Exodus 34
Moses to bring two tables of stoneverses 1-3
And the LORD
said to Moses
Hew you TWO TABLES of STONE like to the first
and I will write on these tables the words that
were in the FIRST tables – which you broke
And be ready in the morning
and come up in the morning to mount Sinai
and present yourself there to ME
in the top of the mount
And no man shall come up with you
neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount
neither let the flocks nor herds feed
before that mount
Moses climbs the mountainverse 4
And he hewed TWO TABLES of STONE like to 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
LORD speaks to Moses on mountainverses 5-7
And the LORD descended in the CLOUD
and stood with him there
and proclaimed the name of the LORD
And the LORD passed by before him
and proclaimed
The LORD – the LORD God – merciful and gracious
long-suffering – abundant in goodness and truth
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
on the children
and on the children’s children
to the third and fourth generation
Moses prays for forgiveness for peopleverses 8-9
And Moses made haste – and bowed his head toward the earth
and WORSHIPED
And he said – If now I have found GRACE in your sight – O Lord
let my Lord – I pray you – go among us
FOR it is a STIFFNECKED PEOPLE
and pardon our iniquity – and our sin
and take us for your inheritance
LORD makes covenant with Mosesverses 10-11
And HE said
BEHOLD – I make a covenant
before all your 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 you are shall see the
work of the LORD
FOR it is terrible thing that I will do with you
Observe you that which I command you this day
BEHOLD – I drive out before thee the
Amorite – Canaanite – Hittite – Perizzite
Hivite – Jebusite
LORD speaks of relationshipsverses 12-17
Take heed to yourself – lest you make a covenant
with the inhabitants of the land whither you go
lest it be for a SNARE in the midst of you
BUT you shall destroy their altars – break their images
cut down their groves
FOR you shall worship no other god – FOR the LORD
whose name is JEALOUS is a jealous God
lest you make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land
and they go whoring after their gods
and do sacrifice to their gods
and one call you
and you eat of his sacrifice
and you take of their daughters to your sons
and their daughters go whoring
after their gods
and make thy sons go whoring after their gods
You shall make youe no molten gods
Instructions regarding life in Promised Landverses 18-27
The feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD shall you keep
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread
as I commanded you
in the time of the month Abib
FOR in the month Abib thou came out from Egypt
All that opens the matrix is MINE
and every firstling among you cattle
whether ox or sheep that is male
BUT the firstling of an ass you shall REDEEM with a lamb
and if you REDEEM him not
THEN shall you break his neck
All the firstborn of your sons you shall REDEEM
and NONE shall appear before ME EMPTY
Six days you shall work
BUT on the seventh day you shall REST
in earing time and in harvest you shall REST
And you shall observe the FEAST of WEEKS
of the firstfruits of wheat harvest
and the FEAST of INGATHERING at the year’s end
THRICE in the year shall all your men children appear
before the LORD God the God of Israel
FOR I will cast out the nations before you
and ENLARGE your borders
neither shall any man desire your land
when you shall go up to appear before the LORD your God
THRICE in the year
You shall not offer the blood of MY sacrifice with leaven
neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover
be left to the morning
The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring
to the house of the LORD your God
You shall not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk
and the LORD said unto Moses
Write you these words
FOR after the tenor of these words I
have made a covenant with you and with Israel
Moses fasting in mountainverse 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
Moses face shinesverses 29-35
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
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses
BEHOLD – the skin of his FACE SHONE
they were AFRAID to come nigh him
And Moses called unto them
and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation
returned unto him and Moses talked with them
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
And till Moses had done speaking with them
he put a VEIL on his FACE
BUT when Moses went in before the LORD
to speak with HIM
he took the VEIL off
until he came out
And he came out
and spoke unto the children of Israel that which
he was commanded
And the children of Israel saw the FACE of Moses
that the skin of Moses’ FACE SHONE
and Moses put the VEIL on his FACE again
until he went in to speak with HIM
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (7121 “proclaimed” [qara’] means utter a loud sound, gave name to, to declare, to recite, invoke, appeal to, announce, publish or to speak aloud something.)
DEVOTION: This is so amazing. Here we have God meeting with Moses on the mountain top for the second time to receive the Ten Commandments.
