We have been continuing our journey of prep now for about 12 years. It has been intense enough, and I don’t know when it will end. The LORD continues to give me 17 (ordinal and spiritual perfection). 7:17 is especially fun, which is the completion of that process.
I am studying Moses as a part of all of this and have some interesting thoughts on Moses with Israel and the Golden Calf.
Those guys moved quickly into idolatry and rebellion. But, they had no prep. Moses gets angry early on – not just at the rock where he lost his destiny.
Moses had an anger problem with the kids. Exodus 32:19
God has been working on me with “the kids” too. It’s on His heart to get me able to deal with the spiritually immature. Israel certainly was that. For, they had been slaves, and that is where much of the church and those outside the church are today.
So, that is an interesting discourse.
The second thing is that Moses really was a humble dude. Here, God says that He is going to free Israel because He has heard their cry. So, He picks Moses to lead His people out of Egypt.
And, he was a big time intercessor. In chapter 30, he goes back up the mountain to plead with God. It is interesting that Moses tells the LORD the same things that the LORD told him when Moses was first on the mountain. He said to go down because they were sinning. So, Moses stands in the gap.
And, when God is ready to kill them off (really a test, perhaps?), it is Moses who pleads for their lives. But, he still gets pissed at them.
What is really interesting to me is found in Exodus 32:7.
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go down at once, for YOUR people, whom YOU brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.'”
God says that they were Moses’ people All this time, the LORD has been saying, “let My people go….” Now, they become Moses’ people.
But, I really think that this was a big test. I think that the LORD was seeing how Moses responded to the big victory of leading the people out of Egypt and to the very spot that the LORD told him back when the call was made – that they would worship there.
I am not saying that God put it in their hearts to do this. I think that they really didn’t need a whole lot of help. They didn’t spend the 40 years in the desert being prepared. Moses did.
Yes, I believe this to be a test, and I believe that God was about to start the journey to the promised land, which is the second half of this story.
See how Moses responds in verse 11.
“Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, ‘O LORD, why does YOUR anger burn against YOUR people whom YOU have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?'”
Then, he tells the LORD to remember His word and promise over Abraham, Isaac and and Israel (not Jacob)…
V14. “So, the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.”
They were the LORD’s people all along. And, God was the one who led them out.
So, why does the LORD say to Moses that they were his people?
I believe that it was because the LORD wanted to see if Moses took control of this project or whether he held onto loosely, knowing that it was God alone who does it.
We need grace. Many are in various stages of success. Some are just now being prepared. Some are pressing through with no victory yet. Some are dealing with Pharaoh, who won’t let go. Others are dealing with their tribe, who are nothing but rebellious.
But, victory is coming. And, when it does, will you be strong enough and humble enough to give the LORD the credit?