“THE FOUR HANDWRITINGS OF GOD”
“And Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.” Exodus 32:15-16.
There is much that can be learned from the biblical order in which the handwritings of God were given. It is not by accident that they began with the giving of the law of God; then the “rewriting” of the law necessitated by the sin of man; followed by the declaration of judgment on sinful man; and culminating in the announcement of God’s love and forgiveness of sin through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I. The first handwriting of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.
“Then The Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.” Deuteronomy 9:10.
II. The second handwriting of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.
“At that time the Lord said to me, Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an ark of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were written on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.” Deuteronomy 10:1-2.
III. The handwriting of judgment on the wall in Belshazzar’s palace.
Daniel said: “…[Belshazzar], you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.” Daniel 5:23b-24.
IV. The handwritings of Jesus on the sandy floor of the Temple in Jerusalem.
In the eighth chapter of John we learn that the Lord Jesus actually wrote two messages. Note that the first writing did not result in any movement on the part of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus followed it up with a statement that declared their own iniquity.
“…But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them: ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." John 8:6b-7.
The second writing in the sand brought great conviction to the scribes and Pharisees as we can see from John’s account.
"And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.
And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her: ‘ Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” John 8:8-11.
