THE TWO STONE TABLES OF THE COVENANT/TESTIMONY

BY YA’ACOV N’TAN LAWRENCE OF HOSHANA RABBAH MESSIANIC COMMUNITY

503-570-3376 • email: [email protected]

EXODUS 21:1-23:33 — THE WORDS & JUDGMENTS OF YHWH

—THE WORDS OF YHWH: Ex. 20:1 “And Elohim spake all these words [dabarim], saying...” The “Ten Com-
mandments” are the ten words or the literal words of YHWH, for they literally came from his mouth into the
ears of the people. That is why, to this day, the Jews refer to them as the Ten Words or the Ten Statements. The
term commandment (mitsvot) is nowhere in Scripture applied to the Ten Words/Statements of Exodus 20:1-
17. Wherever the English word commandments is used in our English Bibles (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4),
referring to the Ten Words, it is the Hebrew word debarim (meaning words or statements) or a similar Hebrew
word and not the Hebrew word mitsvot commonly translated in our English Bibles as the word command-
ments.

—THE JUDGMENTS OF YHWH: Ex. 21:1 “Now these are the judgments [mishpatim] which thou shalt set before
them.” The Judgments of YHWH are the moral and ethical laws pertaining to human relationships; in other
words, they are an elucidation or expansion of the last six of the Ten Commandments which pertain to loving
your neighbor as yourself (Mk. 12:30).

-Ex. 24:3 “And Moses came and told the people all the words [dabarim] of the LORD, and all the judgments:
and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.”
So, from Exodus 20:2-17 we find the words or debarim of YHWH, and immediately following chapter 20 we
have the judgments or mishpatim of YHWH (21:2-23:33).

YHWH’S DEALING WITH HIS PEOPLE:

FROM A FACE-TO-FACE ENCOUNTER TO A MEDIATOR
(THE OFFICE OF THE PROPHET ESTABLISHED)
Here listed are two categories of instructions that came from YHWH between chapters 20 and 23:
words and judgments. The words are the literal words that YHWH thundered out from Sinai; i.e., the Ten
Words. After these words were thundered out (Ex. 20:2-18) the Israelites asked Moshe (Moses) not to let
YHWH speak to them again in this direct manner “lest we die” (19). So starting in 20:21 Moshe goes into the
cloud and where YHWH, in accordance with the people’s wishes, continues giving instructions to Moshe who
would then deliver them to the people. These later instructions are found in 20:22-23:33 and are called
judgments. Judgments (Hebrew word is mishpatim = (Strongs # 4941) are a judicially pronounced verdict, a
divine law, formal decrees and are ordinances pertaining to YHWH’s moral and ethical laws as embodied in
the last six of the ten commandments which teach righteousness in one’s business and personal relationships.

WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON THE TABLES OF STONE?

-Ex. 24:12 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give
thee tables of stone, and a law [torah], and commandments [mitsvot] which I have written; that thou mayest
teach them.” Moshe goes back up to the mount to receive “the stone Tablets and the teaching and the com-

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mandment [mitsvah] that I have written, to teach them” (Stone Edition Tanach). What did YHWH write with
his own finger? The Torah and Commandments (mitsvot) — on the Tables of Stone. The word torah means
precepts, teachings or instructions and refer to all of YHWH’s instructions as found in the first five books of
Moshe. Mitsvot (plural of mitsvah) means a command, precept, ordinance and was used to describe condi-
tions of YHWH’s covenant with Israel. This is what YHWH wrote on the Tablets of Stone. And torah and
commandments is what describes the words and judgments of YHWH found between Exodus 20-23.

WHAT IS THE COVENANT YHWH MADE WITH ISRAEL

AND WHERE IN TORAH IS IT DELINEATED?

