In
the hand of Moses were the two stone tablets of the testimony. They were not
very large because they were supposed to be placed inside the Ark of the
Covenant as well. However, inscribed on both sides of the two tablets were the
Ten Commandments. Exodus 32:16 makes it clear that God was the one who
wrote on the tablets, it was His writing and that He personally inscribed those
Ten Commands. These God-given laws were His instructions to man. Hence up till
today, they are still binding. The law of most countries can trace its roots to
the Ten Commandments. The effect of these God-given commandments is like the
ripples created when one throws a stone into the water. Hence not to steal,
lie, covert, murder or commit immorality are essentially God’s command. They
come from these moral laws that He had given.
Earlier,
we were told that Moses took Joshua with him up to the Mount Sinai. When God
summoned Moses up into His presence, he left Joshua waiting further down. He
himself went into God’s presence. So, when he came down from God’s presence, he
met Joshua on the way down to return to the camp. When they drew near the camp
where the people were, they both heard a strange sound. Joshua couldn’t
identify what sound they were making. Being a man of war, he thought it was the
sound of war. But Moses knew of their detestable activities for the Lord had
already told him. So, he revealed that they were not engaged in any warfare but
that they were singing.
It
was a sad moment. For when they were on the way out of Egypt, Moses led in a
song. They were proclaiming in Exodus 15:1-2 that “I will sing unto the Lord
for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and riders he has hurled into the
sea.” What had happened? Why were they now singing another tune? They were
raising a song to venerate a cow. How crazy had they become? They were having
an orgy of a sort that was bordering on insanity and obscenity.
The
condition that would soon confront Moses and Joshua depicts the human condition
today too. The laws given set out how we should live. The rest of the laws will
be very difficult to honour when one fails to honour the first two commandments
God has given. If we cannot love God and worship only Him, it’s unlikely we can
love our neighbours as ourselves. Beware that nothing we do escapes God’s
notice. We must always honour God first and all else will find their alignment.
That’s why the cross has two dimension – a vertical as well as a horizontal
dimension. When the vertical is not right, the horizontal will not be right. So,
let us worship the Lord God only and have no idols before
Him!
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