Exo 34:27-28

He wrote upon the tables.

The second tables

The Ten Commandments were twice written by the finger of God Himself (see Deu 10:1-3), and upon enduring tables of stone, to show how deeply and permanently they were to be engraved upon the heart of man. Twice written, once upon a broken and once upon an unbroken tablet, symbolically setting forth the truth that they were once written upon the nature before the Fall, and are to be inscribed a second time upon that nature, which inscription is made at his regeneration. Also, as they were once written upon stone, they were to be engraved a second time upon the heart, as the prophet Jeremiah predicted would be, and as the apostle asserted had been done (Heb 8:10). Then by special command they were afterwards deposited for safe keeping in the ark of the covenant, upon which rested the Shekinah of the Lord, the most inviolably sacred place outside the courts of heaven, and by special designation were ever afterward known as the Tables of the Testimony. (James Stacy, D. D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 27. Write thou these words] Either a transcript of the whole law now delivered, or the words included from Ex 34:11 to Ex 34:26. God certainly wrote the ten words on both sets of tables. Moses either wrote a transcript of these and the accompanying precepts for the use of the people, or he wrote the precepts themselves in addition to the ten commandments which were written by the finger of God. See Clarke on Ex 34:1. Allowing this mode of interpretation, the accompanying precepts were, probably, what was written on the back side of the tables by Moses; the ten commandments, what were written on the front by the finger of Jehovah: for we must pay but little attention to the supposition of the rabbins, that the letters on each table were cut through the stone, so as to be legible on each side. See Clarke on Ex 32:15.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Object.

God saith, I will write, Exo 34:1.

Answ. 1. Moses was to write the ritual precepts mentioned here above, God wrote the moral law.

2. Moses wrote what he wrote in a book; see Exo 24:7; but what was written upon the tables of stone was written by God himself, not by Moses, who had no graving instruments with him in the mount, and could not without them write upon the stone.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

27, 28. And the Lord said untoMoses, Write thou these wordsthat is, the ceremonial andjudicial injunctions comprehended above (Ex34:11-26); while the rewriting of the ten commandments on thenewly prepared slabs was done by God Himself (compare De10:1-4).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And the Lord said unto Moses,…. Being still with him on the mount:

write thou these words; expressed in the preceding verses, from

Ex 34:11, as he before had written in a book all those laws, contained in Ex 21:1 called the book of the covenant,

Ex 24:4 and which perhaps might be destroyed, as well as the two tables were broken; and therefore upon the renewal of the covenant here, there is a repetition made of the principal laws before given, which are ordered also to be written in a book, which may very well be called by the same name, since it follows:

for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel, with Moses, as their representative and mediator, and with them represented by him: what is above related carries in it the form of a covenant between them, God having declared on his part what he would do for them, and what laws and rules he required to be observed on their part; which Moses assented to in their name, and was ordered to write them down, that he might repeat them to them.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Moses was to write down these words, like the covenant rights and laws that had been given before (Exo 24:4, Exo 24:7), because Jehovah had concluded the covenant with Moses and Israel according to the tenor of them. By the renewed adoption of the nation, the covenant in ch. 24 was eo ipso restored; so that no fresh conclusion of this covenant was necessary, and the writing down of the fundamental conditions of the covenant was merely intended as a proof of its restoration. It does not appear in the least degree “irreconcilable,” therefore, with the writing down of the covenant rights before Knobel).

Exo 34:28

Moses remained upon the mountain forty days, just as on the former occasion (cf. Exo 24:18). “ And He (Jehovah) wrote upon the tables the ten covenant words ” (see at Exo 34:1).

Exo 34:29-35

The sight of the glory of Jehovah, though only of the back or reflection of it, produced such an effect upon Moses’ face, that the skin of it shone, though without Moses observing it. When he came down from the mountain with the tables of the law in his hand, and the skin of his face shone , i.e., on account of his talking with God, Aaron and the people were afraid to go near him when they saw the brightness of his face. But Moses called them to him, – Viz. first of all Aaron and the princes of the congregation to speak to them, and then all the people to give them the commandments of Jehovah; but on doing this (Exo 34:33), he put a veil upon (before) his face, and only took it away when he went in before Jehovah to speak with Him, and then, when he came out (from the Lord out of the tabernacle, of course after the erection of the tabernacle), he made known His commands to the people. But while doing this, he put the veil upon his face again, and always wore it in his ordinary intercourse with the people (Exo 34:34, Exo 34:35). This reflection of the splendour thrown back by the glory of God was henceforth to serve as the most striking proof of the confidential relation in which Moses stood to Jehovah, and to set forth the glory of the office which Moses filled. The Apostle Paul embraces this view in 2Co 3:7., and lays stress upon the fact that the glory was to be done away, which he was quite justified in doing, although nothing is said in the Old Testament about the glory being transient, from the simple fact that Moses died. The apostle refers to it for the purpose of contrasting the perishable glory of the law with the far higher and imperishable glory of the Gospel. At the same time he regards the veil which covered Moses’ face as a symbol of the obscuring of the truth revealed in the Old Testament. But this does not exhaust the significance of this splendour. The office could only confer such glory upon the possessor by virtue of the glory of the blessings which it contained, and conveyed to those for whom it was established. Consequently, the brilliant light on Moses’ face also set forth the glory of the Old Covenant, and was intended both for Moses and the people as a foresight and pledge of the glory to which Jehovah had called, and would eventually exalt, the people of His possession.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Verses 27, 28:

