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SEPTEMBER 26 • Lesson Four

God Promises an Awesome Thing

Bible Background • EXODUS 34:1-10
Printed Text * EXODUS 34:4-10 | Devotional Reading • ACTS 3:19-26

- Aim for Change ---------------------

By the end of the lesson, we will: LIST God's attributes as revealed to Moses; REFLECT on
God's love, mercy and faithfulness; and PRAISE God for His love, mercy, and faithfulness.

*** In Focus ***

Sierra and Julius had a mutual love for God and encouraged one another. When Sierra and
Julius were married, like all couples, they had ups and downs in their marriage. Yet they
purchased a home and had two children. Sierra was faithfully committed to her husband, Julius.
When Julius's company downsized, he was laid off after 12 years as a sales manager. Sierra
continued to work, care for the children, and encourage Julius that God had something wonderful
for him and their family.
Each day, Julius seemed more hesitant to attend church and Bible study with the family. He
seemed more withdrawn. Sierra didn't complain; she continued to praise God for His provisions.
One Friday afternoon, Sierra was paying the bills. As she opened the mail, Sierra said, "Thank
You, God, for Your provisions!"
Julius asked, "What is it?"
As she gave Julius the letter, Sierra said, "Our tax refund was adjusted...."
Before Sierra could finish, Julius said, "We're probably receiving less."
Sierra quickly responded, "No, there is an increase. Because He loves us, God is faithful to
provide."
Let today's lesson help you to consider God's continual blessings in the midst of the world's
unfaithfulness.

Keep in Mind
"And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful
and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth"
(Exodus 34:6).
Focal Verses
Exodus 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first:
and I will write upon these tables the words that
were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
34:4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto
the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning,
and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had
commanded him, and took in his hand tbe tables of
stone.
5And the LORD descended in the cloud, and
stood with him there, and proclaimed the name
of the LORD.
6And the LORD passed by before him, and
proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth,
7Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will
by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and
upon the children's children, unto the third and
to the fourth generation.
8And Moses made haste, and bowed his head
toward the earth, and worshipped.
9And he said, If now I have found grace in thy
sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray thee, go
among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and
pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for
thine inheritance.
10And he said, Behold, I make a covenant:
before all thy people I will do marvels, such as
have not been done in all the earth, nor in any
nation: and all the people among which thou art
shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a
terrible thing that I will do with thee.
The People, Places, and Times
Mount Sinai. This is the highest mountain in
Egypt. At 2,285 meters high, it is located in the
south central part of Sinai Peninsula. God made
many revelations of Himself and for the Israelites
at Mount Sinai. There, He also gave the Ten
Commandments to Moses. The entire peninsula,
150 miles long, is located in the northwestern end
of Saudi Arabia and is in the shape of an inverted
base. Mount Sinai refers to the mountain peak
where God revealed Himself to Moses. Sinai has
been referred to as the "mountain of God" (Exodus
3:1) and "mount of the LORD" (Numbers 10:33).
Stone Tablets. The stone tablets, which are
inscribed with the Ten Commandments, give
insight into the nature of God. There were two sets
of stone tablets. In anger, Moses destroyed the first
set, which God inscribed, when Moses saw the
Israelites worshiping a golden calf. He cut the
second set, which was rewritten by God. The
tablets, which were stored in the Ark of the
Covenant, were rounded off rectangles.
Background
For 400 years, the Israelites were slaves in
Egypt, where they were oppressed and cruelly
treated. God heard their prayers for deliverance.
He sent Moses, a shepherd, to deliver the Israelites
and reveal mighty miracles. God revealed His
power through 10 calamities or plagues that He
inflicted on Egypt. As an act of God, about two
million Israelites escaped from Egypt and began
the Exodus through the Sinai wilderness in 1446
B.C. In one last attempt, Pharaoh tried to bring the
Israelites back to Egypt, but God parted the Red
Sea and rescued the Israelites.
In the wilderness, the Israelites complained
about the bitter water. Moses prayed to God, and
God made the water sweet. God promised to meet
the Israelites' needs, but He stipulated that the
people must obey Him. After traveling through the
wilderness, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai.
Through His servant, Moses, God gave His people
the Law and direction on worshiping at the
Tabernacle. God made a covenant with the
Israelites and revealed the Law to lead the
Israelites to live holy and responsibly. He also
gave Moses specific instructions to build a
tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting that would be their
special place for worship.

