Exodus 34:1-35 – “Back Together Again”
Outline:
- Intro.
- Vs. 1-9: The Nature of Forgiveness
- Vs. 10-28: You’re the Love of My Life
- Vs. 29-35: Basking in His Love
Intro.
My wife and I have known each other for 24 years now, and we have been married for 21 of those years. I can remember the day I asked her to marry me; I had no doubt that she would accept my proposal. You see, we had never had any problems in our relationship that would warrant her saying no. Now, she may ponder her quick acceptance of my offer now, but at the time she did not leave me hanging. I think I would have been a wreck if she had. What if I had failed to be true to her after I asked her to be my wife? Would she still have gone ahead with my proposal? Would she forgive me completely, and would she still love me?
Israel has been caught in the act of spiritual adultery after God had proposed. She has repented of her failure and has recognized her sins, but what will God do? Will God let Israel back into a relationship? Will that relationship be the one that He promised it would be? Amazed as we are at Israel’s sin, I am even more amazed at God’s response in light of it!
II.) Vs. 1-9: The Nature of Forgiveness
Vs. 1-4: You will remember that Moses had thrown down the first set of tablets in chapter 32:19 when he drew near the Israelites and saw them worshiping the golden calf. It does not seem that this was against God as much as it represented what Israel had done spiritually by breaking God’s law. But what will God’s response be to their failure and repentance?
God issues a renewal of the former covenant. What is important to realize is that this “new old covenant” offers no reduction of commandments, nor is there any addition. So? What this tells us is that God will forgive the people of their sins without reducing the standards or adding to them. They failed the test, but God does not make the test easier or harder. He simply reissues the agreement. Even though the people rejected Him, He has not rejected them.
Here’s the point: God does not forgive like we do! We forgive verbally, but we hold a different standard up to the person who broke our trust. We either lessen it or make it more difficult, but not God. Why? Romans 7:7 says, “Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law.” The problem is not the law; it’s what it has to work with—our flesh! The first covenant in Exodus 19:8 was followed by the people saying, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” This time, God does not give the people any opportunity to make this promise. There is also less emphasis on the blessings upon failure. The blessings and benefits are still conditional, but the “IF YOU WILL OBEY” is not recorded. This shows us that our failure lies in trying to obtain righteousness based on our own effort rather than trusting in God’s nature.
God changes their involvement, not His! Let’s make this practical. Suppose a spouse cheats and asks for forgiveness. Normally, what follows is permanent distrust. But what if the offended partner says, “Remember the day we met? Wasn’t that great? Let’s go back and start again.” That is what the Lord does here. He tells them that He loves them, and I marvel at this! As those who commit spiritual adultery, God’s love and grace should always amaze us. God not only forgives them, but He also defines forgiveness by treating them just as He did before they sinned!
Vs. 5-9: In verse 4, Moses goes back up the hill with two stones, and in answer to his prayer to know the Lord better, God passes before Moses and declares His name. Whenever God states His name, He is declaring His character. So, God shows us that He forgives based on His character, not ours! So often, we hear things like, “Oh, so-and-so is a good guy, you should forgive him!” But you know what? It’s hard to forgive someone who has wronged you, no matter how good they are now or in the future! God forgives not based on any good in the future or any promise made in the present, but based on His character. That gives me hope and a reason to repent!
Vs. 6: God reveals Himself to Moses in a sevenfold description of His character:
- Merciful: This word, used here for the first time, means “full of compassion.” It refers to love in action, feeling another’s pain and doing something about it.
- Gracious: This means to “bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior.” God gives us what we don’t deserve—His forgiveness and blessing.
- Longsuffering: He is patient and waits for our repentance. God doesn’t have a short fuse but rather a long one, always waiting to bestow His grace upon us.
- Abounding in goodness: God’s goodness is overflowing. He is not just adequate in goodness; He is abounding in it.
- Abounding in truth: God is faithful and true. His words and deeds are one.
- Keeping mercy for thousands: God’s supply of mercy never runs out, extending to all generations.
- Forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin: God forgives all forms of sin, whether inward or outward. Iniquity refers to twisting or bending God’s will, transgression to open rebellion, and sin to missing the mark of God’s plan.
Vs. 7b: People often struggle with this part of the verse, where it says God “will by no means clear the guilty.” What God is declaring here is that if His love and forgiveness are rejected, He will judge, and if those descendants continue to reject Him, they too will be judged. God’s love and mercy are balanced by His holiness and righteousness.
Vs. 8-9: Moses’ response to God’s revelation of His nature is immediate worship. He makes haste to bow before the Lord. In verse 9, Moses uses first-person pronouns like “we,” “our,” and “us” instead of distancing himself from the sin of the nation. When our standard is God, we all realize that we are sinners in need of His grace. May I suggest that we are all in desperate need of a fresh glimpse of God’s character?
III.) Vs. 10-28: You’re the Love of My Life
Vs. 10-11: God reaffirms His covenant with Israel, despite their sin. He promises to do marvels, driving out the enemies before them, and perform miracles on their behalf. God’s plan is still to use them to reach the nations. But, there will be no negotiations on God’s terms. The covenant is based on His grace and power, not on their performance.
Vs. 12-14: However, God commands them to separate themselves from the ways and idols of the surrounding nations. God is described as a “jealous God,” meaning He will have no rivals for their affection. His desire is not only for their complete devotion but also for their benefit and protection.
Vs. 15-28: God then reaffirms the commandments and repeats many of the laws we have already seen in earlier chapters. Like a husband renewing his vows to his wife, God reaffirms His love and commitment to Israel, despite their sin and rebellion. This is God’s love letter to Israel, His “special treasure,” based on His nature, not theirs. What a gracious God!
IV.) Vs. 29-35: Basking in His Love
Vs. 29-35: The result of God revealing more of Himself to Moses is that God’s presence literally rubs off on Moses. Moses’ face shines with the glory of God after spending time with Him. But this kind of closeness with the Lord makes the people uncomfortable. They were afraid to come near Moses, so he had to wear a veil to cover the fading glory.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:13 that Moses wore the veil so that the people would not see that the glory was fading. This reminds us that God’s presence in our lives can fade if we are not constantly seeking Him. There can be no masks of spirituality—we must be in consistent fellowship with the Lord if we want Him to rub off on us.
Brothers and sisters, we need to continually bask in His love, just like Moses did. Let God’s glory shine through us as we spend more time in His presence!