Exodus 32:15-20.

 

After Moses returns from consulting with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, he goes into a rage at the idolatrous misbehavior of Aaron and the people, so he hurls down and smashes The Ten Commandments, a mighty gift directly from God, and in this way, Moses himself sins grievously, and gravely offended Yahweh, sharing the gift of an ethical code in writing, for the Hebrews.

 

Not only did the Israelis smash a divine gift out of Yahweh’s hands, but then Moses smashed the two tablets—not a good day for humankind. When God is sharing with you the spiritual gift of the ark, plus the ethical gift of a divinely codified moral theory, and, at that exact moment of divine display of generosity and affection, this is when the chosen people most ruthlessly and viciously slap God down, not only spurning His precious gifts, but adding blasphemous insult to injury by replacing him with a golden calf, and giving that physical object credit for leading them out of the land of Egypt.

 

It seems as if they were desperate to reject God completely, instinctively sensing this is their last historical opportunity, as a people, to break the Abrahamic Covenant, denying that they were God’s chosen people. They rebelled totally and absolutely, in casting off Yahweh, in a desperate attempt to escape their destiny, so these depraved sinners seek the freedom of sinfulness and unrestraint as children of darkness, no longer bound to adore Yahweh and adhere to His commandments. It does not work: Yahweh has chosen them, and will not let them go, so, historically, they ended up being God’s chosen people—although God loves all people. The world is still trying to murder all the Jews, today in 2025, and anti-semitism is Satan’s plot all the way down.

 

It was almost as if a demon had seduced the people with collective, telepathic mind control, with a psychologically brilliant insight into how to snub and hurt Yahweh the most after He offered them love, guidance and protection.

 

Here are the lines from The New American Bible: “Moses then turned and came down the mountain with two tablets of the commandments in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, front and back; tablets that were made by God, having inscriptions on them that were engraved by God himself. Now, when Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, ‘That sounds like a battle in the camp. But Moses answered, ‘It does not sound like cries of victory, nor does it sound like cries of defeat; the sounds that I hear are cries of revelry. As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. With that, Moses’ wrath flared up, so that he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain. Taking the calf they had made, he fused it in the fire and then ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water and made the Israelis drink.”

 

My response: Moses had a right to be enraged but his rash violent public display deeply offended God in three ways. First, he smashed the sacred tables, a divine, rare ethical gift. Second, he smashed the two sacred tablets on the ground of a sacred mountain. Third, he mixed the profane, pagan gold dust image with sacred, pure mountain stream water, defiling it and making it impure, then forcing the people drink polluted water to punish them.

 

Here is this same passage from the Holy Bible (KJV): “And Moses turned and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides: on the one side and on the other they were written.”

 

 

My response: Here is a quick online account from Bible Hub, which I copied in full on 2/12/25, and which I will comment on in full, since it seems relevant, well-researched and thoughtful. I will digress and move back and forth between these verses from the Holy Bible, relating how this Bible Hub site entry pertains or not to these Exodus passages.

 

 

Bible Hub (Bible after this): “

 

 

