Reading for August 6th

God reveals the divine character and makes a new covenant.
In 34.1-35: This chapter represents a significant turning point in exodus.
Worship of the golden calf threatened Israel's relationship with God.
However Moses urges God to provide a deeper revelation of God's character.
This deeper revelation (vv. 6-7) enabled a new covenant to be restored (vv. 10-11, 27-28).
The new covenant repeats a number of laws given earlier in exodus with an emphasis on not worshipping other gods and laws relating to the exodus and the sabbath (vv. 12-26).

Read Exodus 34.1-16
In verse 4: Moses had broken the former tablets or stone when Israel worshiped the idol of the golden calf.
Their idolatry threatened to destroy their relationship with God (32.19).
In verses 6-7: These verses reflect important differences in the description of God's character when compared to a similar description in 20.5-6.
The changes place more emphasis on God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness while still retaining the element of God's punishment for disobedience.
In verse 13: Pillars of stone and sacred poles ("asherim") of wood were used in native Canaanite fertility religion in worshipping the gods Baal and Aserah (Judg 6.25).
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