Verse 27: “These words” refers to the clause following, not to the entire Law. Moses was to write for himself and for Israel: “After the tenor (peh, “mouth,” purpose or character) of these words, I have made a covenant with you.” The meaning: the Mosaic Covenant was conditional upon Israel’s observance of “these words.” This was the prologue which Moses was to write.

Moses was on Sinai’s peak for forty days. He fasted during this entire period, neither eating nor drinking. God’s presence sustained his life, making eating and drinking unnecessary. Scripture tells of only three who accomplished a fast of this duration: Moses, Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus (Mt 4:2).

Verse 28: “He wrote. . .” Some say that Moses wrote the words of the Law upon the second set of two tablets of stone. This is not the case, however. Verse 1 of this chapter. “The Lord said. . .I will write upon these tables.” This is confirmed in De 10:2, 4: The pronoun “he refers to Jehovah, not to Moses.

“Commandments, ” debar, “words.” (Sept., logos.) The “Ten Commandments” are the “Ten Words” which express God’s eternal righteous principles.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Exo. 34:27-32

DIVINE REVELATION

Divine revelation is the communication by God to man of certain facts, doctrines, duties, for instruction, comfort, or practice, which would not otherwise have been discovered. Our text may be used as covering the whole revelation of Gods character and will as contained in the Bible. We remark

I. That Divine revelation is the result of Divine inspiration. And He was there with the Lord. It is no human conjecture, however true. It is no inference, however correct, from existing facts; but information directly derived from the presence of Divine wisdom and Divine power.

II. That Divine revelation is made through a human medium. In some cases God has sent angels to communicate His truth; but even those communications have only reached the people through the appointed medium. We earn therefore

1. That the inspired man is only the medium, and must not be treated as the revealer.

2. The way to account for variations of style and apparent discrepancies. The thought is Gods, the words are mans.

III. That Divine revelation is infallible on the one hand, intelligible on the other.

1. Infallible.

(1) As regards authority. All that the Lord had spoken to him. A most conspicuous fact in Gods Word is, that inspired men disclaim all originality and speak in the name of the Lord.

(2) As regards completeness. All that the Lord had spoken. Inspired men claim to declare all the counsel of God. The Book claims to be a revelation of all things pertaining to life and godliness.

2. Intelligible. Being through man, Gods thoughts are presented in a form adapted to the conditions of the human intellect, in words man can understand.

IV. That Divine revelation is binding upon man. He gave them commandment.

1. God does not speak for nothing. It cannot be supposed that having spoken He would leave it to man, whether he obeyed or disobeyed. Nor can it be supposed that man is at liberty to pick and choose as to what he shall accept and what reject. The whole counsel of God, because it is His counsel, is binding upon man.
2. It is binding because only by obeying Gods laws, and following the lines indicated by Gods wisdom and goodness, that mans well-being can be secured mentally, morally, and spiritually. Learn then

i. To value this revelation. ii. To treat it reverently, not to cavil at its apparent discrepancies, &c. iii. To make it the one rule of our faith and practice.J. W. Burn.

ILLUSTRATIONS

BY
REV. WILLIAM ADAMSON

Law-Lights! Exo. 34:1-35. Pressense says, that whatever opinions men may hold as to the integrity of that primitive witness, all must own that it contains pages in which one beholds, as it were, the reflection of the lustre which caused Mosess face to shine when he held converse with God. It has ever been the pious mind which has through the eyes beheld the chain of revelation and the long series of Divine manifestations gradually unwind themselves. Just as they that watch for the morning gaze out from the height of the tower, longing with inexpressible desire for the approach of dawn; so does religious consciousness cast glances of fire upon the horizon as she looks out for the Divine Sunrise. The whole of the Old Testament pants and throbs with this Divine yearning, and it also shows us the finger of God writing in the heart of man the great preparation for the Gospel. The angels ever

Draw strength from gazing on its glance,
Though none its meaning fathom may;
The Words unwithered countenance
Is bright as at Mount Sinais day.

Gothe.

Spiritual-Sustenance! Exo. 34:28.

