18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Can you imagine what would happen if these stone tablets were found today? There would be such a controversy about their authenticity, and then they would probably become an object of worship. People from all over the world would travel just to see the tablets. But did you ever stop to consider why there were two tablets? Was God incapable of writing in 12 point font? Probably the best understanding of why there were two tablets is connected to the treaties of that day. Treaties in that day were generally made when a stronger party conquered a weaker party. The stronger party would then stipulate the terms of the treaty. There was no negotiation, only acceptance of the terms or death. The stronger party simply said that these are the rules, period. There would be two copies of the treaty made. Both copies were identical. One was given to each party of the treaty. This ensured that both knew the details of the agreement. So Moses is given two copies. The Lord doesn’t need a copy, since He is the Lord. He wouldn’t take one copy to heaven’s throne room. So both copies are given to Moses. The Lord is not a distant king who conquered. He is ever present with them. His copy and their copy will both be placed in the same place, the place where the Lord will choose to make His presence known. God with us! Both will be placed in the Ark of the Covenant. He will be present to enforce the terms of the treaty. When there are transgressions, He is present to accept the needed payments for those transgressions. The Lord planned to be present with His people. He was changing His residence. He wanted His copy to be with Him where He was planning to hang out. When we celebrate communion we celebrate the second covenant sealed with Jesus’ blood. God with us.
The Arnold Journey 