Exodus 34: New tablets

13/2/22

Preach

Scripture

Exodus 34

Questions

1. God is gracious and despite Israel’s covenant breaking renews the covenant that was broken in the worship of the golden calf [32:1-33:6]. How is the covenant renewal initiated by YHWH [34:1]? Who is the one Israelite who will keep the covenant [Galatians 3:16]? What is our relationship with these commands [2 Corinthians 3:3]?

2. YHWH descends from the sky in a cloud and declares his name [34:5] as he did at the burning bush [3:13-15] but what is God like [34:6-7]? How is each of these characteristics, or attributes, of God seen in the story of the worship of the gold calf and God’s response? How are these attributes a help or comfort or assurance to you in your story? How can we use 34:6-7 in our prayer [Numbers 14:17, Joel 2:13-14, Nahum 1:3 etc.?

3. What was the purpose of the wonders that God did [34:10]? How does this relate to Israel’s calling?

4. The people are not allowed to come near God [34:12] as before [19:10-13]. Why [Genesis 3:24]?

5. The first time God gave his ten words [20:1-17] it was followed by case laws [20:18-24:18] of what covenant obedience would look like in their context. What case laws are given after the golden calf rebellion [34:11-27]? What do these laws guard against?

6. Moses is sometimes depicted as having horns this is because “shone”, קָרַן (qā·rǎn), considering just the consonants, and ignoring the later vowel additions, could mean shone or horn. This is not the usual verb, to shine, and it is used three times here [v29,30,35][1]”. How do Moses and the golden calf compare as mediators? Who shines more? Who is more shiny than Moses [Revelation 1:16, 21:23]?

7. Moses had to wear a veil to protect the people from the glory of God he was reflecting. The tabernacle and temple used curtains, or veils, for the same reason. Who removed that veil [Luke 23:45, 2 Corinthians 3:13]? What does this mean for us? What is your experience of this access to God?

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   [1] “The peculiar threefold use of karan rather than the regular verb ʾ-w-r is probably a pointed allusion to the golden calf, for keren is the usual word for a horn. It subtly emphasizes that the true mediator between God and Israel was not the fabricated, lifeless image of the horned animal, as the people thought, but the living Moses.” Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary.

More

LCC What is God like series [Exodus 34:6-7]

Bible Project’s Exodus 19-40 study notes

Bibe Project’s Torah Crash Course: Exodus

LCC Exodus preaching notes