At-A-Glance
1. God Instructs Moses (Exodus 34:1)
2. Moses Carries Out God's Instructions on
Mount Sinai (v. 4)
3. God's Love and Graciousness (w. 5-7)
4. Moses Worships God for Who He Is (w. 8-9)
5. God Renews the Covenant (v. 10)
In Depth
1. God Instructs Moses (Exodus 34:1)
God spoke with Moses and instructed him to
cut two new tablets of stone. Previously, God had
provided the two tablets and written upon them;
but Moses broke them when he was angered by
the Israelites' idol worship (32:19). However, this
did not deter Sovereign God (He is in control of
His universe) from His plan to write the Ten
Commandments and give them to His people.
Even though the people failed to be obedient,
while Moses received instruction from God on
Mount Sinai, God was still merciful. He started
again and provided instructions for the Israelites
to live righteously.
God wanted the Israelites to be a holy nation.
So He gave them instructions to obey Him. He did
so through the Ten Commandments, which taught
them how to live for God both morally and
spiritually.
2. Moses Carries Out God's Instructions on
Mount Sinai (v. 4)
Moses obeyed God's instructions and cut two
more stone tablets. In verses 2-3, God also gave
him specific directives that included what time of
day to come to Mount Sinai, and he was not to
bring anyone with him nor could anyone be seen
near the mountain. In addition, neither flocks nor
herds could graze in front of the mountain. (Only
Moses was allowed to come before God on holy
ground; see 34:3.)
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Early the next morning Moses obediently went
to Mount Sinai as God commanded. He carried
the two stone tablets, which were probably made
of slate. Although he had chiseled the stones, God
would inscribe His handiwork on the tablets.3.
God's Love and Graciousness (w. 5-7)
In chapter 33 of Exodus, Moses requested to
see the glory of God—the presence of God. but
Moses was too finite (limited) to see the manifest
glory of God. If anyone saw God, they would not
live. God, however, came up with a plan. He
promised to allow Moses to see Him when God
had passed ("from behind," 33:23, NLT). After
Moses climbed Mount Sinai, God met him. In
34:5, Moses saw God descend "in the cloud." The
cloud that God descended in may have been the
same pillar of cloud that led the Israelites by day
when they escaped Egypt (13:21). The day before
indirectly seeing God, as Moses "entered into the
tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended...and the
LORD talked with Moses" (33:9). Thus, the pillar
of a cloud was a visible sign that God was present.
As God passed by, He declared His character
and the meaning of the name "Yahweh." God
made Himself known by His name, which
revealed that God is steadfast, loving, and
forgiving. In Hebrew, the word "passed" ('abar,
aw-BAR) is translated "crossed over." In a way
that Moses would never forget, God revealed His
glory or character, which is gracious, merciful,
and long-suffering.
The attributes of God include the benevolent
and overwhelming graciousness of God. Because
God's character reveals a loyal love, God is good.
He consistendy cares about humankind. God
revealed to Moses that He is truth; therefore, He is
faithful and constant. In the book of Numbers,
when he prayed for the rebellious people, Moses
recorded the attributes or character of God
(Numbers 14:18-19). Moses relied on God's love,
patience, forgiveness, and mercy when he prayed
for the people. In today's lesson, God revealed His
glory or character: compassion, constancy, and
consistent love. In the midst of Israel's
unfaithfulness, God still revealed His love.
The Israelites sinned when they worshiped
the golden calf, but because of God's love and
mercy, He offered them forgiveness. God
willingly offered forgiveness for the sins and
transgressions of the Israelites and all people.
However, Numbers 14:18 (NLT) declares,
"The LORD is slow to anger and filled with
unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and
rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty.
He lays the sins of the parents upon their
children; the entire family is affected—even
children in the third and fourth generations."
Yet, He shows His mercy toward everyone.
God's divine grace offers consistent
forgiveness to sinners whenever they ask with
a repentant heart. Because God is merciful,
He offers forgiveness for offenses,
transgressions, and sinfulness. When we
accept Jesus Christ, we can be confident that
our sins will be forgiven.
4. Moses Worships God for Who He Is
(w. 8-9)
Moses was impressed by God's
proclamation of His glory. His revelation of
His glory to Moses sufficiently answered
Moses' request. In response, Moses bowed in
humble respect, love, and adoration for God.
He honored the name of God and worshiped
Him. Moses was thankful for God's goodness
and submitted to God's will.
Believers belong to God's family.
Therefore, we too should praise God for His
goodness, love, and mercy. If we consider the
goodness of God, our response should be
overflowing praise and thankfulness for God's
loving-kindness, forgiveness, and faithful
love and mercy.
Moses continued to pray for the Israelites
as he asked God to "go among us" (Exodus
34:9). He interceded for the people and asked
God to pardon their sins. Moses remembered
God's promises and desired that God reverse
His judgment to remove Himself from the
Israelites' presence (33:1-3). Moses desired
that God forgive their sins and His presence
remain with His people. God responded to
Moses' request.
If God were to remove Himself from our
presence, we would be forever lost—eternally
separated from the Holy (set apart from sin)
God—forever dead. However, like Moses, we
can humbly pray to God and trust that God's
goodness, love, and mercy are everlasting.
When we truly desire God's presence, we will
go to Him with a broken and contrite heart.
Not only will we experience His presence, but
also His glory (His splendor, His grandeur).
5. God Renews the Covenant (v. 10)
Moses interceded for the people and God
responded; God restored His covenant with
Israel. He promised that the Israelites would
experience great things, "marvels, such as
have not been done in all the earth, nor in any
nation." The covenant blessings from God
would be incredible—an awesome God can
do incredible things. Because the Israelites
remained faithful, God would deliver them
from their enemies and any inhabitants in the
land of Canaan would be destroyed for the
benefit of Israel. Thus through obedience to
God, the Israelites would be blessed.
Search the Scriptures
1.What happened to the first set of stone
tablets that contained the Ten
Commandments
(Exodus 32:19)?
2.What did God require Moses to do before
he met Him on Mount Sinai (34:1)?
3.What does it mean when God "passed by
before" Moses (v. 6)?
Discuss the Meaning
1.Why was Moses unable to gaze upon the
glory of God?
2.How is God's glory revealed to believers
today?
3.How can sin affect generations in a
family "unto the third and to the fourth
generation" (Exodus 34:7)?
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Lesson in Our Society Say It Correctly

