The Second Set of Commandments

Click here to read Exodus 34.

Chapter 34 records the following. The Lord told Moses to cut two tablets of stone and He would replace the ones that Moses had broken when he came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf. Then He told Moses to come up upon the mountain the next morning and present himself. No one was to come with him. Moses did as the Lord commanded and the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there on the mountain, and Moses bowed his head and worshipped Him. Then Moses asked the Lord to remain in their midst even though they were a "stiff necked" and rebellious people, he asked God to pardon their sins and take them back for His inheritance.

So the Lord made a covenant with the people:

  1. He would do many marvelous things and drive out their enemies before them.

In return:

  1. They were to make no covenant with their enemies.
  2. They were to destroy their enemy's altars.
  3. They were to have no part of the enemy less they get involved in idolatry.
  4. They were to make no more "molten gods".
  5. They were to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
  6. They were to dedicate their "first born", man or beast, to the Lord.
  7. They were to work six days, the seventh day they were to rest.
  8. They were to keep the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Ingatherings.
  9. Three times a year, all males were to appear before the Lord.
  10. They were not to offer the blood of any sacrifice with leaven bread.
  11. Nothing from the Feast of the Passover should be kept until morning.
  12. The first fruits should be brought into the house of the Lord.

Then the Lord instructed Moses to write down these words for they were to be a covenant between Him and Israel. So Moses was up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights and he neither ate nor drank.

When he came down from the mountain, his face shown exceedingly bright because he had been in the presence of the Lord and Aaron and the people were afraid to come near him. So Moses put a veil over his face and only took it off when he went to talk to the Lord.


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