Exodus 32:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Moses carried the tablets of stone, yet the Apostle Paul contained Christ within himself, embodying the likeness of the King and the purifier. Thus, he held a place of greater honor than the cherubim.

When we consider the numerical representation of the Law, it is ten. Therefore, the Decalogue, comprising these ten well-known commandments, was initially inscribed by the hand of God on two stone tablets. However, without grace, the Law fosters hypocrisy and remains merely a written code. Thus, the apostle asserts: The letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). It is essential that the spirit accompanies the letter, preventing the letter from condemning those whom the spirit does not revive; it is through the gift of the Savior that we are empowered to fulfill the requirements of the Law, not by our own efforts.

The one who has reached such exaltation, through the stages we have examined, holds in his hands the sacred tablets, embodying the Divine law; yet he himself is shattered, burdened by the relentless obstinacy of those who have transgressed.

Through the tablets, Scripture highlighted the hardness and insensitivity of their stony hearts, revealing the reasons for their reproach as a callous people known for their stubbornness, with a neck resembling iron and a tendency towards disobedience and resistance (Isaiah 48:4).