What significance do the "two tablets" hold in understanding God's covenant with Israel? Setting the Scene “When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” (Exodus 31:18) Why Stone Matters • Stone signals permanence—God’s covenant is enduring, not temporary (Exodus 32:16). • “Inscribed by the finger of God” underscores divine authorship; the law originates with Him, not with human invention. Why Two Tablets? • Ancient covenant practice: each party received a full copy; both copies were stored together in the sanctuary. God provided both, placing them in the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:1-5; 1 Kings 8:9). • Legal witness requires two (Deuteronomy 19:15); the tablets stand as an unbreakable testimony between God and Israel. Ten Words, Two Dimensions • First tablet—commands 1-4: devotion to God. • Second tablet—commands 5-10: love of neighbor. • Jesus’ summary reflects this twofold focus (Matthew 22:37-40). Center of Worship, Heart of the Camp • Ark of the Covenant housed the tablets (Exodus 25:16, 21-22), positioning God’s word at Israel’s core. • The mercy seat overshadowed them, picturing atonement covering transgression against the written law (Leviticus 16:14-15). Covenant Blessings and Accountability • Obedience brought blessing; violation invited curse (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). • Tablets served as a continual witness against covenant breach (Deuteronomy 31:26-27). Foreshadowing the New Covenant • Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises the law written on hearts rather than on stone. • Fulfilled in Christ: “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3). • Through His sacrifice God secures the same moral law within believers (Romans 8:3-4). Take-Home Truths • The two tablets affirm that God Himself initiates, defines, and preserves covenant relationship. • They reveal a holistic ethic—love God wholly, love people practically. • Their placement in the Ark anticipates Christ, whose blood covers our failure to keep the law and who writes that law inside us, enabling obedience from the heart. |
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