November 2001
Exodus Chapter 34
Knowing Moses had broken the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments when he saw the Israelites worshiping the golden calf idol (Exodus 32:19), God instructs Moses to prepare two new tables of stone.
Upon such stones, the lord says he will again write His commandments to the people. Exodus 34:1.
The Lord directs Moses to return to Mt. Sinai at early morning with the new tablets; but as in the past, the Lord instructs Moses to come alone and to instruct the remainder of the Israelites to remain far off, and to keep their flocks and cattle from grazing near the mountain. Exodus 34 2-3
Moses followed God's direction and returned to Mt. Sinai early in the morning with the fresh stone tablets he had carved. The lord descended to the mountain in a cloud. First, the magnificence, mercy, grace and glory of the Lord is proclaimed.
"The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7.
Moses appeared to the Lord for the benefit of the Israeli people, appealing to the Lord to forgive their sins and grant them the, inheritance. In response to Moses, the Lord promises to "do marvels" such as have never before been seen on earth. The Lord then instructs Moses on the problems which will arise for the people for idolatry. The Lord warns Moses that the people will be able to move against their enemies, but will be in trouble with Him if they take up the idol worship of the people in the land where they are headed to live. Exodus 34:10-17.
The Lord clearly explains that He is as jealous God, and strongly warns Moses about idol worship; He especially warns the Israelites about adopting the idol worship of other nations, or of adopting the idols of the people of those nations.
The Lord then instructs Moses that the Israelites are to conduct, for worship of the Lord, three feasts tied to the harvest of their crops, they are to sacrifice their firstborn of their flocks. As repeated from Exodus 23: 14-17, the lord demands a feast for seven days of unleavened bread, a feast of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and a feast of the ingathering of the harvest at year's end. Exodus 34: 18-23. In part for obedience the lord promises to 'enlarge thy borders' of their land for service.
The Lord then instructs Moses in the details of His law and Commandments. Moses stayed with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights without food or water to hear and learn of the Lord's instructions. Exodus 34-28.-
Afterward, Moses descended from the mountain, unknowing that the skin on his face was shining (apparently as a sunburn). When Moses' brother Aaron all the people saw Moses' face, they were afraid to approach him. Moses donned a veil to cover his face, and then gave to the people the Lord's commandments which he had received from the Lord. Exodus 34:29-33.
This is apparently the first reference in the scripture to the religious wearing of a veil, But when Moses went before the Lord, the veil was always taken off. Exodus 34:34-35