moses until He has passed by Moses and then allow Moses to see His back.

Interesting enough after Moses sees the back of God, Moses and the tablets are once again a top of the mountain.  The “Lord” descends from the clouds and stands with Moses and proclaims to Moses His holy name.  was it Yahweh Elohim (Lord God)?  The Lord passes before Moses and proclaims not only who the Lord is but what kind of Lord He is.  This “the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin,”.  This is our God whom we should love because He first loved us. This is the personality of the God we worship.

But there is a second part of God’s personality we should know and understand.  God continues saying, “but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”  It is important to understand what God has said here and learn where He has said this before when He first gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:6–7 6The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

We need to go to Exodus 20:5 to understand what God is saying in this last part as He speaks to Moses in His introduction of Himself.  God will not forgive those who hate Him, but He will give grace and mercy to those who love Him and follow His commands.  Yes, God does expect us to follow His commands.  God does want us to love Him and not be His enemy.  Jesus says He did not come to replace the law but to fulfill the law. (Matthew 5:17) and remember the greatest command from Mark 12:30.

Exodus 34:8–9 8And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

      Moses now knows what kind of God he is following, and he bows and worships Him our one true God.  We too should know through God’s word and the study of our God’s word who He is and whom we are following.  We too should realize that we have a God who has shown us His great love through His only begotten Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Please tell me what is here not to love?

      We too, are a stiff neck people who have sinned against God and need to repent as much as those who made and worshipped a false God.  But we also need to recognize that God kept His promise to Moses and went to the people and forgave them and continued to be their God.  Jesus Christ, God went in the midst of the people and took the punishment for our sins and forgave us with His last breath.  Praise and thank our Lord for His death and resurrection for He did it to show us He loves us to life. 

Amen.

      Written by Pastor Curtis A. May