Exodus 24 spells out the details of the covenant that YHWH made with Israel called the Mosaic or Sinaitic
Covenant. Here are the specific details of that covenant:

—Aspects of the Covenant [Contractual] Agreement YHWH made with Israel:

a) As with any contract, agreement, or covenant there have to be Parties between
which the agreement is made: in this case it is between YHWH and B’nai Yisrael/
the House of Israel.

b) In the case where one party is more powerful than the other, the more powerful of
the two, in this case YHWH, dictates the terms of the agreement to the weaker party,
in this case Israel (Ex. 19:3-4).

c) Terms of the Agreement: the Words and Judgments of YHWH (Ex. 20:1; 21:1;
24:3; 19:1-23:33).

d) There has to be an Agreement Among the Parties to the conditions/terms of the

agreement: YHWH imposed the terms and Israel said “I do...” three separate times
(Ex.. 19:8; 24:3,8). Regarding legal proceedings, for an action to be binding legally
Torah requires matters to be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses (Deut.
17:6; Num 35:30; Mt. 18:16).

e) The Benefits (blessings) upon Israel if it follows the terms of the contract: Ex.
19:5-6; 23:20-22 “ Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the
earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

f) The Penalties if the agreement is not carried out (Ex. 23:20b).

g) There must be Witnesses to the covenant: Ex. 24:4 Twelve pillars of stone were
erected—one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

h) There must be Mutual Consent and Understanding. Both parties must know the
terms, have heard the terms: Ex. 24:7 “And he took the book of the covenant, and
read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we
do, and be obedient.”

i) Both parties must have a Written Record of the agreement/covenant. Ex. 24:4
“And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD.”

j) Covenant agreement Cut in Blood (i.e., a Blood Covenant) as per the times and

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 customs of the ancient world: “And he sent young men of the children of Israel,
which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he
sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audi-
ence of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be
obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold
the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these
words” (Ex. 24:5-8).

This is the covenant agreement with all of its terms and conditions that YHWH made with the people.
All this is contained between Exodus chapters 19 and 24.

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT/TABLETS OF STONE

WERE EACH KNOWN BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT NAMES
—Deut. 31:25 “That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD...”

—Heb. 9:4 “Which had the golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold...”

—Ark of the Covenant is also called the Ark of the Testimony in Exodus 25:16 (Testimony = Edyot = 5715)
or simply, The Testimony (Ex 16:34; 27:21, etc.).

—The two tablets Moshe brought down from Sinai are called the Two Tables of Testimony (5715) in Ex.
34:29.

—The Ark is also called the Oracle (1 Ki. 8:9; 2 Ch. 5:9).

—De 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the Tables of Stone, even the Tables of the Covenant
which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread
nor drink water:

—De 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the Two
Tables of Stone, even the Tables of the Covenant.

—De 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the Two Tables of
the Covenant were in my two hands.

—Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein
was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the Tables of the Covenant;

WHAT WERE THE TABLES OF THE COVENANT/TESTIMONY

IN THE ARK OF THE COVENANT/TESTIMONY?
What was actually contained in the Ark of the Covenant, also known as the Ark of the Testimony?
Let’s let Scripture answer this question.
—Deut. 31:24-26 “And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a
book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the
LORD, saying, Take this Book of the Law [Torah], and put it in the side [or at the side according to The Stone
Edition Tanach] of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against
thee.” Please note that the whole Chumash (i.e. Torah, Chumash or the first five books of Moshe) was placed

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next to the Ark while the Covenant or written contract part of it (Ex. 19-24) where Israel said, “I do...” — the
Covenant was ratified through blood — was placed inside as a testimony or witness against them. It was a
written record of what they had covenanted or promised to YHWH that they would do.

— Heb. 9:4 “Which had the golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold,
wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the Tables of the Covenant...”
The Tables of the Covenant were placed in the Ark of the Covenant.

— Ex. 25:21; 40:20 Into the Ark of the Covenant was placed the testimony [mishpatim] that YHWH gives to
Moshe.

—1 Ki. 8:21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made
with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. (Stone Edition Tanach also says, “wherein is
the covenant of Hashem.”)

WERE THE INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO BUILD THE MISHKAN (TABERNACLE) ON THE TABLETS?
There are some who teach that the Stone Tablets had written on them, not the Ten Words of Exodus
20, as the Jewish scholars and sages have believed for thousands of years, but that they contained the instruc-
tions on how to build the Tabernacle of the Wilderness as given to Moshe by YHWH in Exodus 25-31:11. So
the question has to be asked, what was on the stone tablets? The covenant agreement or the instructions on
how to build the tabernacle? Or both?

