This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.

Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.

Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:

Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418

Bro. Bruce's commentary for the book of Genesis is
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above

EXODUS
CHAPTER 34

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.

Moses had broken the first two tables of stone on which God had written the
commandments. Moses now must prepare stone for more to be written.
WE must prepare our hearts for God to write His Word in it.
God is willing to renew His covenant with Israel by giving them the "Words"
again. Deuteronomy, chapter nine details the account a little more if you'd like
to reade it. There we find that moses broke the tablets and it symbolized Israel
breaking their covenant with God.
When we sin, we break our covenant with God. But He is willing to RENEW the covenant
if we will confess our sins and turn from them (1John 1:9).

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, 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 clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Again we are reminded of the Holiness and Justness of God. Five characteristics of
God are listed in the 6th verse: merciful, gracious, long-suffering (that's patience
at a cost), abundant goodness (or pouring goodness out) and truth.
In verse 7, the Justness of God is exclaimed, and His progressive nature is explained.
God will not "clear" or forgive the "guilty" who do not seek His forgiveness.
Sin always hurts more people than just the person who commits the sin. The progressive
nature of sin carries consequences which reach beyond our understanding. Even forgiven
sin has consequences which reach beyond the sinner.
For instance: David and Bathsheba's sin affected BOTH of them; her husband; Joab, David's
general; the son which was born of their adultery; and eventually, the whole nation of Israel.

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, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

In realization of the former, Moses quickly worshipped God and entered a petition for
forgiveness. He acknowledged that people are "stiffnecked," and need God's pardon.

10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. 11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

God adds to His covenant with Israel, and promises to do a "terrible" (or wonderful and
mighty) thing: He will drive out the inhabitants of Canaan (verse 11). The Israelites will
have to fight, but it is God who will accomplish the victory.
Christians should remember that in this world it is a constant struggle, and every victory
is won by the Lord, and not we ourselves.

12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

The Israelites are not to make any "covenant" with the people of Canaan. A covenant
involves fellowship, which is totally different from friendship. A covenant based on
fellowship causes one to take on some of the characteristics of the other person (or persons in
this case). Having fellowship with this people, God says, will become a snare (verse 12)
within Israel. If they will be in fellowship with the people of the country, they will be persuaded
to break the first commandment (see verse 14).

15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

A covenant relationship allows sons and daughters to be exchanged in marriage. The love of sons and
daughters may cause even the most stalwart of saints to go astray. An added caution here: no molten
images (second commandment -- see verse 17).
How many Moms and Dads have compromised their views on fornication, adultery and covenant relationship
because their sons or daughters have begun to "live with" a friend or marry someone who is not a Christian?

18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

God reiterates the importance of keeping the three feasts and the Sabbath day. The three feasts bring the people
together for special times of worship and fellowship. the Sabbath days keep the people focused on
exalting God above things. Notice in verse 21 that no matter how much work seems to be piling up, we need to give God
His day. It will bring us "rest." REST, in mankind, is being in harmony with God.

27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. 28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

For forty days and nights Moses was simply with the Lord. He did not eat or drink. Can you imagine that?
When God calls us, HE is all we NEED!

29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

After all this time of being with God, Moses' face radiated with brightness and caused the people to fear.
Moses didn't realize he was different (verse 29); but no one spends an extended time with God without being visibly
affected. Moses had obviously made some enemies. But Proverbs 16:7 says,
"When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

We don't know how long this lasted. But Moses took the vail off when he went to the tent to worship, and put
it back on again when he came back to speak to the people.
Christian friends, let me assure you that if you REALLY spend time with God, you will appear DIFFERENT to other
folks.

Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.