(1.) In the beautiful transparent amber of the Eocene epoch are often found threads of mould, fragments of moss and lichens, blossoms and leaves of flower-bearing plants, as well as wings of bees and butterflies. Nature has preserved these things of the pastthings, too, which, apparently small and insignificant, open up to the minds eye a wide vista into the mysterious past. So in the precious amber of the Bible are preserved incidents and statements, remnants of thought and blossomings of truth. To the careless readers these may appear trivial; but they are infinitely suggestive to those who examine them.
(2.) One of the most interesting and suggestive is that of Moses existing for forty days without natures bountiful stores. He was fed by the melodies of heaven, the music of the spheres, as the beautiful Jewish legend says, until Gods purposes were accomplished, and then he returned to the common mode of sustaining life. It teaches that bread has no essential or necessary relations to the bodily organisation of man, that human life can be sustained independently of material means, and that, as God Himself is the nourisher, He can, when He pleases, dispense with the mere outward instrumentality, and feed by His own direct and unveiled sustaining power

O Lord, Thou hast with angel food my fainting spirit fed;
If tis Thy will I linger here, bless Thou the path I tread;
And though my soul doth pant to pass within the pearly gate,
Yet teach me for Thy summons, Lord, in patience still to wait.

Shipton.

Written Word! Exo. 34:28.

(1.) In proportion as a nation becomes civilised, the desire for a code of written law increases along with the knowledge of its desirableness. Our forefathers wandered as savages amid the wilds, relying upon oral traditions, which became more and more degenerate. And so in these Gentile religions, all alive with hideous and abominable idolatries, who could believe that this is what man has made of that oral revelation vouchsafed to Noah, so clear and pellucid in its Ararat outflow?
(2.) When civilisation disclosed their degenerate conditions to our ancestors, they felt the need of a written code of laws and enactments; and these are embodied in our statutes called the Law of the Land. The condition of the world at large, and of Israel in Egypt, evidenced the moral necessity for a written law. Even amidst the awful glories of Sinai, Israel learned from its own tendency to degenerate how urgently essential it was to have the written Word.

Thy Word, O God, is living yet

Amid earths restless strife,

New harmony creating still,

And ever higher life.

And as that Word moves surely on,

The light, ray after ray,

Streams farther out athwart the dark,

And night grows into day.

Longfellow.

Fellowship-Fruits! Exo. 34:29-35.

(1.) For forty days successively, the great Jewish legislator was concealed on the summit of Mount Sinai, within the thick darkness by which the glory of Jehovah was veiled from the less-favoured eyes of the multitude. In this prophetic seclusion, separated from the world, his mind took deeply and strongly the impress of heaven. By communion with God his soul was saturated with the light of His holiness. His countenance by a spiritual affinity caught the celestial radiance and reflected it with dazzling brightness. On his descent from the mount, this splendour from the Divine Presence continued to shine on his face, that Aaron beheld it while he talked with him, and all the children of Israel were afraid to come nigh.

(2.) Brown says his face was radiant, and dispersing beams like many horns or cones about his head; which is also consonant unto the original signification. Our Saviour and the Virgin Mary are commonly painted with scintillations or radiant halos about their head, which by the French are designated the glory. In some of the ancient Bibles, Moses is described with horns. The same description we find on a silver medal, i.e., upon one side Moses horned, and on the reverse side the commandment against sculptured images. The believers walk and conversation should be thus encircled with horns of glory, rays of the beauties of holiness.

Neer let the glory from my soul remove,
Till perfect with Thy ransomed flock above,
I cease to sin, but never cease to love.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

(27) Write thou these words.Heb., Write for thee these words, i.e., put them in writing for thine own use and the use of thy people. This express command accounts for the assignment of so much space to what is mainly repetition. The requirement of the repetition can only be explained by the importance of the laws laid down under the circumstances of the Hebrew nation, and the power of repetition to enforce upon the conscience what is pressed upon it by reiteration.

After the tenor of these words.The summary of positive laws contained in this chapter (Exo. 34:12-26) was not intended to supersede the Book of the Covenant, but rather to confirm and reinforce it. The covenant was renewed not upon these words only, but after the tenor, i.e., after their general aspect or bearing.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

27. Write thou these words This narrative very clearly teaches that Moses recorded repeated acts of legislation . The covenant was broken and renewed . A record was made of all the important facts, and such a record, if faithful, must needs have contained various repetitions . Some critics discover different “strata of laws,” but fail to pay proper respect to the fact, that, according to the plain import of the Mosaic narrative, laws were repeatedly given, revised, renewed, and in some instances changed, as the conduct and interests of the people required. The different codes and stages of legislation are not inconsistent with each other, nor of such a nature as to be inconsistent with a Mosaic origin. See our Introduction to the Pentateuch, page 31.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Completion Of Yahweh’s Intentions In Exo 34:1-4 ( Exo 34:27-28 ).

Exo 34:27

‘And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Moses is now told to write down the words spoken to him before Yahweh, as a symbol of the re-established covenant. ‘After the tenor of -’ looks back to a previous explanation, something that has been said or written previously (compare Gen 43:7), again stressing that these are not original commandments.

Exo 34:28

‘And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.’

Moses again remained in the mountain for over a moon period (compare Exo 24:18), sustained solely by God. Going without food and water for so long a period was a recipe for disaster, but Moses came out from the experience unharmed. He may well have been in a state of suspended animation for a part of the time. Deu 9:9 tells us that this fasting also occurred on his first period in the Mount.

