What is the meaning of Exodus 32:16? The tablets These stone slabs were physical, tangible objects Moses could hold (Exodus 31:18). God had summoned Moses up Sinai “to give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written” (Exodus 24:12). Because they were stone, they: • Signified permanence—truth that doesn’t shift with culture (Psalm 119:89). • Stood separate from Moses’ later handwritten copy (Deuteronomy 31:9), underscoring a divine origin distinct from any human pen. were the work of God Scripture states plainly that the tablets themselves were fashioned by the LORD. Deuteronomy 9:10 repeats, “The LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God.” • Creation: As Genesis 1 shows, God speaks and matter forms; here He directly shapes stone, reminding Israel the covenant comes from the same Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 146:6). • Sovereignty: No human chisels touched these first tablets. Their very substance testified that covenant begins with God’s initiative, not man’s effort (Romans 11:36). and the writing God didn’t merely supply blank tablets; He filled them with words. Exodus 24:3 notes Moses later wrote what he heard, yet this initial covenant text was pre-inscribed. • Content mattered as much as medium. These words were “the Ten Words” (Exodus 34:28), summarizing moral law that undergirds all later commands (Matthew 22:37-40). • The act of writing reveals God as communicator, not distant or silent (Hebrews 1:1-2). was the writing of God “Written by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18) affirms divine authorship. • Authority: Because it is God’s handwriting, the law is binding (James 4:12). • Inerrancy: “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16); therefore these words are free from error and eternally reliable (Psalm 19:7). • Continuation: 2 Peter 1:21 explains that later prophets wrote as they were “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The same Author guarantees unity from Sinai to Revelation. engraved on the tablets “Engraved” indicates the letters were cut into the stone, not inked on the surface. • Depth: Carved truth resists fading, symbolizing the enduring nature of God’s moral standard (Isaiah 40:8). • Foreshadowing: Jeremiah 31:33 promises a day when God will “put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” The external engraving anticipates an internal engraving accomplished by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:3). summary Exodus 32:16 teaches that both the medium and the message of Israel’s covenant originated entirely with God. He crafted the stone, inscribed His own words, and engraved them permanently, underscoring the authority, perfection, and enduring relevance of His law for every generation. |
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