What connections exist between Deuteronomy 9:10 and Exodus 31:18 regarding the tablets? Setting the Scene - Exodus 31:18 captures the first moment: God finishes speaking with Moses on Sinai and hands him “two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.” - Deuteronomy 9:10 recounts the same event from Moses’ later perspective: “The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.” - One passage is narrative (Exodus), the other is testimony (Deuteronomy), creating a two-witness confirmation of the same divine act (cf. Deuteronomy 19:15). Same Author, Same Medium - “Inscribed by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10) underscores direct divine authorship—no human intermediary in the writing itself (see also Exodus 32:16). - Stone, not parchment, highlights permanence (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18). Purpose of the Tablets - Exodus calls them “tablets of the Testimony,” linking them to the ark of the testimony (Exodus 25:16, 21–22). - Deuteronomy stresses that they contained “all the words” spoken “out of the midst of the fire,” tying the tablets to the dramatic covenant ceremony of Exodus 19–20. Continuity and Covenant - Together, the passages confirm one continuous covenant narrative: • God speaks (Exodus 19–20). • God writes (Exodus 31:18). • Moses later reminds the people (Deuteronomy 9:10). - This repetition shows that the covenant’s authority did not diminish over time (Hebrews 2:1–2). Witness and Accountability - Two tablets = two copies of an ancient treaty—one for each covenant partner—both kept before the Lord (Exodus 25:21). - By retelling the story in Deuteronomy, Moses calls Israel to remember their obligation (Deuteronomy 4:9–13). Echoes Across Scripture - Deuteronomy 5:22 affirms God wrote “with His own hand.” - 2 Corinthians 3:3 contrasts tablets of stone with tablets of human hearts, but only after affirming the original tablets’ validity. - Revelation 11:19 pictures the ark (and thus the tablets) in heaven—symbol of God’s unbroken testimony. Takeaways for Today - God’s moral law flows from His own character; He authored it personally. - His Word is meant to be permanent and unaltered. - Repetition in Scripture is God’s way of pressing truth on His people’s hearts—then and now. |
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