So, the children of Israel would have been presented the Ten Commandments three times. First, God spoke the Ten Commandments to the people and they told Moses they would listen to him because they didn’t want to hear the LORD speaking to them personally with HIS loud voice.
The second time the Ten Commandments are mentioned is when Moses went up into Mount Sinai for forty days to receive a copy of them on stones the LORD had provided.
This third time Moses had to provide the two stones for the writing of the Ten Commandments. It was on this occasion that the LORD declared to Moses who HE was. HE gives a full description of who HE is and will be to the children of Israel.
HE gives the positive as well as the negative as HE stated in HIS first verbal giving of the Law from the mountain. HE wanted the children of Israel to understand just who HE was and what HE expected of them.
There is no doubt that they understood what was going on and knew they were expected to obey. There was three times the LORD explained what HE expected and if they didn’t listen there were consequences. Three strikes and they were out!!!
CHALLENGE: God wants us to understand HIS standards. Repetition is necessary for those who question HIS expectations. Stop questions and start obeying. Remember we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to help us in our obedience.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 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 you. (6381 “marvels” [pala] means to separate, distinguish, great, difficult, wonderful, hard, things too high, miracles, or make singular.)
DEVOTION: Moses had broken the first two tablets when he returned from the mountain the first time after forty days. The people were eating and drinking and dancing to another god. A false god in the form of a golden calf was being worshiped by the people. The children of Israel had rebelled again against the LORD.
Now it was time for Moses to go a second time up into Mount Sinai to receive a second writing of the Ten Commandments or Ten Words. This time Moses had to carve out two stone tablets and bring them up with him. The first ones were made by the LORD. Moses went to be with the LORD for another forty days and nights. He was not to eat during this time but still had the LORD to nourish him.
We have a description of how wonderful the LORD is in relationship to HIS people. We learn that HE is a merciful and gracious God. HE is long-suffering toward HIS people. HE is abundant in goodness and truth. HE is a forgiving God. However, HE doesn’t clear the guilty. We also learn that HE is a jealous God. HE doesn’t want to share HIS people with any other god because all other gods are false.
The LORD knows that HIS people are stiff-necked or stubborn. They are prone to sin against HIM. In spite of this fact HE promises to show them miracles when they come to the land of promise. The LORD was going to show the people of Canaan that HE was with Israel. What HE showed them would make them understand that it was only the LORD.
When we see the LORD work miracles around us, do we give HIM the credit? Remember the LORD is still working HIS work around us today. People notice a difference between true believers and fakes.
We worship the same God that the Israelites worshiped in the wilderness. HE is still powerful. HE works through HIS Son, Jesus Christ. HE isn’t requiring animal sacrifices any more. HE wants those who are followers of HIM to offer themselves as LIVING SACRIFICES to HIM. Have we done that TODAY?
CHALLENGE: Do we still believe in a miracle working God? Do we believe that HE can change us into servants that give HIM glory while we live on this earth? Are we thankful that HE is a forgiving God? How often do we say “Thank YOU” to HIM?
: 14 For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. (7067 “Jealous” [qanna’] means fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty or zealous)
DEVOTION: God demands exclusive service. HE expects HIS followers to follow only HIM. HE is not willing to share HIS followers with any other false god. HE wants us to realize that HE has no rivals. No other person, place or thing holds a candle to HIM.
HE knew that they were coming from a land that worshiped many false gods. HE knew they were going to a land that worshiped many false gods. HE knows that we live in a land that worships many false gods.
HE is jealous with a righteous jealousy. HE will not share. Human jealousy is wrong most of the time. Divine jealousy is always right. If anything person is more important to us than HIM, it is wrong. If any possession is more important to us, then it is wrong. If any sporting event is more important than HIM, it is wrong.
We have to come to the place where God is first in our life with nothing else is on the same level as HIM. Our family is to be loved less than HIM. Our possessions are to be loved less than HIM. Our activities are to be centered on our worship of HIM.
If we keep HIM first in our life we will be blessed by HIM. If always blesses those who are faithful to HIM. Remember the prosperity gospel is a false gospel. Our blessing will not always mean riches or possessions.
CHALLENGE: We have to look in other directions regarding our blessings. If we are focused on riches than riches are our false god.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 And you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make your sons go a whoring after their gods. (2181 “whoring” [zanah] means to commit fornication, be unfaithful, to abandon someone to, toact treacherously, or conceived of as living like a prostitute.)
DEVOTION: God was not condemning intermarriage between races but between followers of HIM and followers of false gods. God didn’t want HIS followers to marry someone who didn’t believe in HIM and follow HIS standards.
Today we have many believers who seem to have a hard time finding a spouse in Christian circles. There are many individuals who fake being a believer to find a spouse. They get married and the unsaved one shows their true colors by their actions.
Christians have to be extra careful to marry only individuals that are genuinely followers of the LORD. It takes time to find out if someone really loves the LORD. Prayer has to be a big part of our dating of someone of the opposite sex. God never condones marrying someone of the same sex. Marrying someone who is not a believer causes all kinds of problems. Also marrying someone of the same sex causes all kinds of problems in a proper relationship with the LORD.
The Bible calls these types of relationship being married to a harlot. Why? Because if there is a marriage between two people who don’t believe the same thing regarding the LORD they are going into a place where they will eventually walk away from the LORD or file for divorce or have a miserable life.
A bad apple put in barrel with good apples causes the other apples to go bad. It is very unusual for a good apple to make a bad apple good. The same is true in a Christian marrying a non-Christian with a desire to convert them later. The ones who get hurt the worse in this type of relationship are the children. It causes all kinds of confusion in the home.
CHALLENGE: The standard is a believer only marrying a believer. Any other marriage is not acceptable to God.
:26 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. (1310 “seethe” [bashal] means 1 to boil, cook, bake, roast, ripen, grow ripe. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to boil, cook. 1a2 to grow ripe, ripen. 1b (Piel). 1b1 to boil. 1b2 to cook. 1c (Pual). 1c1 to be boiled. 1c2 to be sodden. 1d (Hiphil). 1d1 to ripen. 1d2 ripen, brought to ripeness. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Many have commented on this relatively arcane proscription in this verse, which is also repeated in Deuteronomy 14:21. They have asked the question of why the LORD should be so concerned about an obscure dietary requirement, much less to give it twice to the children of Israel.
The best explanation of this verse is that it refers to a form of Canaanite worship, where the offering of the lamb to the Canaanite deity involved it being cooked and offered in its mother’s milk. In other words, it represented a form of brutality that only a Canaanite god would require that involved both a mother lamb and its infant. What the LORD is emphasizing here is that there should be no syncretism between the worship of the LORD and the other pagan deities in the Promised Land.
Syncretism is pervasive in the world, as people seek to modify the requirements of a holy God and substitute their own judgments and rituals about what is right before God. So, we see people, for example, praying to Mary and offering repetitious prayers in the hope that God will somehow hear them and grant their requests. We need to be very careful as we share the gospel with people not to mix it with their previous thoughts about God, but present Him in the fullness of His story for who He really is. This is really, then, a repetition of the first commandment.
CHALLENGE: Are there any times when you have attempted to appease God through your own efforts? If so, confess that to the Lord, and seek to worship Him alone!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Moses to write down LORD’S instructionsverse 27
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Moses prays for LORD’S presenceverse 9
To be with people
Grace
Pardon our iniquity
Pardon our sin
Take Israel for HIS inheritance
Moses took veil off when speaking to LORDverse 34
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Moses worshipedverse 8
Feast of unleavened breadverse 18
Seven day eat unleavened bread
Month Abib: came out of Egypt
Sabbath restverse 21
Feast of weeksverse 22
Firstfruits of wheat harvest
Feast of ingatheringverse 22
End of year
Feast of Passoververse 25
Blood sacrifice
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Covenantverse 10
Words of the Covenantverse 28
Ten commandmentsverses 28, 32
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 4-6, 10, 14, 28
LORD descended in cloudverse 5
Proclaimed the name of the LORDverse 5
God (Elohim)verses 6, 14, 23, 24
Lord Godverse 6
Mercifulverse 6
Graciousverse 6
Long- sufferingverse 6
Abundant in goodness and truthverse 6
Keeping mercyverse 7
Forgiving iniquityverse 7
Lord (Adonai)verses 9, 23
I will do marvelsverse 10
Work of the LORDverse 10
Jealousverse 14
Jealous Godverse 14
Lord God verse 23
God of Israelverse 23
LORD thy Godverses 24, 26