This is in contrast with the time when, with the elders, he had eaten and drunk before Yahweh (Exo 24:11). This was no joyous celebration or covenant giving sealed by a covenant meal, but a solemn reception of revelation from God.

“ And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words.” The question here is, who is ‘he’. If we had been told nothing earlier we would read it as meaning Moses. But in Hebrew the antecedent can also refer to another who is mentioned as long as it is made clear in the context. And here it is made clear in the context. It is describing the fulfilment of Exo 34:1 (see also Deu 10:2; Deu 10:4 which are very specific). Thus we must refer it back to ‘with Yahweh’. It was Yahweh who wrote on the tablets the ‘ten words’ of the covenant, as He said He would in Exo 34:1, and they were the same as those on the original tablets (Exo 34:1). Moses was probably in a state of ecstasy, either watching the process or oblivious of it. (The verse must be interpreted in its present context, for that is the context in which it is found. Any previous theoretical context is irrelevant as we have no way of telling what the exact theoretical words were in that theoretical context).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

EXPOSITION

FINAL DESCENT OF MOSES FROM SINAI. The covenant having been renewed, Moses prepared to descend, having first however received a command to commit to writing the words of this second covenant (Exo 34:27). He received back the tables from God, inscribed with the Ten Commandments, and after a stay in Sinai of equal duration with the former one (Exo 34:28), descended, having the tables in his hands. He was not aware that the skin of his face had become radiant (Exo 34:29), and first learnt the fact by the rulers being afraid to come near him (Exo 34:30). After conversing with them and with the people he resolved to “put a vail on his face” ordinarily, only taking it off when he “went in before the Lord” into the “tent of meeting,” and when, having received a message from the Lord to the people, he came out to deliver it.

Exo 34:27

Write thou these words. Literally, “write thee these words”i.e; “write them for thyself and for thy people.” According to the tenor of these words have I made a covenant. That is, “the covenant on my part is conditional on the observance of these words on the part of Israel.” The “words” intended are those of Exo 34:10-26.

Exo 34:28

He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. As on the former occasion (Exo 24:18). The patience and faith of the people was tested by this second long delay. Happily, they stood the test; and on Moses’ final descent from Sinai the Israelites were found expectant and obedient (Exo 34:30-32). He did neither eat bread nor drink water. This was so also on the former occasion (Deu 9:9), though it is not mentioned in Exodus. The near presence of God sustained the vital powers and made food unnecessary. Moses, Elijah (1Ki 19:8), and our Lord have alone accomplished a fast of this duration. Modern parodies are not held by scientific men to belong to the category of established facts. He wrote upon the tables. It has been argued from this expression that Moses wrote the words on the second tables; and it would be natural so to understand the passage, had nothing else been said on the subject. But in verse 1 we are told that “God said, I will write upon these tables;” and the same is repeated in Deu 10:2. Moreover in Deu 10:4, it is distinctly declared “He” (i.e. God) “wrote on the tables according to the first writing.” We must therefore regard “he” in this passage as meaning “the Lord,” which is quite possible according to the Hebrew idiom.

Exo 34:29

The skin of his face shone while he talked with him. Rather, “through his talking with him.” The glory of God, as revealed to Moses on this occasion, caused his face to become henceforth radiant. Compare the effect of the transfiguration (Mat 17:2). The Vulgate wrongly translates haran, “to shine,” as if it were derived from keren, “a horn”whence the painters of mediaeval times commonly represent Moses as horned. St. Paul’s words (2Co 3:7) are conclusive as to the true meaning.

Exo 34:30

They were afraid. They shrank from Moses, as if he were more than man. (Compare Eze 1:28; Rev 1:17.) Perhaps they thought that what they saw was his spirit.

Exo 34:31

Moses called unto them. Moses bade them approachno doubt assured them that there was no cause for fear (cf. Luk 24:38, Luk 24:39)and by his manner and familiar voice dispelled their fears and re-assured them. Aaron and all the rulers returned unto him. Apparently, in their alarm they had drawn back. Being re-assured, they “returned.”

Exo 34:32

All that the Lord had spoken. “All,” i.e; “that the Lord had commanded him to enjoin upon them”especially the precepts in Exo 34:10-26not all that he had heard from God in the space of forty days and forty nights.