Today, the consequences of sin, rebellion, Mount Horeb. 'ho' r-,eb.
and transgressions against God's commands Pentateuch, 'pen-ta^tuk, -,tytik.
are not considered by many people in the Shekinah. shuh-KI-nuh.
world. The glory and majesty of God's
goodness, love, and mercy are not
recognized or praised. Many people have
personal agendas that do not include Daily Bible Readings
obedience or faithfulness to God. An M: God's Mercy
example of this flawed behavior occurs Psalm 57:1-5
when some people achieve financial success T: God's Faithfulness
and their faithfulness to God diminishes. Lamentations 3:22-26
As believers, God requires His children to W: God's Forgiveness
faithfully serve Him and with the help of the Psalm 103:1-5
Holy Spirit, withstand the sinfulness that
exists in the world. T: God's Justice
Psalm 103:6-10
Make It Happen F: God's Compassion
Focus on the attributes of God and His Psalm 103:11-16
glory. Pray that He will become real in your S: God's Steadfast Love
life. Realize that God's presence dwells Psalm 103:17-22
within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Then, pray for God to lead, guide, and direct S: God's Inheritance
you to remain committed to serve, obey, and Exodus 34:1, 4-10
follow Him. If you transgress against God,
seek God's forgiveness with a repentant
heart.

Follow the Spirit

What God wants me to do:

Remember Your Thoughts

Special insights I have learned: