Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 34:10 - 34:17

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Exodus 34:10 - 34:17


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The Gracious Promise

v. 10. And He said, Behold, I make a covenant,
in the place of or in addition to that which had been broken by Israel's idolatry: Before all the people, in their presence, in their sight, I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth nor in any nation, namely, in bringing His people safely into the Land of Promise. 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, a thing which would strike fear and terror to the hearts of all enemies and adversaries, as the majesty of the mighty God would sweep them away.

v. 11. Observe thou
(Israel) 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.

v. 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.
All intimate alliances were absolutely forbidden at the outset, because the danger of introducing heathen abominations and thus repeating the offense of Mount Horeb was too great.

v. 13. But ye shall destroy their altars,
which were devoted to the worship of false gods, break their images, the statues or pillars erected in honor of their idols, and cut down their groves, the pillarlike tree-trunks devoted to the service of Asherah or Astarte, whose voluptuous worship was found throughout Canaan.

v. 14. For thou shalt worship no other god,
idols to which the divine name was applied by the heathen; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God, having revealed Himself as such in the recent transgression of the people;

v. 15. lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a-whoring after their gods,
idolatry being considered throughout Scriptures as spiritual adultery, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call, that is, invite, thee to the idolatrous feast, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

v. 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,
the husbands being led into idolatry, into spiritual unfaithfulness, by their wives.

v. 17. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods,
idols cast out of any metal. While the participation in sacrificial meals of the heathen and intermarriages with heathen women only led to idolatry, the making of images was in itself a transgression of the First Commandment and a breaking of God's covenant. That is the distinct command of the Lord, that he who has forgiveness of sins should fear God and guard against backsliding, also by avoiding social intimacy with the godless world.