Bible > Topical > The Two Tablets of the Testimony   ◄ The Two Tablets of the Testimony ► Jump to: Subtopics • Terms Topical Encyclopedia The Two Tablets of the Testimony, often referred to as the Tablets of Stone, are central to the biblical narrative of the covenant between God and the people of Israel. These tablets are inscribed with the Ten Commandments, which serve as a foundational ethical code in Judeo-Christian tradition. The account of the tablets is primarily found in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.”   My response: I am no Biblical scholar, so I had never heard of the two tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written, being referred to as the Two Tablets of Testimony. I suppose this is a testimonial reference to the existing Abrahamic Covenant between Yahweh and His Chosen people, a Covenant now reaffirmed and embodied in the Two Tablets of Testimony. The Arbrahamic Covenant was a binding agreement between Yahweh and His people, that Yahweh would bless and provide for them; in exchange, they would live holy, ethical lives of worship, obedience and adoration rendered continually unto Yahweh as the human part of the bargain, and of course, it was weak humans that often violated this Covenant. B: “Bible: “Biblical Account The narrative begins in Exodus 19, where the Israelites, having been delivered from Egypt, encamp at Mount Sinai. God calls Moses to ascend the mountain, where He intends to establish a covenant with His people. In Exodus 24:12, the LORD instructs Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction." The tablets are first mentioned explicitly in Exodus 31:18: "When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." This divine authorship underscores the sacred and unalterable nature of the commandments.”   My response: Under metaethical review, philosophers downgrade Divine Command Theory to just be a subjective, arbitrary, anti-realist dictum which is but God’s fickle, temporary opinion as to how humans should choose and act.   Well, it is Yahweh’ mind at work, but He sends a powerful message when He writes onto the stones Himself: his divine authorship vividly underscores the sacred and unalterable nature of the commandments.   That is enough to convince me, though I am a metaphysical moderate, that the Ten Commandments provide or come close to providing an ethical code which is objectively true, binding and factually is in line with nature and supernature. B: “The Breaking and Renewal of the Tablets In Exodus 32, while Moses is on the mountain, the Israelites fall into idolatry, worshiping a golden calf. Upon descending and witnessing their sin, Moses, in his anger, throws down the tablets, shattering them at the foot of the mountain (Exodus 32:19). This act symbolizes the breaking of the covenant due to Israel's disobedience.”   My response: Moses smashing the Two Tablets of Testimony symbolizes that the Hebrews have broken the Covenant. Below, God will order Moses to chisel out two new tablets: in essence, God is not revoking the Covenant: He relents, forgives weak humans, and they start anew. B: “God, however, in His mercy, commands Moses to chisel out two new tablets. In Exodus 34:1, the LORD says, "Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke." Moses ascends Mount Sinai once more, and God renews the covenant by inscribing the commandments again (Exodus 34:28). Significance and Symbolism The Two Tablets of the Testimony are more than mere legal documents; they represent the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The tablets are placed in the Ark of the Covenant, as described in Exodus 25:16: "And put into the ark the Testimony, which I will give you." This placement signifies the centrality of God's law in the life and worship of Israel.”   My response: Jordan Peterson with his expertise in mythological stories and their profound psychological insights likely has had a field day with this story: The ark of the Covenant has a throne on top of it upon which invisible Yahweh sits (when in residence), and inside the ark are placed the Ten Commandments. I know of no other such powerful interconnecting and linking significance assigned to accentuate how the spiritual and moral walk as one occurrence in a human soul. B: “The division of the commandments across two tablets is traditionally understood to reflect two categories of laws: duties to God and duties to fellow humans. This dual focus emphasizes the comprehensive nature of God's expectations for His people, encompassing both vertical (Godward) and horizontal (manward) relationships.”   My response: My theological training is weak, so these are new ideas for me that the commandments are two categories of law: duties to God and duties to fellow humans, and it would seem that one is not saved in a state of grace, unless one lives and performs both duties conterminously. B: ”Theological Implications The Two Tablets of the Testimony highlight the holiness and justice of God, as well as His desire for a moral and obedient people. They serve as a perpetual reminder of God's standards and the need for human accountability. The renewal of the tablets after the incident of the golden calf also illustrates God's grace and willingness to restore His people despite their failures. In the New Testament, the moral principles encapsulated in the Ten Commandments continue to hold significance. Jesus affirms their enduring relevance, summarizing them in the two greatest commandments: love for God and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). The tablets thus remain a vital component of Christian ethical teaching, reflecting the unchanging character of God and His eternal law.”       KJV: “And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.   And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.   And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh into the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.   And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.”   My response: The Bible refers to the Hebrews as the children of Israel, meant I think to explain that they are God’s children, and chosen especially so at that; I refer to God’s children, chosen or not (All are chosen, especially in that all people of all races are called to fulfill their divine telos by individuating.), as children of light, and Satan’s children as children of darkness, but, too often, the Hebrews and the rest of us are children of darkness by preference.