As Moses came down from the mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hand, he heard the shouts of the people, and, as he came near, beheld the idol and the reveling multitude. Overwhelmed with horror and indignation that God had been dishonored, and that the people had broken their solemn covenant with Him, he cast the two tables of stone upon the ground and broke them beneath the mount. Though his love for Israel was so great that he was willing to lay down his own life for them, yet his zeal for the glory of God moved him to anger, which found expression in this act of such terrible significance. God did not rebuke him. The breaking of the tables of stone was but a representation of the fact that Israel had broken the covenant which they had so recently made with God. It is a righteous indignation against sin, which springs from zeal for the glory of God, not that anger prompted by self-love or wounded ambition, which is referred to in the scripture, “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Such was the anger of Moses. {TM 100.2}

Da Moses kom ned fra bjerget med de to vidnesbyrd tavler i hans hånd, hørte han folkets råb, og, da han kom nærmere, så han afguden og den svirene skare. Overvældet af (101) afskyelighed og harme over at Gud er blevet vanæret, og det at folket havde brudt deres højtidelige pagt med ham, kastede han de to stentavler ned på jorden og knuste dem ved foden af bjerget. Da hans kærlighed til Israel var så stor at han var villig til at give sit eget liv for dem, vendte hans nidkærhed for Guds herlighed ham dog til vrede, hvilket giver udtryk i en sådan betydelig og forfærdelig handling. Gud irettesatte ham ikke. Knusningen af stentavlerne var kun illustration af det faktum at Israel havde brudt pagten som de for nylig havde indgået med Gud. Det var en retfærdig harme mod synd, som kommer af tjenstiver til Guds herlighed, denne vrede er ikke drevet af egenkærlighed eller såret ærgerrighed, som der er henvist til i skriften, »Bliver I vrede, da synd ikke.« Sådan var Moses´ vrede.