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Mount Sinaiverses 2, 29, 32
Nationverses 10, 24
Amoriteverse 11
Canaaniteverse 11
Hittiteverse 11
Perizziteverse 11
Hiviteverse 11
Jebusiteverse 11
Egyptverse 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquityverses 7, 9
Transgressionverse 7
Sinverses 7, 9
Guiltyverse 7
Iniquity to fourth generationverse 7
Stiffnecked verse 9
Covenant with people of landverses 12, 15
Snareverse 12
Worship other godsverse 14
Whoringverses 15, 16
Sacrifice to false godsverse 15
Eat food sacrificed to false godsverse 15
Taking daughters of other nationsverse 16
Molten godverse 17
Appearing before God emptyverse 20
Leave any unleavened bread till morningverse 25
Seethe a kid in his mother’s milkverse 26
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Mercyverses 6, 7
Graceverses 6, 9
Long-sufferingverse 6
Abundant in goodnessverse 6
Abundant in truthverse 6
Forgivingverse 7
Pardonverse 9
Inheritanceverse 9
Observe the commands of LORDverse 11
Take heed to yourselfverse 12
Redeemverse 20
Restverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1-35
Second two tables of stone
Climb Mount Sinai again
Destroy altars of false gods
Not make a covenant with others
Cut down groves of false worship
Not worship other gods
With LORD forty days and nights
Fasted for forty days
Skin of face shone
Veil on face
Took veil off before LORD
Feast of unleavened bread observedverse 18
Redeem firstlingsverses 19, 20
Six day work weekverse 21
Appear before the LORD thrice a yearverse 23
Covenantverse 27
Israelverse 27
Ten Commandmentsverse 28
Two tables of testimonyverse 29
Aaronverse 31
Rulers of the congregationverse 31
Children of Israelverses 32, 34, 35
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
33–35 Moses’ radiance was only visible to the people when he was acting as the oracle of God (v.33). At other times he kept his face veiled. This was not a priest’s mask as in the Canaanite culture, for Moses left the veil off when speaking to the people as God’s messenger or when he was alone in the presence of God (v.34).
Paul’s use of this text in 2 Corinthians 3:7–18 is not an example of rabbinic exegesis or allegorization of an OT passage. He did not assign two different motives to Moses for wearing the veil: viz., (1) because the people were (unnecessarily) frightened and (2) to prevent the people from seeing the end of what was fading away. There was no danger of the termination that was just beginning, but there was the danger (in Moses’ symbolic, prophetic action) of the people’s iniquities blocking their vision of the “ultimate significance” of that word of God just revealed. “Whenever he entered … he removed the veil” indicates the customary action of Moses’ practice (in 2 Cor 3:7, 13, Paul used iterative imperfects to the same end). (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 487). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Moses could not see it, but as he descended after being on the mountain in God’s presence for forty days and forty nights, his face shone. The people were afraid to come near him, so he covered his face with a veil (v. 33). The pattern of Moses’ ministry was that he would speak to the Lord with uncovered face, and to the people with a veil.
In Moses’ experience, the presence of the Lord was not inconsequential or without impact. Moses discovered that to speak to the Lord face to face had repercussions! Yet he shows his meekness and humility in veiling his shining face to allow the people to hear what God had to say through him. (Campbell, I. D. (2006). Opening up Exodus (p. 130). Leominster: Day One Publications)
34:29–35. In contrast with the anger and holy indignation that Moses evidenced when he returned with the first set of tablets (32:19), this time his face radiated with the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor. 3:7), but he was unaware of it. This made the people afraid of him, but he encouraged them to listen as he told them the stipulations of the renewed covenant.
Apparently the people told Moses his face shone because he then covered it with a veil (masweh, a word used only here—in Ex. 34:33–35—in the OT; cf. 2 Cor. 3:13). But in the Lord‘s presence Moses took off the veil (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 159). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
God’s glory reflected (Ex. 34:29–35; 2 Cor. 3). Moses had been fasting and praying in the presence of God for eighty days, and he had seen a glimpse of God’s glory. Is it any wonder that he had a shining face? He didn’t realize that he had “absorbed” some of the glory and was reflecting it from his countenance. Because of this glory, the people were afraid to come near him, but he summoned them to come and they talked as before. However, after he was finished speaking to the people, Moses put on a veil to cover the glory.
