It Is Tremendous!

It Is Tremendous!

Those are the words that end the pronouncement by G-D to Moses. In one small verse a covenant is given, a covenant with consequences for today as well as 3,500+ years ago.

The Verse In Hebrew:

שְׁמוֹת לד

י וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת בְּרִית, נֶגֶד כָּל-עַמְּךָ אֶעֱשֶׂה נִפְלָאֹת, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-נִבְרְאוּ בְכָל-הָאָרֶץ וּבְכָל-הַגּוֹיִם; וְרָאָה כָל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-אַתָּה בְקִרְבּוֹ אֶת-מַעֲשֵׂה יְהוָה, כִּי-נוֹרָא הוּא, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי, עֹשֶׂה עִמָּךְ.

In English: Exodus 34:10 And He(G-D) said: 'Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD that I am about to do with thee, that it is tremendous.

At this point you might be asking “So what?” First there is no thing that we are to do to make this happen. Another instance like this was the Splitting of the Animals Covenant and the starting point of interest is Genesis 15:13. To paraphrase: Abraham is falling asleep, gets told of events 100-500 years away, then G-D alone goes through the split animals in the form of contract creation of the time, except both parties are to go through in man's version of this deal making. So that contract is upon G-D's performance and not up Abraham's or his offspring's actions. A true one sided deal, but what a price(400 years in country, where they remain strangers, and look at how they left. The world is still talking about it more than 3,500 years later.)

Seeking to understand what took place in Exodus 34:10 the evidence is in pieces across Exodus chapters 33 and 34.

G-D has told Moses in: [Exodus 33:5 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto the children of Israel: Ye are a stiffnecked people; if I go up into the midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee; therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.']

The children of Israel mourned at hearing the news. Moses then seeks to intervene on behalf of the Children of Israel, for Moses also knows that G-D's presence is extremely important.

Exodus 33:15 And he(Moses) said unto Him(G-D): 'If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? is it not in that Thou goest with us, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?'

We need to know where we stand with G-D, so that we may make amends and repair the relationship when we have sinned. Moses has correctly described the need to know where we stand with G-D.

Now Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to replace the tablets which Moses broke during the Golden Calf incident and to plead with G-D not to continue to be angry with the Hebrews over the incident.

Exodus 34:9 And he(Moses) said: 'If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.'

My comments are in italics below:

The response is: 10) And He(G-D) said: 'Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do

G-D makes a commitment/ I will do marvels so your people will see/

marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among

These marvels will be unkown any where upon the earth/ The Marvels will be wintessed by all people

which thou art shall see the work of the LORD that I am about to do with thee, that it is tremendous.

Where ever you are/ The marvels will be tremendous.

I have tried to high lite the points in the verse, in the form of “what is taking place here” in the text and in the deal.

Art Scroll's Chumash reports that the Ramban declares that 'marvels' here can not mean 'marvels' as they are normally meant, for after what has just happened to Egypt and Pharoah, and there is no events in history(upto his time) compare to those see in the Exodus from Egypt. This must mean 'distinctions' not 'marvels'.

I of course do not agree with the Ramban, G-D can do anything. HE made light. O.k. There must be other prophesies that will back this up. Let me see what I can come up with.

[Number 16:28) And Moses said: 'Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works, and that I have not done them of mine own mind. 29) If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD hath not sent Me. 30) But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.' 31) And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them. 32) And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33) So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit; and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.] That should qualify as one event. There are more I am sure.

That was tremendous in action and power, also called into existence at the moment. If however there is someone that suggests that Moses or anyone could know how that the earth was going to perform such an action, then maneuvered the Korah and his crowd to just the right spot, got them to hold still for all of this, I am positive that would be even more marvelous than crediting G-D with fulfilling exactly what Moses spoke. It would also be a lot more dangerous, then to challenge Moses' word. We do not learn or more to the point they(the supports of Korah) did not learn for the confronted Moses and Arron the next day, where G-D rises to the occasion again and sends a plague among the Children of Israel. The result is: [Number 17:14 Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah.] This would not have been all that died if Moses and Arron had not interceded on behalf of the Congregation.

There is more to come that has not been see upon the earth, nor by any people of the earth at anytime.

Questions?

Shalom,

Yaakov