In Exodus 31:18 YHWH, after instructing Moshe on how to build the Tabernacle/Mishkan, gives him
the Stone Tablets of the Testimony. It seems that they could have indeed contained the instructions on how to
build the Mishkan. Except that the verses just prior to verse 18 (12-17) are instructions about the Sabbaths of
YHWH and how they are a sign of the covenant between YHWH and his people (13). So again we ask, what
was on the Stone Tablets? The covenant spelled out between Exodus chapters 19-23, or the instructions to
build the Mishkan spelled out between chapters 25 to 31:11?

Let’s answer this question by asking the following question. What does Scripture say was on the
second set of tablets that YHWH delivered to Moshe (34:1) after the first set were broken at the golden calf
incident (32:19)? Let’s let Scripture answer this question:

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 [dabar (1697) or words] (Ex. 34:28). (The Jewish
translation of this verse as found in The Stone Edition Tanach confirms word-for-
word this KJV rendering.) Please note the word dabar is translated in both the
KJV and Jewish Bibles as not only word, but also in a number of places as
commandments, as well. According to Strong’s Concordance the word dabar, as a
generic, often used word, has numerous meanings.

This verse alone ought to settle the debate as to what was on the two tables of stone! But, let’s go on
and consider some other issues in this debate. What were the Ten Commandments or Words of YHWH? Pages
one and two of this paper answered that question, already.

THE TABERNACLE AND STONE TABLETS WERE KNOWN BY DIFFERENT NAMES

The Mishkan, or Tabernacle in the Wilderness was also known as the Tabernacle of the Testimony or

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Tent of the Testimony (Ex. 31:18; 38:21; Nu. 1:50, 53; 9:15; 10:11). The vail in the Tabernacle was in one
place called the Vail of the Testimony (Lev. 24:3). So one could say that the Tables of the Testimony were
contained in the Ark of the Testimony behind the Vail of the Testimony within the Tabernacle/Tent of the
Testimony. This seems to support the idea that the “testimony” on the Stone Tablets did indeed pertain to the
instructions on how to build the Tabernacle.

But the Stone Tablets and Ark within the Tabernacle were known by other names, as well, as we have
already seen. One could just as easily say that inside the Ark of the Covenant was placed the Tables of the
Covenant (which contained the covenant agreement that was spelled out between Ex. 19-23) as a testimony or
witness against Israel and YHWH as to what each party had covenanted or promised to do vis-à-vis the other
party. There are many ways to look at this whole thing depending upon your viewpoint — and depending
upon the narrowness or broadness of it!

Scripture often uses multiple terminologies and names to describe the same thing. How many names
does Scripture reveal that YHWH himself has? About 200 — each with its own descriptive characteristics! He
cannot be limited to one or two or even twenty names. Has he done this to confuse and befuddle us? Or to
cause us to press into his unfathomableness — an adventurous journey of a limitless number of miles that will
never end and of which we will never grow bored always seeking new vistas and panoramas of YHWH’s
greatness; a new treasure to dig up, a new universe to discover, a new map to explore. Torah, the Word of
YHWH, is like this!

TABLETS OF TESTIMONY IN THE ARK OF TESTIMONY:

WHAT IS THE TESTIMONY?
The Tanach (OT) refers to the word testimony (edyut) in many different ways. For a thorough treat-
ment of the word Edyut (5715) see a Hebrew Lexicon (e.g., Brown, Driver Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon or
Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament) Thus far, we have seen that the word edyut (testi-
mony) referring to the Tables of the Testimony, the Ark of the Testimony, the Tent/Tabernacle of the Testi-
mony, and the Vail of the Testimony. Scripture also in numerous places talks about the testimony of individu-
als in courts of law. And then there are numerous references to the Testimonies of YHWH as being one of the
components of Torah. Let’s explore what are the Testimonies of YHWH.

WHAT ARE THE TESTIMONIES OF YHWH?

Torah is divided into several subsections: The three main ones are: Statutes, Judgments and Testimo-
nies (Messiah, Vol 2, p. 225, by Avi Ben Mordechai). Let’s define the meaning of each word:

-Testimonies: The Hebrew word is edyut (Strongs #5715, feminine sing.) or edah (Strongs #5713, feminine
pl.) and means to testify or witness. They refer to YHWH’s holy festivals (Passover, Unleavened Bread,
Pentecost, Feast of Trumpet, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles). These “witnesses” express
YHWH’s plan of salvation and stand as divine beacons of light ultimately steering us to the coming Messiah
(both his first and second coming). The testimonies also include other precepts which help bring to our
remembrance the requirements of Torah; such as, tefillin and mezuzah. All these things are living witnesses
(edyut) of YHWH’s work among his people.

