God Fulfills His Promises - September 24, 2010
God Fulfills His Promises - September 24, 2010
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down, because your people whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' I have seen these people, the LORD said to Moses, and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them." But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with a great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'" Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Exodus 32:7-14
God was so angry with his people that he told Moses that he wanted to destroy them. Indeed, this is a position no human being would want to be in – God ramping up his anger against you. But in this case we can see why God got so angry. He had JUST freed his people from the slavery of Egypt. He had JUST opened the Red Sea so they could escape. He had JUST spoken to them from the top of the mountain and set this nation of people apart as his treasured possession. And yet they built an idol in the form of a golden calf and declared, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." God’s anger was justified.
Moses stepped between the righteous God and his rebellious people to save them from the destruction they deserved. He reminded God of all that he had already done to rescue them. He said that the Egyptians would think God freed them to destroy them. But Moses’ most important statement was this: "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob), to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky...'" God made big promises to those men, promises that included the Savior of the world coming from their family. God would never break a promise. Moses knew that, so he reminded God of his promises.
God lets us in on this conversation that he had with Moses to make it very clear that he mercifully keeps all of his promises even though we sin against him and fail to give him the honor he deserves. We can rely fully on what he says he will do. "Lord, I know that you won’t leave me alone, because you promised that you never would." "Lord, I am confident that you will help me in my trouble because you promised that you would." "Lord, I am assured of your forgiveness because you promised to forgive me for Jesus’ sake."
Jesus stepped between the holy God and sinful people. Jesus put himself in the place of sinners and suffered the destruction they justly deserve. All because of Jesus, God turns his face toward us in love and favor so that we do not face his destroying anger. Through Jesus no promise of God goes unfulfilled – most importantly his promise to be our God and have life with him forever.
Lord, through your word and by your Spirit help me to know your promises. Help me to believe that you will always keep them through Jesus. Amen.
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