Exo 34:33 -36

Till Moses had done speaking with them. The Hebrew text will not bear this rendering. All the ancient versions (LXX. Vulg. Syr. etc.) and the Targums agree that the meaning is”when Moses had done speaking, he put a veil on his face.” And this agrees with the plain meaning of Exo 34:34 and Exo 34:35, which are to be taken connectedly. Moses first delivered his message with face unveiled, then he veiled himself, and thenceforth he wore a veil at all times except when he sought the Divine presence in the “tent of meeting” or the tabernacle, and when he delivered to the people any message sent them from God by him. He wore the veil ordinarily to prevent them from being dazzled. He took it off when he entered the tabernacle, that the Divine presence might shine fully on him and renew his strength. He kept it off when he returned, if he had any message to the people, until he had delivered it, in order the more fully to authenticate the message and shew to the people that it was from God. Then the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone (Exo 34:35). Having discharged himself of the message intrusted to him, he once more covered himself, and continued veiled until he again entered the tabernacle. The only objection that can be taken to this exegesis is derived from 2Co 3:7-16, which has been thought to imply that Moses wore the veil whenever he was in the sight of the people. But the passage does not really assert any such thing. It is quite enough for the argument, that under the old covenant a veil had been worn to conceal some of its glory. This concealment St. Paul contrasts with the openness of Christianity (2Co 3:13, 2Co 3:18); while at the same time he argues that it may be viewed as typical of that blindness and darkness which was characteristic of the Jewish nation of his day.

HOMILETICS

Exo 34:29, Exo 34:30, Exo 34:35

The shining of Moses’ face.

This strange phenomenon, one of the distinctive marks which most closely assimilate the Jewish with the Christian lawgiver, is well worthy of our attentive consideration.

I. AS TO ITS ORIGIN. Admission to the Divine presence within the cloud had not, on the former occasion, left any such visible trace. It cannot, therefore, be ascribed simply to communion with God for a period of a certain duration. We must endeavour to see how the second sojourn in Sinai was differentiated from the first, if we would discover the real cause of the wonder. Now the difference was mainly this: that Moses in the interval had been severely tried, and had emerged from the trial better, purer, fitter for close intercourse with the Supreme. He had shown zeal, fervour, promptness, in checking the revolt against Jehovah; he had shown a spirit of extraordinary self-sacrifice in refusing to become the sole male progenitor of a people whom God would substitute for the existing Israel (Exo 32:10), and in offering himself as an atonement for the people’s sins (Exo 32:32); and he had shown that persistent importunity in kindly intercession for others (Exo 33:12-16) with which God is especially pleased. Under these circumstancesthus elevated above his former selfhe had been admitted, not only to a second conference of forty days’ duration, but also to a special visionnever vouchsafed to any but himof the Divine glory (Exo 33:8 -28; Exo 34:5, Exo 34:6). The radiance that rested on his face is ascribed especially to his long “talk” with God (Exo 34:29); but we can scarcely doubt that a portion of it was due to the transcendent vision which passed before him prior to the forty days’ conference. The brightness then shed upon his face increased from day to day during the long and close communion closer now than before, from his greater fitness; and he, “with open face beholding the glory of the Lord, was changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2Co 3:18), until his countenance was such that it could not be steadfastly beheld for long; and he, in mercy to his people, veiled it.

II. AS TO ITS EFFECT.

1. Its immediate effect was to alarm. “Aaron and the elders were afraid to come nigh him.” The unknown and unexpected is always fearful to man; and this was a novelty which might well startle. What did the sight portend? Certainly, an increase of supernatural power. Would this power be used to punish and avenge? Would the radiance burn like fire, or scathe like the thunder-bolt? They could not tell. Knowing their own sinfulness, they trembled, conscience making cowards of them, as it does of us all. And they feared to approachnay, they drew backperhaps fled.

2. Its after effect was to increase Moses’ authority. The glow was a perpetual credential of his Divine mission. Like the moon, it witnessed, whenever seen, to the absent sun. Always beheld, whenever Moses had any new orders to give, it was a sanction to his entire legislation, and caused the laws which were least palatable to be accepted without resistance. Though it did not prevent partial revolts, it kept the bulk of the nation faithful to their leader for forty years. Even when they did not see the brightness, the veil that hid it showed that it was there. Its presence could never be forgotten. Moses was exalted by it into a condition half-Divine, half-human; and was felt to be marked out by Heaven as the supreme chief of the nation.

III. AS TO ITS INTENT. Its intent would seem to have been

1. To strengthen and support Moses in his difficult position as leader of a wayward and “stiff-necked” people.

2. To impress the people, and render them more submissive and obedient. (See the preceding section.)

3. To symbolise the great truth, that by drawing near to God, by communion with him, we become like himlike him and ever more like; changing “from glory to glory;” reflecting his attributes, as snow-summits reflect the sunset; receiving from him a real effluence, which shows itself in our lives, in our acts, in our very features. There is in the countenances of God’s most advanced servants a brightness, a gladness, a beaming radiance, which can come only of long communion with him, and which is a sensible evidence, to those who “have eyes to see,” that they are indeed his friends, his favoured ones. The best artistsPerugino, Francia, Rafaelle sometimes, Fra Angelico, Fra Bartolomeo, Bellini, Luini, Basaitiexpress this in their pictures. But it is not a grace that has passed away. The eye that has true spiritual vision may still see among those who walk the earth faces with such unmistakable glow of true piety upon them as marks their owners for God’s friends, Christ’s loved ones, souls constant in their communion with him who is “the Light of the world,” and “in whose light we shall see light.”

Exo 34:33-35

The symbolism of the veil.

