Broken Tablets
I looked out at everyone singing and praising God. For me, silence felt more honest. After yelling at my family on the way to church, I felt disqualified. I needed to put myself in a time-out for at least a day or two before I could talk to God again. I knew that, as he looked down on me, he was severely disappointed. How could I be a Christian minister if I couldn't go to church without losing my temper?
Exodus 34:1-10
The LORD told Moses, "Cut for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write down the words that were on the first tablets, the ones you smashed. Be ready by morning. At daybreak climb up Mount Sinai, and stand before me at the top of the mountain. No one is to come up with you. No one is even to be seen anywhere on the mountain. Not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of it." So Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He rose at dawn and went up Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets in his hand, just as the LORD had commanded him. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and took his place next to him, and he called out his own name, the LORD. The LORD passed in front of him and called out: "The LORD, the LORD, a God tender and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing in faithful love and truth, keeping faithful love for thousands of generations, lifting away guilt, rebellion, and sin. Yet by no means will he treat the guilty as innocent; he brings the consequences of the parents' guilt to bear on their children and grandchildren, to the third and the fourth generation." Moses quickly bowed low to the ground and worshiped. He said, "My Lord, if I have truly found grace in your eyes, then please, my Lord, go with us. For they are a stiff-necked people, but forgive our guilt and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." And the LORD answered, "Look, I am making a covenant. In front of all your people I will do wonders never created in any land or among the nations. All the people around you will see the work of the LORD, for what I am about to do with you is awesome."
When Moses was absent for a few weeks, precisely because God was teaching him how to lead his people, the Israelites turned to idolatry and started to worship a golden calf. But instead of raining down lightning bolts, God invited Moses to return to the mountaintop. It's his answer to Moses asking God to reveal his glory. Moses might have expected the spectacular, but instead, God reveals his character. While Moses goes up the mountain, the meeting takes place only because God comes down to meet with him. Jesus fully reveals everything God showed Moses about himself. John intentionally quotes this passage when he tells us the Word "became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). God has kept his faithful love for thousands of generations. He discloses that his very self is tender, gracious, overflowing with love and truth. We are not Israelites, but because of Jesus, we can trust that God has the same attitude toward us. As God reveals his heart, Moses recognizes the contrast. So, he drops to the lowest posture he can assume and worships. Even after hearing God personally reveal his character, he's asking if God will go with them. After all, this God is perfect, but the people are stiff-necked. The picture is ugly: we plant our feet and refuse to turn toward our Maker. Both egregious and habitual sin make us feel inadequate before God. The Israelites are guilty of both. And after Moses shattered the first set of tablets, how could God stay committed to them? God's response to their sin is unexpected. He both forgives guilt and acknowledges the cost of sin. Because of his forgiveness, our relationship remains intact. He chooses to make a covenant with us. It's an unbreakable promise to love us forever. What he has done is awesome, and the story of his commitment to his people has traveled around the world. At the same time, the consequences of our sin can cascade down through generations. A demanding father might raise an emotionally disconnected daughter who grows up to numb the pain with alcohol. The resulting chaos cripples her son's ability to trust anyone. Notice that God doesn't glue the smashed tablets back together or charge the Israelites for the replacements. So, where's the justice? At Sinai, God gave new tablets for the broken ones and pledged to make a covenant with his people. But how does this address the sin? It's only at the cross where the tension is resolved. Exodus 34 is the commitment to pay. The cross is the full payment, where Jesus's blood is "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). His body didn't stay defeated; God raised him to life. So, how can I pray to a God I've failed? When I'm looking down at my feet in shame, there doesn't seem to be a way back up to God. I'd rather come back to God when I'm more deserving. But if his love constantly overflows from who he is, then I can trust that he will be compassionate and gracious with me. That's the argument Moses makes: Because we're stiff-necked, we need you to make us your treasure. And God is delighted by this prayer. The basis of prayer is not what I have done but who God is.
Meditate on how God describes himself to Moses. What surprises you about how he chooses to reveal his identity?
Who in your life made it safe to tell the truth about your worst? What did they do?
What in your past makes you feel disqualified to talk to God today?
Before you start your day, pray the prayer you've been avoiding: "God, I keep turning from you, but you keep overflowing with love for me."