Why did Moses wear a veil? Not because he was frightening the people, but because the glory was fading away (2 Cor. 3:13). The Jews saw this glory as something wonderful and exciting, but what would they say if they knew it was fading away? Who wants to follow a leader who is losing his glory? So Moses would go into the tent of meeting to talk with God, and the glory would return, but then he would wear the veil so the people wouldn’t see the glory disappear.
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul made several applications of this remarkable event. First, he pointed out that the glory of the Mosaic legal system was fading away, but that the glory of the Gospel of God’s grace was getting more glorious (vv. 7–11). This was his answer to the legalists who taught that obedience to the Law plus faith in Christ was God’s way of salvation (Acts 15:1). Why believe in something when its glory is vanishing?
He also applied the event to the lost Jews of his day whose hearts were covered by a veil of unbelief so they couldn’t see the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 3:14–16). The only way to remove that veil was to believe the Word and trust in Jesus Christ.
Finally, he applied Moses’ experience to Christians who by faith see the glory of Jesus Christ in the Word and experience a spiritual transformation (vv. 17–18). This is why Christians read the Bible and meditate on it, because when the child of God looks into the Word of God and sees the Son of God, he or she is transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God for the glory of God (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (pp. 173–174). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
34:29–35 The first time on the mount (24:12–32:14), unlike the second, had not left Moses with a face which was reflecting some radiance associated with being in the presence of the Lord for an extended period of time. On the first occasion, mere mention was made of Moses’ being gone 40 days and nights (24:18). On the second, mention was made of the 40 day and night absence but adding that Moses had been there with the Lord, neither eating nor drinking (v. 28), appears to draw attention to the different nature of the second visit. It, in comparison with the first, was not interrupted by the Lord’s sending Moses away because of sin in the camp (32:7–10). A compliant and not defiant people feared the evidence of God’s presence. When not speaking to the Lord or authoritatively on His behalf to the people, Moses veiled his face. The Apostle Paul advised that the veil prevented the people from seeing a fading glory and related it to the inadequacy of the old covenant and the blindness of the Jews in his day (see notes on 2Co 3:7–18). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 34:29–35). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Ver. 35. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’s face shone, &c.] That is, not only when he came down from the mount, but whenever he came out of the tabernacle, where he had been inquiring of God, and conversing with him: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him; this he did from time to time, when he came out from the Lord he put on his vail, and when he went in again, he put it off. How long this brightness on his countenance remained, cannot be said with any certainty; Saadiah Gaon says, it did not remove from him to the day of his death: hence ’tis said, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated, Deut. 34:7 and Aben Ezra seems to approve of it; and it is the opinion of many great and learned men, that it continued as long as he lived. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 529). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
John Bunyan meant that when I see myself as I really am, nobody can insult me. It is impossible, because they can never say anything that is bad enough about me. Whatever the world may say about me, I am much worse than they think. When we see ourselves in the light of this glorious gospel, no one can hurt us, no one can offend us. (Walking with God day by day)
In his new book, “Unbelievers,” British historian Alec Ryrie observes that the only moral standard people agree on these days is “don’t be like Nazi Germany.” Since firms such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, and Bayer used forced labor from concentration camps during World War II, that should mean we could all agree that forced labor is bad.
Tragically, at least if it involves new laptops in time for the new school year, it doesn’t.
Recently, the Intercept reported that Lenovo, the world’s largest manufacturer of laptops, “has imported an estimated 258,000 laptops” built by a certain Chinese manufacturer named Hefei Bitland. Through this manufacturer, Lenovo “participates in a Chinese government program that provides factories with cheap labor from persecuted Uighurs.” “Cheap labor,” in this case, means “forced labor.” The Uighurs providing the labor are concentration camp inmates who cannot refuse the work assignment.
The U. S. government has singled out Hefei Bitland for violating human rights. Still, even after Hefei Bitland was placed on a government list restricting trade, some of the computers reached American consumers. Lenovo removed a portion of the laptops from distribution, but others were still shipped.
It’s tempting to rationalize using products from forced labor. According to the Associated Press, there is a significant shortage of laptops for American students this school year. Companies like HP, Dell, and, of course, Lenovo blame U.S. sanctions on Chinese suppliers for the shortfall. Some school administrators have adopted a less-rigorous approach to human rights.