-Statutes: The Hebrew word is chukim (Strongs # 2760) and means decrees or YHWH’s body of decrees and
statutes that have no apparent explanations, or commandments which are difficult to understand. (“Ordi-
nances” = choq = 2706 = the masculine version of chaqah.) (For examples of this word in scriptural use see
Psalms 119:5, 8, 12, 16, 23, 33, 48, 54, 68, 71, 80, 83, 112, 117, 118, 124, 135, 145, 155, 171.)

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-Judgments: The Hebrew word is mishpatim (Strongs # 4941) meaning a judicially pronounced verdict, a
divine law, formal decrees and are ordinances pertaining to YHWH’s moral and ethical laws as embodied in
the last six of the ten commandments which teach righteousness in one’s business and personal relationships.
-Ps. 119:7 “...[YHWH’s] righteous judgments [mishpatim].”
-Ps. 119:30 “I have chosen the way [derech] of truth: thy judgments [mishpat] have I laid before me.”
-Ps. 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments [mishpat]
endures forever.”

THE SEVERAL MAIN DIVISIONS OF TORAH LAW OF WHICH “TESTIMONIES” ARE BUT ONE
-De 4:44-45 And this is the Torah which Moses set before the children of Israel: These are the testimonies,
and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out
of Egypt,

-De. 6:20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes,
and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?

-1 Ki . 2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his
commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Torah-law of Moses, that thou
mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

-2 Ki. 17:15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimo-
nies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen
that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like
them.

-2 Ki. 23:3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD,
and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to
perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

-1 Ch. 29:19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and
thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

-2 Ch. 34:31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD,
and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul,
to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

A CLOSER LOOK AT TESTIMON/Y/IES

Testimonies are something that can be kept! They are not instructions on how to build the Tabernacle of
Moshe.

-Ps. 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
-Ps. 78:56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:
-Ps. 93:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.
-Ps. 99:7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave
them.
-Ps. 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
-Ps. 119:14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.

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-Ps. 119:22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
-Ps. 119:31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.
-Ps. 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
-Ps. 119:46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
-Ps. 119:59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
-Ps. 119:111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
-Ps. 119:119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
-Ps. 119:138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.
-Ps. 119:144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.
-Ps. 119:146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.
-Ps. 119:157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
-Ps. 119:167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
-Ps. 119:168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
-Jer. 44:23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not
obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this
evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

If the testimony is the instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle itself, then what
was David talking about since there was no Tabernacle or Temple when he penned these psalms? Further-
more, if testimony (edyut) is referring to the Tabernacle, then what are testimonies (edah, the plural form of
edyut)? They are both the same word. How can one “keep the tabernacle (testimony)” or “not decline from
thy tabernacle building instructions (testimonies)” since the same Hebrew word, is used in both instances (the
plural and singular forms)?

ADDITIONAL POINTS TO PONDER REGARDING THE TEN WORDS/“COMMANDMENTS”

It may come as a surprise to some Bible students that not everyone divides the Ten Words/ Command-
ments as we have all been taught. The Jews divide them one way and the Christians another way. Some within
Christianity divide them differently than mainstream Christianity as well. How to divide them has caused no
small controversy among some.

On one thing Scripture is firm, however: there are ten of them (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4). Ten
what, however? Does Scripture say there are ten commands or ten words? This issue has already been ad-
dressed at the beginning of this study: Scripture calls them ten words, NOT ten commands or commandments.
If one follows the traditions of men in referring to as the ten commandments then a problem arises. In reality,
there are actual more than ten imperative commands listed between Exodus 20:2-17. There are at least 14!
There are 12 “thou shalt” commands alone, and one command each to “remember” and to “honor.” Obvi-
ously, traditionally similar commands have been grouped together to form basically ten groupings of impera-
tive commands.

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 But this still doesn’t answer the issue to which we have just referred above: Scripture calls them ten
words not ten commands. Are we splitting interpretational hairs? Maybe, but the more one studies the Words
of YHWH in Scripture, the more one sees that every detail, down to the last word, is by divine plan and
purpose, and that when one hones in on the those seemingly trivial details it is then that the infinitely wise
master mind of the Creator of the universe begins to reveal itself, and O what a treasure trove of spiritual
understanding awaits the eager and teachable treasure hunter!

