Ironic isn't it? When I think of something written in stone, I think of something permanent. My first thought when I saw this was of the Cecil B. Demille movie: The Ten Commandments. Remember Pharaoh saying: so let it be written, so let it be done. Well, when Pharaoh gave a commandment, it was written in stone. And if he decided to change history (which was somewhat common in those days) he had his underlings simply chisel out the old and write it anew. Convenient, isn't it? Ironic too, because for all their redaction, they too lost all their power and eventually were committed to the Egyptian sands of forgetfulness. Secondly, I thought of the ten commandments written on stone tablets and then to this passage from the new testament...
WEB: II Corinthians Chapter 3
[1] Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you? [2] You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; [3] being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. [4] Such confidence we have through Christ toward God; [5] not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; [6] who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. [7] But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away: [8] won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory? [9] For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. [10] For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses. [11] For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
[1] Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you? [2] You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; [3] being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. [4] Such confidence we have through Christ toward God; [5] not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; [6] who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. [7] But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away: [8] won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory? [9] For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. [10] For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses. [11] For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
Even the ten commandments passed away. Oh, there was nothing wrong with them and they are eternal. The problem was with US. Human beings just can't keep them perfectly. So God has written his word on our hearts instead and instead of stone we have life.
For it is written in the prophet Jeremiah:
WEB: Jeremiah Chapter 31
[31] Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: [32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh. [33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: [34] and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
and also in Habakkuk:
WEB: Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
You might say:This is a contradiction. It isn't at all; The Bible is the continuing story of God bringing man back into fellowship with Him. God gave commandments which were pure and holy and perfect, but we aren't, so he sent his son for us and now we can be THROUGH HIM. AND THAT IS WRITTEN IN STONE!!!