The veil upon Moses’ face shrouded the glory of his countenance from Israel, except at such times as he spake to them the commands of God. So God himself shrouds his glory from us ordinarily, and only at rare intervals, when he would impress us most deeply, lifts the veil and lets the brightness flash forth. So Christ, when he came on earth, emptied himself of the glory which he had with the Father, hid it away, and seldom let it be seen. Tenderness and compassion for man’s weakness is the cause of the concealment in such case. Human nature, while we are in the flesh, cannot bear the blinding light of Divine glory, any more than the eye can bear to gaze upon the noonday sun. The veil was thus, primarily, a token of Moses’ love for Israel; but it was also a token of many other things besides; e.g.

I. OF THE DARKNESS AND MYSTERY IN WHICH DIVINE TRUTH WAS SHROUDED UNDER THE MOSAICAL DISPENSATION. The Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, Justification, Sanctification, even Immortalityall the great doctrines which constitute the heart and kernel of true religion, though in a certain sense contained in Mosaism, were concealed, hidden away, wrapt in a veil. Men “saw through a glass darkly” fewer or more of these truthshad, that is, some dim conception of them, but saw none of them clearly till they were “brought to light” by the Gospel. “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,” said holy Simeon, when he looked upon the Lord, then first having made plain to him what had been darkness and cloud previously. Much of the Divine scheme of mail’s salvation had been a mystery even to angels until it was revealed to them by and through the Church (Eph 3:4-10). When Christ came, and lived, and preached, “the people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light sprang up” (Mat 4:16). A solemn thought to Christians that this is so; for responsibility is in proportion to the light vouchsafed. “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?” (Heb 10:28, Heb 10:29).

II. OF THE BLINDNESS WHICH LIES PERMANENTLY UPON THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE JEWS. The veil of obstinate unbelief has so shrouded, and still so shrouds, the intelligence of the race, that, though Moses is read to them every Sabbath day, and the words of the prophets are continually sounded in their ears, they cannot see or understand. Still they remain “fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luk 24:25). Like the Ethiopian eunuch, they “understand not what they read” (Act 8:31); but, unlike him, they will not accept guidance. “The veil is upon their heart” (2Co 3:15). Christians should ever pray that the time may come, and come speedily, when “the veil shall be taken away” (2Co 3:16), and so “all Israel be saved” (Rom 11:26). Hopeless as the task seems, Christians should still labour for the conversion of the eight millions of Jews dispersed throughout the world. Christians should beware lest they themselves, by their sinful lives, intensify and prolong the blindness of Israel, pressing the veil down upon the brows that otherwise might have cast it off, and dimming the brightness of the Gospel of Christ that otherwise might have pierced through the veil’s folds, and have given sight to the shrouded eyes.

HOMILIES BY J. ORR

Exo 34:29-35

The shining face.

Consider

I. THE SHINING OF MOSES‘ FACE (Exo 34:29, Exo 34:30).

(1) A result of personal communion.

(2) A symbol of the glory of his dispensation (2Co 3:7).

(3) A foreshadowing of the transfiguration (Mat 17:1-8).

(4) Partly a consequence of inward mental exaltation (cf. Act 6:15). Communion with God, vision of Jesus, the joy of salvation, fulness of spiritual life, make both face and character to shine (cf. 2Co 3:18).

II. THE FEAR OF THE PEOPLE (Exo 34:30). The beauty of the glory had something of terror in it. Symbol of the dispensation”a ministration of death” (2Co 3:7). See sermon by Dr. John Ker on Moses and Stephen”The Old Testament and the New”.

III. THE VEIL (verses 31-33). The notable fact is that Moses did not veil his face during the time when veiling might seem to be most required, viz; while speaking to the people. The commandments were delivered with the face unveiled. When he had “done” speaking, Moses put this screen before it. The act, therefore, must be taken as symbolic. A symbol

1. Of the veiled character of the dispensationtypes, carnal ordinances, “broken lights,” etc. Its “end” was not manifest.

2. Of the veiled hearts of the people. This kept them from perceiving even what might have been seen (cf. 2Co 3:12-18). The Gospel, in contrast with the law, is an unveiled system (2Co 3:14). Preachers of the gospel, bearing this in mind, should use” great plain-hess of speech” (verses 11, 12). The later system provides further for the removal of the veil from the heart (verses 16, 17). It ministers “the Spirit.”

IV. THE VEIL TAKEN OFF ON ENTERING THE SANCTUARY (verses 34, 35). “When Moses went in before the Lord,” etc. Again symbolic

1. Of what is necessary for the removal of the veil from the heart. It must “turn to the Lord” (2Co 3:16). The instant it does so the veil will be taken away (verse 16).

2. Of the privilege of Christian believers. They are admitted to gaze “with unveiled face” on the “glory of the Lord” (verse 18).

V. RESEMBLANCES AND CONTRASTS. Compare and contrast the privilege of Moses with that now enjoyed by believers in Christ (2Co 3:18).