The Jewish rabbis and sages have been studying these minute details for 3500 years and if they refer
to something as Ten Words/Statements it probably is for a good reason. As a result, the Jews divide the “Ten
Commandments” not along the lines of ten imperative commands, but rather along ten statements or
affirmations. Therefore, for them, number one affirmation or statement is found in Exodus 20:2 which says, “I
am YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt...” It is important that this be included in
the ten statements since without a clear statement or understanding of who the Supreme Being is, the other
nine statements are meaningless and are without a meaningful point of reference. They’re just hanging out
there in spiritual limbo.

According to Jewish rabbinical reckoning, the second statement is a grouping including the prohibi-
tions against idolatry which includes the worshipping of false gods and the construction of idols. Beyond that,
all the other statements follow the Christian pattern.

CONCLUSION TO THE MATTER

To this writer, the preponderance of the evidence in Scripture points to the fact that what was con-
tained on the Two Stone Tablets (both sets) was indeed the words of the covenant of which the Ten Words or
Statements were perhaps the capstone or cornerstone. At this point, based on the Scriptural evidence, I am not
prepared to dogmatically say that the Tablets contained only the Ten Words/Statements, and not the rest of the
words of the Covenant YHWH made with his people (Ex. 19-23). But one thing is certain, they probably did
not contain the instructions on how to build the Tabernacle, or if they did, the Covenant passages had to have
been on there, as well, if we are to take into account all the Scripture references which state the fact that they
were.

ADDENDUM: MOSHE IS A TYPE OF YESHUA THE MEDIATOR

•Ex. 24:1 “And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the YHWH, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.” Man cannot approach YHWH on the grounds of his
own work. He needs a mediator—a bridge between him and YHWH.

•Ex. 24:2 “And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the
people go up with him.” YHWH appointed Moshe to enter into his presence to act as mediator between
YHWH and his people.

•Ex. 24:6-8 The covenant is ratified and Moshe sprinkles the people with blood. Revelation 7:14-15 parallels
this event: “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are
they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them.”

•Ex. 24:16-18 “And the glory of the YHWH abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and
the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the YHWH
was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the

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midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.”
After six days of work and toil, on the seventh day Moshe is called into the glory cloud. Similarly, Yeshua
fulfilled his mission of doing his Father’s work on this earth, and subsequently resurrected receiving his
glorious body on the Shabbat subsequently ascending to the glorious place awaiting him in the heavenlies.
Additionally, Hebrews 4:10 says, “He that is entered into Yeshua’s rest, he has ceased from his own works.”
John 17:4-5 states, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world
was.” So Moshe ascending the mountain is a type of the Ascension of Messiah Yeshua.

•What was Moshe doing up on the mount while communing with YHWH? Receiving instructions about how
to build the earthly tabernacle (chapters 25-31:11). Yeshua himself ascended to prepare heavenly tabernacles/
bodies and mansions (or habitations, offices, responsibilities, rewards) for his saints and to prepare New
Jerusalem. As Moshe returned with the plans to build the Tabernacle, so Yeshua will return bearing with him
our heavenly, glorified bodies and spiritual rewards.

•Even as Yeshua, the Mediator between Elohim and man will have two descents from heaven to this earth, so
Moshe, the mediator had two descents from Sinai. During Moshe’s first absence Israel fell into idolatry an
spiritual perversion. So After Yeshua’s first absence both the Jews and Christians have fallen into idolatry and
Babylonian customs.

•When Moshe descended the second time his face shone in a glorified state. Likewise, when Yeshua returns,
he will return, not as a fleshly human, but in a glorified and powerful state.

•There are many more parallels which could be given between the two mediators, but these should suffice to
hopefully see in a fuller way the unity of all Scripture and how Elohim has his all-wise and powerful hand on
every detail of Scripture. Perhaps what I have shared with you here will encourage you to dig deeper into
these passages of Scripture to dig out more prophetic and messianic nuggets which point to our glorious
Master and Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach who after all, is the ultimate fulfillment of Torah — which fulfillment
will not be totally fulfilled until the end of the Book of Revelation with the arrival of the New Heaven and
New Earth with the New Jerusalem after the Millennium. To Elohim and Yeshua be all the glory, forever and
ever!

–9–