Exodus 34:1-9

Exodus 34:1-9

[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.  [2] And be ready  in the morning,  and come up  in the morning  unto mount  Sinai,  and present  thyself there to me in the top  of the mount.  [3] And no man  shall come up  with thee, neither  let any man  be seen  throughout all the mount;  neither let the flocks  nor herds  feed  before  that mount.  [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  the two  tables  of stone.  [5] And the LORD  descended  in the cloud,  and stood  with him there, and proclaimed  the name  of the LORD.  [6] And the LORD  passed by  before him,  and proclaimed,  The LORD,  God,  merciful  and gracious,  longsuffering,  and abundant  in goodness  and truth,  [7] Keeping  mercy  for thousands,  forgiving  iniquity  and transgression  and sin,  and that will by no means  the guilty; visiting  the iniquity  of the fathers  upon the children,  children, unto the third  and to the fourth  [8] And Moses  made haste,  and bowed his head  toward the earth,  and worshipped.  [9] And he said,  If now I have found  grace  in thy sight,  O Lord,  among  us; for it is a stiffnecked  people;  and pardon  our iniquity  and our sin,  and take us for thine inheritance. 

What does Exodus 34:1-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The text does not record what Moses saw of God"s self-revelation ( Exodus 33:18), but it does tell us what he heard. Moses stressed the mercy of God in this exposition of God"s name, Yahweh (cf. Exodus 29:5-6).
"There is nothing more terrible than the way in which sin clings to a man and dogs his footsteps. Let a man once steal, and he is never trusted again, even though he has made reparation for it. Men look at their fallen brothers through their sin; but God looks at man through the idealised [1] life, with a love that imputes to him every virtue for Christ"s sake." [2]
Moses" response to God"s gracious revelation was submission and worship ( Exodus 34:8). [3]
Encouraged by this revelation Moses requested again (cf. Exodus 33:15) that God would dwell in the midst of Israel and lead His people into the Promised Land ( Exodus 34:9). He besought the Lord again to Revelation -establish His covenant acknowledging the sinfulness of the Israelites with whom he humbly identified.