Exodus 32 (view this passage)

nathan made this entry on October 5th, 2006
Topic(s): God's Will

This chapter covered the story of how the Israelites started worshiping false idols while Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Reading this chapter made me consider something I haven't really thought about before. Many people I know, myself included, often say how it would be so much easier if God appeared to us personally like He did with people back in the Bible days. We feel that if God spoke to us directly, the actions we should take would be crystal clear and it would get rid of all our doubts and confusion.

While it may be true that if God spoke to us directly we would be more sure of our choices, I can't deny the fact that I'm still human. The thing is, God spoke directly, interacted directly, and personally met with the whole Israelite nation. Not only did they witness all the miracles, including crossing the Red Sea, but they also saw and heard God directly speak to them the 10 commandments. With all of that, as soon as time passed, the people began to turn to worldly acts and turned their backs against God. While today we can see how stupid it really was, how can I deny that I have the same human nature and tendencies of the people of those times? Not only with the Israelites, but many others that God directly interacted with seemed to forget it as time passed on. Even though I really want God to personally direct me in the big choices I have to make, like my career and what to do with my life, I have to realize that this comes with a personal relationship with God. Only then will His voice have any significance to me. God will help us to make certain decisions, but we still have to responsibility to stretch ourselves and do our bests to follow what we know God already wants us to do.

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It is also interesting to note how Moses in this chapter is a type (or symbol) of Christ. In verses 11-13, Moses pleads to God for the sparing of the Israelites, who were at that very moment running around drunk and naked, worshipping a gold bovine. Moses actually turned down the opportunity to for God to make him a great nation (vs 10) to keep the backsliding vagrants alive and in God's mercy. And, although God was on the verge of wiping them out all out, honored Moses request to spare the Israelites. But even after those that were offered the chance to come back to God chose not to and were killed (vs. 26-28), Moses still begs for mercy for those who did choose the Lord. In verse 32, he says, "Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." Moses loved the rebellious children of Israel so much that he was willing to die in their place, all 3.5 million of them.

Wasn't that just like Jesus? On Calvary, Jesus did die for everyone--everyone that had died from Adam's day, everyone that was alive at that moment, and everyone that had yet to be born. And, in Luke 23:34, Jesus says, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In the words of Stephen (another type of Christ), Jesus says, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." And Jesus did all this--in love--for billions of humans that would run around naked and drunk, worshipping themselves, killing each other, and cursing Him to His face if they could. And yet, He still intercedes to the Father in their behalf--in our behalf. And we thought Moses loved the Israelites.


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