We Respect and Obey The Word
Now let’s get back to Moses. After he received the two tablets of Testimony he carried them down the mountain. He was still some distance from the camp of the people when he heard the noise of shouting and singing. What were the people doing? He could hardly believe it! They had made an idol calf of gold. Dancing about it they worshipped it as though it were a god.
Moses was so disappointed and angry that he threw the stone tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces. Was this to be the end of God’s written revelation? By no means! Moses was a true leader. He brought control to the camp. Then he prayed to God, asking for forgiveness for the people. God punished the people by striking them with a plague, but He was merciful. He answered the prayers of Moses and continued with His plan to make His will known in writing on the earth.
To Moses God said, “Carve out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words as they were before.” God showed in this way that His word cannot be destroyed nor changed. He wrote on the tablets again with His own hand. Also, God told Moses that He would be with his mouth. That is, He would prevent him from making errors. Thus we can be sure that there are no mistakes in the Word of God.
Moses declared many times that the written Word of God is the precious possession of His people. It came from God and would be preserved by God forever. The God who gave it is all powerful and well able to preserve His Word under all circumstances. As we have seen, God had already confirmed His Word with wonderful signs and miracles. He said, “These are my commandments for all generations.”
Now we can look back through history and find that God has indeed protected and preserved His Word. It has come to us pure and correct in every detail, though attempts have been made to destroy it.
Men of evil intent have even attempted to twist the meanings of the Scriptures with their own 15 tongues and hide certain mysterious truths with their own interpretations. However, God is not to be denied. He is the Victor over all, and His Word is eternally changeless.
When we read the Torah today it brings us the same message as that found in the ancient manuscripts. Scholars declare that the preservation of the Torah, like its delivery to the prophet Moses, is a miracle which demonstrates the power of God and the truth of the Scriptures.
For You to Do
Choose the letter of each sentence which explains how we know the Torah came from God.
a) Some parts of the Torah were written by God’s own hand
b) The entire Torah was engraved on stone tablets
c) The Word of God has been confirmed by miracles
d) The message of the Torah remains unchanged