1. Resemblances.

(1) Both have a vision of the divine glory.

(2) Both are admitted to gaze upon it with face “unveiled.”

(3) On both the vision exercises a transforming influence.

(4) Both must “go in” to the divine presence in order to obtain it.

2. Contrasts.

(1) It is a higher glory which is revealed in Christ.

(2) That, the privilege of one man; this, the privilege of all“we all.”

(3) That, an external transfiguration; this, spiritual.

(4) That, a transitory glory; this, permanent and progressive. “From glory to glory.”J.O.

HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG

Exo 34:29-35

The shining of Moses’ face.

I. THE PHENOMENON ITSELF. The skin of Moses’ face shone. As to the precise manner of this shining, it is of course vain to speculate; but we may be tolerably certain it was not anything in the way of a mere reflection from a mirror. It must surely have been the shining out for a little while of some glorious gift which had entered, if one may say so, into the bodily constitution of Moses. There may be some connection of this glory with the miraculous sustaining of his life without the eating of bread, or the drinking of water. Thus we are led to consider what wondrous capabilities there may be in matter, capabilities beyond our present knowledge to conceive. Even with unorganised matter, man himself has been able to do much. And the God of the physical universe has shown us how many wonders, beauties, and enjoyments rise out of matter under the power of vital action. Think of all that is exquisite in form, colour, and fragrance in plant-life. Think of the refinement which distinguishes the face of a cultivated man from that of some embruted savage. Think of that best of all charms visible in the face of one who is truly good. Then think, on the other side, of the degradations of matter. Think of the physical results of sottishness and sensuality. Think of the putrescence and corruption which seem to dominate a body when its principle of life has passed away. We shall then feel how, beyond anything we can at present conceive, there may be on the one hand an exaltation of matter, and on the other a degradation of it.

II. THE UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF MOSES. He wist not that the skin of his face shone in this way. Of some change within him during the time when he was with God in the mount, he was doubtless conscious. He may have felt himself getting a clearer view of Jehovah’s purposes, and a heartier fellow-feeling with respect to them. He may have felt himself conscious of a remarkable approach to inward holiness and purity; but of this outward and visible expression of it he knew nothing at all. That which was intolerable to his deeply-polluted brethren, so much alienated in heart from God, was utterly unperceived by him. Thus effectually separated from his brethren, the separation came from no pretension of his own, but from an inevitable confession made by those who once and again tried to repudiate him. He who is filled with the spirit of God becomes more glorious than he can imagine. And from those who live near to God, we may be sure there goes out an influence, which, though they themselves be utterly unconscious of it, is yet most mighty in its effect on others. As Moses came down from the mountain, he would be anxiously thinking how he could convey to the people some sense of that which he himself had been privileged to see. He may have despaired of putting into words the impression made on his mind; but now behold God has taken the matter into his own hands. When we take care to keep right Godwards, God will take care that we are kept right and powerful manwards. Our greatest impression upon men is to be made, not by that which we are labouring to achieve, but by that which we achieve unconsciously, when we become as much as possible mere instruments of the wisdom and power coming from above.

III. THE CONDUCT OF THE PEOPLE. It is not made clear as to whether the people were unable to gaze upon the splendour of Moses’ face through the excess of light which radiated thence, or whether they were filled with superstitious terror because one who hitherto had looked but as themselves had become so changed in appearance. Probably the latter way of accounting for their conduct comes nearest to the truth. They were afraid of Moses, much as the disciples were of Jesus when they saw him walking on the lake and thought it was an apparition. Hence we have another instance of how men, whom God made to be so near to him, yet through their alienation from him, and constant immersion in earthly concerns, start back when there is some overwhelming manifestation of the unearthly and the divine. Presence of mind is lost just when presence of mind would be most helpful. Moses put on the veil in necessary toleration of human weakness; but we should always read of such necessities with a feeling of humiliation. In only too many things these ungodly Israelites are our representatives. God, who is our benefactor, cannot reveal himself in all his glory, because of our weakness. When God honoured and enriched the mediator Moses by putting a divine splendour into his countenance, as he came down among men with the laws of a holy and a happy life, this very splendour became a cause of abject terror rather than of confidence and gladness. Yet when the final Mediator came, full of grace and truth, men rushed to the other extreme. They could see no divinity and authority, and in their contempt and presumption, put the Mediator to death. It is very difficult for men to make a right estimate of the outward shows of things.Y.

HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART

Exo 34:28-35

Fellowship with God and its fruits.

I. COMMUNION WITH GOD.

1. The length of his sojournforty days and forty nights. Time sped unmarked in the presence and fellowship of God. The future glory an untiring joy. The redeemed serve him day and night in his temple.

2. Lower wants were forgotten: “he did neither eat bread nor drink water.” The need of the body was unfelt in the satisfying of the desires of the spirit. “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” To escape from temptation we have only to enter into the presence of God and to let the eye rest upon his glory.

