The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. Exodus 32:16
The Story
The Israelites camped at the base of Mount Sinai, and Moses went up to speak with God. With instruction from God, Moses wrote the book of the covenant, which included the ten commandments. These were commandments for the Israelites, instructing them about how they should live their lives. Moses came back to the Israelites and read the book to them. The people agreed to follow the book of the covenant. [1]
Moses went up the mountain again to speak with God. For 40 days, he was on that mountain while God imparted many things to him, including instructions for building the tabernacle where God would dwell, and the Ark of the Covenant where God would speak to the people. Finally, God gave Moses two tablets of stone containing the covenant law. [2]
When Moses came down from the mountain, he discovered that the Israelites had already broken one of the commandments while he was away. They had built a golden calf for themselves and had begun to worship it. In Moses’ anger, he broke the tablets of stone. He later returned to the mountain where they were inscribed anew. [4]
The Significance
Jesus came to fulfill the law that came through Moses [3]. We are not able to keep God’s law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we can be made right with God. [5]
[1] Exodus 19-23; [2] Exodus 24:12-18, 25:8-22, 31:18; [3] Exodus 32:17-19, 34:1-4; [4] Matthew 5:17-20; [5] Galatians 2:15-21, Romans 3:20