One administrator described the situation as “a tough one.” “I’m not condoning child slave labor for computers,” he said, “but can we not hurt more children in the process?”
Is going without a computer for a few months the moral equivalent of child slave labor?
Of course, a shortage of laptops, especially during pandemic-caused education at home, creates serious problems. However, as the Intercept pointed out, this is one of many moral pitfalls caused by China’s role in the global supply chain, given their use of forced labor. Global dependence on Chinese manufacturers creates powerful incentives to overlook China’s abysmal treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Uighurs.
One million Uighurs have been put into concentration camps, “separated from their children, prevented from exercising their religion, and subjected to political indoctrination.” Some have also been “forcibly sterilized … [and] made to use intrusive birth control methods.” More reccently, there have been reports of forced abortions and even infanticide., something members of the American press rightly decried, despite the 600,000+ babies killed each year here in our country is considered women’s rights.
The Chinese campaign against the Uighurs meets the criteria of Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. But, as in the 1930s and 40s, the temptation for companies and consumers to rationalize doing business with the perpetrators of genocide is proving too great to resist. The only real way to avoid global complicity in China’s atrocities is to reduce global dependence on China—just as Japan and India are doing and corporations like Apple are doing.
“Don’t be like Nazi Germany” is good advice, but it is not a firm enough foundation to ground human rights, especially when the atrocities are hidden behind accounting and business practices.
Human rights can only be safely grounded in the Christian idea of the imago dei, which teaches us that we are indeed our brother’s keeper, even if our laptop delivery is delayed. (Break Point)
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit comes upon the believing Jews gathered at the temple.
INSIGHT
Who would have expected the coming of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament to be like this? Rushing wind. Fire. Many languages spoken and all being understood. Those with unbelieving hearts always find a “natural” explanation, but those who believe drop to their knees and cry out to God! “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (2:37). Revelation always demands a response. Unbelievers always look for a way to get out from under the authority of Scripture. But the believing heart will cry out, “O God, what shall I do?” Search your mind. Is there some response you should make to God right now? (Quiet Walk)
BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:31
What do we believe about Christ? What is the teaching about Him? Why do you think the four Gospels were ever written? Surely there can be no hesitation about answering this question. They were written–God caused men to write them and guided them through the Spirit as they did so–in order that the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ might be known exactly. All sorts of false stories were current in the first century. They were apocryphal gospels, and in them things were being ascribed to Him and He was reported to have done and said things that had never happened. So the Gospels were written in order to define the truth, in order to exclude certain falsehoods and give the facts plainly and clearly.
Luke, in the introduction to his Gospel, says: “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (1:1-4). You will find that John, at the end of his Gospel, virtually says the same thing: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31).
But not only do the Gospels tell us that–there are also several sections in other parts of the New Testament that specifically make the same point. Take the first epistle of John, for example. Why was it written” To counteract the false teaching that was current, the teaching that denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, that docetism, that false doctrine.
A Thought to Ponder: The Gospels were written in order that the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ might be known exactly.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 246-247, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Pie in the Sky
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:9)
Unbelievers sometimes ridicule Bible-believing Christians as being “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use” and as waiting for “pie in the sky bye and bye.” This canard is, of course, unjustified because the Lord Jesus has told us: “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13), and we are also instructed: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). A Christian could—and should—do a better job in his particular occupation than he would ever have done as a non-Christian. All honorable occupations come within the scope of God’s primeval dominion mandate (Genesis 1:26-28). “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Nevertheless, there is indeed a great feast day coming bye and bye, and indeed it will be a great blessing to be “called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Presumably those who partake of this wonderful feast will be not only those who constitute His Bride, but also others who are called to be guests at His wedding supper. Since the Holy City is also called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” and since it is inscribed with the names of both the “twelve tribes” of Israel and also of the “twelve apostles” (Revelation 21:9, 12, 14), it is clear that believers from both the pre-Christian and Christian ages will be there. They will all have responded to the Lord’s invitation and have had the right attitude of heart and life toward the will of the Bridegroom (Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13).
Whether some kind of heavenly pie will be served at the supper is doubtful, but it will surely be a time of great blessing. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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