Grace but consequence... Moses and the tablets of stone

"When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two flat stones on which he had written all of his laws with his own hand." Exodus 31:18

"As Moses got closer to the camp he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angrey that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain." Exodus 32:19

"One day the Lord said to Moses, 'Cut two flat stones like the first ones I made, and I will write on them the same commandments that were on the two you broke." Exodus 34:1

"The Lord told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel. Moses stayed on the mountain with the Lord for forty days and nights, without eating and drinking. And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people." Exodus 34:27-28

So let's sum this story up... God carved out the stones and engraved the tablets for Moses to bring to the Israelites. What a package to deliver. (Go Fed Ex) And what does Moses do with this special delivery... He gets angry over something he already knew about.. (God had told him that the Israelites had built a golden calf - Exodus 32:7-8)
And he threw the tablets, hand carved by God, on the ground and broke them.

Did God give Moses and Israel a second chance... yip... But the catch was the treasure Moses brought to Israel...The Law, the Word carved by the very hand of God... was not duplicated. Moses was the one who carved the second set of commandments.

I've harped on consequences before... but this story is a gem. I'll leave it open for the majority of personal interpretation.... but just remember the story. God did something, Man destroyed it... God didn't duplicate it. Sometimes we get second chances... sometimes the treasure of the moment is a one time thing. And when we screw it up we don't get it back.

I would have had more compassion for Moses if he didn't know about the golden calf before he saw it. Then his burst of temper would have been justified. But he knew and he still blew it. So God said to Moses (in a nutshell)... We'll do it again, but it won't be the same. Grace, but consequence..."