Moses in directed to hew out two other tablets and ascend Sinai once more (Exodus 34:1-4 ). There the law and the covenant are renewed, and the sacred festivals and Sabbaths decreed. At Sinai God rewrites the words of the covenant, the ten commandments upon the two stones (Exodus 34:5-28 ). After an incredible forty-day stay with God, Moses descends with shining countenance, to the people (Exodus 34:29-35 ). From this incident the apostle Paul argues the supreme greatness of the glory of the new covenant.

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 "But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?"

QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. Do you find a lesson in Moses having to cut the tablets of stone to replace the ones he had broken (Exodus 34:1 )?
   • Do you accept that what God gives without your own intervention, is best (Exodus 24:12 )?
   • Does Moses, providing the blank stone, remind you of what you can give to the Lord?
   • God did the writing. Does it remind you of your dependance on Him for the supernatural?

2. What did obedience involve, on the part of Moses (Exodus 34:4 )?
   • As a worker with God, will you be involved in labour, early rising, steep ascents, carrying heavy burdens?

3. By the descent of God to reveal Himself, are you reminded of the descent of God the Son (Exodus 34:5; Philippians 2:6-8 )?
   • Do you need the mind of Christ to be in you so as to serve like Him (Philippians 2:3-5 )?
   • What combination of names did God use, and how did He proclaim His character (Exodus 34:6- 7 )?
   • Do you believe that proclamation of the Lord's character and His redemptive work will cause His people to become worshippers and intercessors (Exodus 34:8-9 )?
   • Are you as attached to the people of God with a heartfelt commitment, like that of Moses?
   • Did Moses ask what was in God's heart in Exodus 34:9?
   • Do you believe the abundant answer proved that Moses asked according to God's will?

4. Did God need the consent of the people to renew the covenant as in covenants between equals (Exodus 34:10 )?
   • Would you draw the conclusion that God's covenants are really settlements by the benefactor on a beneficiary?
   • Did the marvels promised by the Lord refer to the conquest of Canaan and attendant miracles?
   • Are greater signs and wonders promised by the Lord to advance His commission (Mark 16:17- 18 )?
   • Have you proved that God does things that are beyond the bounds of human powers or expectations (Psalm 9:1; 118:23-24 )?

5. Do you limit your observance of what the Lord tells you to do, to what is convenient (Exodus 34:11 )?
   • Do you think it is just as necessary to warn the church not to compromise as did Israel (Exodus 34:12 ). Is it right to permit anything among God's people other than Christ and Him crucified (Exodus 34:13-14; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14 )?
   • Are you committed that all unclean religion be removed from among His people (Exodus 34:15- 17 )?
   • Did God use the negative to warn, and the positive to encourage practical obedience (Exodus 34:18-26 )?
   • Can you name practical requirements that encourage your walk with the Lord?

6. Why did God require Moses to write down these words of covenant (Exodus 34:27 )?
   • How long was Moses with God on the mountain (Exodus 34:28 )?
   • How was Moses physically sustained?
   • What did God write?

7. Have you seen in others the beauty and change that comes from communion with the Lord (Exodus 34:29 )?
   • Have you decided to keep looking at the Lord till you become like Him, and in contemplating Him be changed (2 Corinthians 3:18 )?
   • Does the not knowing of his shining face challenge you to lose yourself in Jesus?
   • Is it possible to be taken up with boasting of self when absorbed in His beauty and grace?
   • Is being near to Jesus, feeling His touch, hearing His voice, causing you to carry down into the valley some radiance?

8. Is the effect of the Lord's likeness and glory on you, always welcomed by those from whom you would expect acknowledgement with thankfulness to God (Exodus 34:30-31 )?
   • Do you regard it as strange, that because of the glory on the messenger, the people were reluctant to come near and hear the message (Exodus 34:32 )?
   • Why did Moses put a veil on his face after he had finished speaking to the people (Exodus 34:33; 2 Corinthians 3:13 )?
   • When will the complete change into the likeness and beauty of Jesus take place in you (1 John 3:2 )?