Moses Receives the Ten Commandments

In short

Ex. 19:10-20:21 and Ex. 34. A mountain, the finger of God, two tablets of stone, and repeat. Plus, fire, smoke, thunder and lightning.

Why it is important

Moses received many laws while he was on and near the Mountain of God, but the Ten Commandments are the only ones written on two tablets of stone by the finger of God. And they seem to be the first laws given as well.

What is in this story

1. “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain…. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. …and the whole mountain trembled greatly,” Ex 19:16-22.
2. God speaks the Ten Commandments, Ex 20:1-17
3. More laws
4. God writes the Ten Commandments on two tablets, Ex 31:18
5. Israel turns to idol worship
6. “Moses’ anger burned hot,” and he breaks the tablets, Ex 32:19
7. So, Moses has to make two more tablets (blank ones, is implied, Ex 34:1), go back up the mountain for 40 more days (Ex 34:28), and the LORD wrote on them again (Ex 34:28; cf. v. 1 and Deut 10:4)
8. Moses’ face shined when he came down after seeing the LORD, and he didn’t know it was shining (Ex 34:29-35), so I guess that didn’t happen the first time
9. Moses wore a veil over his face after that (Ex 34:32-35)

Things that are not so well-known

• The mountain was cordoned off in preparation for the LORD’s appearing. “Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death,” Ex 19:10-15.
• Moses goes up and down the mountain many times in this process
• But I guess Moses was on the ground when he heard the Ten Commandments, and everyone else heard it at the same time. The words immediately before chapter 20 are, “Moses went down to the people and told them” (to stay back, Ex 19:25). After the commandments, the people are having a conversation with Moses (Ex 20:19-21). And the LORD said he would be loud enough for everyone to hear (Ex 19:9). Well, that is not what I thought. He does go up the mountain for the second law-giving, though.
• The writing on the tablets was on front and back, apparently, Ex 32:15-16
• The Scriptures refer to the “Ten Commandments” a whopping three times, but far more often they are the “tablets of stone” (Deut 4:13) or “tablets of the covenant” (Deut 9:9)
• There was a Book of the Covenant also, containing all of the other laws, it seems (Ex 24:3, 7)
• Moses retells the story in Deuteronomy (as you may have gathered by now)

Theology and doctrine

I’m out of time, but there is so much of this that comes up over and over, the mountain (Heb 12), the glory of Moses’ face and the veil (2Co 3), and more.