Moses mentions the broken tablets and the new tablets to symbolize both the severity of Israel’s sin and the mercy of God in renewing the covenant. When Moses shattered the first tablets at the foot of Mount Sinai, it was a physical demons/”>demonstration of how Israel had already broken the covenant by worshiping the golden calf. The act was not impulsive; it was a deliberate expression of the covenant’s violation.
“And I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 9:17)
The creation of new tablets represented God’s willingness to restore the relationship. Despite Israel’s rebellion, the Lord commanded Moses to make new tablets and ascend the mountain again. God rewrote the same words, reaffirming the same covenant, showing that His mercy and faithfulness endure.
“At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first… and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.'” (Deuteronomy 10:1–2)
This sequence emphasized that while sin breaks fellowship with God, repentance and intercession can lead to restoration. The broken and replaced tablets served as a national reminder of God’s justice and grace. The ark would carry not just the law, but the testimony of God’s forgiveness.