II. MAN GLORIFIED THROUGH COMMUNION.

1. The descent of Moses, radiant with the glory of God, the type of Jesus in his coming again the second time without sin unto salvation.

2. A prophecy of the after glory of them who believe. “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

3. An example of the present glory of those who have fellowship with him who is light. We are “light in the Lord.”

4. Its effect upon the worldly and the sinful. They were afraid to come nigh. It awakens conscience. It proves the reality of the Unseen. It reveals the distance between the soul and God.

III. THE VEILING OF MOSES‘ FACE. He was unconscious of the glory: “he wist not that his face shone.” The vision of God is ever accompanied with lowly self-judgment.

2. It was not worn ostentatiously. We may not boast of our nearness to God. Vanity in the Divine life is an impossibility.

3. The glory was veiled in accordance with the dispensation which alone these men were able to receive. The whole law with its types and shadows was a veiling of the sun of righteousness, and the redemption glory. We must meet men where they are that they may be led to God. The Apostle who spoke “wisdom among them that were perfect” knew how to give milk also to babes in Christ and to speak to the carnal.U.

HOMILIES BY G. A. GOODHART

Exo 34:29

Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

His face “shone”literally, “shot out rays”as we say, was irradiated, became radiant. Notice:

I. THE CAUSE OF THE PHENOMENON. “Talked with him.” Self had been forgotten in communion with Jehovah, in hearing him and attending to his utterances. It is from such communion as this that the radiant countenance results.

1. What the communion is. God a Spirit. Communion must be spiritual The fleshly face cannot directly reflect spiritual light, that light “which never was on sea or land.” Spirit is kindled by spirit, the human by the Divine, when spirit meets with spirit and realizes the sympathy which exists between them.

2. What the communion does. The illuminated spirit, reflecting God, kindled into brilliancy by his light, cannot but shine out through the fleshly envelope which shrouds it. [Illustration: As opaque porcelain shade to lamp, so is the body to the spirit; light the lamp, illuminate the spirit, and the shade, in either case, becomes radiant.] If you would have a happy face, a radiant countenance, you must first have an illuminated spirit. That can only be gained from the Fount of light in and through communion with God.

II. UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SUBJECT OF THE PHENOMENON. “Wist not.” His face was radiant, but Moses knew nothing of it. His mind was so full of God that his attention was drawn off from all thought of his appearance. Notice:

1. All sincerity forgets egotism (F. W. Robertson). Attention is a fixed quantity; to fix it on God is to draw it off from self [cf. a lock on a river; open the flood-gates of communion and the level of self-love is soon lowered].

2. Radiancy cannot be obtained by trying for it. If aim in prayer is to increase self-glory, it cannot succeed. God first; God all in all; then comes the illumination, and the light flows forth. Self lost in God [cf. wick saturated with oil] before we can ray out the light of God. How many selfish prayers are offered, and the countenances of those who offer them are often anything but radiant! The puritanical cast of countenance repels by its gloom rather than by its brilliancy. The best prayer is that which rises from communion; which seeks first, as in Christ’s model prayer, that God’s name may be hallowed, and his kingdom come, and his will be done, before going on further to seek satisfaction for personal needs.

Conclusion.Do you want to have a radiant face? The best way is not to think about it. Lose self, as Moses did, in communion with God; then your face will be radiant, though you know it not.G.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Exo 34:27. Write thou these words, &c. What was before spoken, is now committed to writing; and abundant cause have we to bless God, that his word is thus transmitted to us, and not left to oral tradition. A covenant is entered into between God and Moses in behalf of the people of Israel: thus peace is re-established, and Moses’s mediation effectual. As we have a greater Mediator than Moses, we have also a part in a better covenant, established on better promises, and secured by the best of titles, even by the sacrifice and infinite merit of our Divine Lord.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Deu 5:2-3 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Exo 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

Ver. 27. I have made a covenant. ] We also have the covenant, the seals, ministers, &c. But, alas! are not these blessings amongst us as the ark was amongst the Philistines, rather as prisoners than as privileges? Rather in testimonium et ruinam quam in salutem? Rather for our ruin than reformation?

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Write thou. See note on Exo 17:14 and App-47.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Write: Exo 17:14, Exo 24:4, Exo 24:7, Deu 31:9

I have: Exo 34:10, Deu 4:13, Deu 31:9

Reciprocal: 1Ki 8:9 – when Rom 9:4 – covenants Gal 3:19 – in Heb 8:9 – the covenant Heb 8:10 – I will put

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

God re-established the Mosaic Covenant when He had set these principles forth.

"The tangible token of the renewal is the handing over of two tables of the testimony like the first, which had been shattered at the time when the original covenant had been annulled. The ceremony was to be similar to the first one, but not so festive, just as the second wedding of one who marries his divorced wife is not quite the same as the first. The break has been healed, but it is not possible to undo the fact that at some time the break had existed." [Note: Cassuto, pp. 437-38. On the practice of fasting, see Kent D. Berghuis, "A Biblical Perspective on Fasting," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:629 (January-March 2001):86-103.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)