Moses and the Revelation of Salvation
What was God's reaction to the act of idolatry of the people of Israel on Mount Sinai? Why was it so strong? Exod. 32:7–10.
This act of idolatry was an act of rebellion against God, a breaking of the covenant that God had just made with them. Like Adam and Eve, the Israelites were left in a state of alienation—and they would have been left to perish had it not been for Moses’ intercession in their behalf (Exod. 32:11–14).
What did Moses say to God after this incident? Exod. 32:30–32. How is the promise of the gospel seen here?
Moses did not excuse the people; he made it clear to them that they had sinned against God. But he also told them that he was going to approach the Lord to ask Him to forgive them. Moses knew that forgiveness is very costly and that it should not be confused with indifference to sin (the Lord’s reaction to their idolatry more than proved that!). Moses himself became the mediator of the people, their intercessor before the Lord, seeking to obtain for them redemption from their sin. He then did the inconceivable: he offered himself to the Lord as a means of atonement! He was willing to have his name deleted from the book of life (Exod. 32:32; see also Ps. 69:28, Phil. 4:3), if that would make it possible for the people to be restored to harmony with the Lord.
Obviously the Lord could not accept that unselfish offer. Moses’ life could not atone for sin.
How would the Lord finally solve the problem? Exod. 34:6–10.
The Lord revealed Himself to Moses as a forgiving God. This forgiveness is all-inclusive: “ ‘forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin’ ” (vs. 7, NIV). The Hebrew word translated “forgiving” literally means “bearing.” The way God deals with our sin is by removing it from us and bearing it Himself. Moses could not do that; God had already decided that He would do it through His Servant. What Moses and the children of Israel needed was provided by God.
| God was ready to wipe them out for their idolatry! What should this reaction tell us about how God views sin? What should this tell us about how we must get sin out of our own lives? |
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