His Ways - My Life

At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. Also make a wooden Ark—a sacred chest to store them in. Come up to me on the mountain, and I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the ones you smashed. Then place the tablets in the Ark.’ [Deuteronomy 10.1-2]

In this section of the Bible, Moses is reviewing all that happened before Israel arrived at the border of the Promised Land. The passage I selected above is just another detail that Moses felt compelled to review.

As I often do, I have a question: Why did God have Moses chisel out the second set of stone tablets on which He (God) would inscribe again the terms of the Covenant (the Ten Commandments)? In other words, why didn't God chisel the tablets Himself as He apparently did the first time?

I have never heard anyone address this.

Perhaps, just perhaps, there was symbolism in Moses chiseling the second tablets instead of God.

What happened to the first set of tablets? They were broken - not by disobedient, unruly people, but by Moses! These tablets were evidently chiseled by God Himself and Moses broke them!

But God asked Moses to chisel the second set - why? Maybe it was because God wanted Moses and every person reading the story for eternity following to understand that man has a part in God's rule on our lives.

The stone tablets may represent the heart. The laws of God, written on "His" tablets may not be as effective as the laws of God written on "our" tablets. Moses had to provide the 'slate' (if you will) upon which God would write the Commandments once again.

This makes me think of the importance of our giving our hearts to God so that He might write on them His ways! God did not make us robots. He made us living souls capable of accepting or rejecting Him. It is our responsibility to offer to God the 'tablet' of our hearts for Him to establish His ways in and upon our lives.

Wow. This makes it personal with God - His ways on my life.

Father, I want my heart and my life to be a slate upon which Your ways are seen and understood by all who see and know me. I give You my life.