Moses had a great heart. He proved himself to be deeply devoted to God and to the Israelites, the obstinate people he was called to lead to the Promised Land. You may recall that he was eighty years old, tending his father-in-law’s flock on Mount Horeb when God called to him from the blazing bush.
Although he had grown up in the luxury of the pharaoh’s house, his heart was with the enslaved Israelites, his people. In a passionate effort to help a fellow Israeli, he killed the Egyptian who was beating him. Moses, then forty years old, fled to his wife’s family and worked as a shepherd for the next forty years. His people were back in Egypt, but they were never out of his mind and heart. http://the-making-of-a-great-leader
Forty years and a few months after Moses’ encounter with Yahweh on the mountain, we find him back at Sinai leading the Israelites toward the land God had promised Abraham and his posterity. While at Sinai, God initiated a covenant with the Israelites that would formalize an agreement, making them His special treasure. They would be to Him a holy nation of priests that would carry out His plan to bless all the nations of the earth.
The people heartily agreed to obey his commandments and do all He said, but something went terribly wrong. While Moses was forty days on the mountain receiving directions from God, the Israelites became fearful and faithless and insisted that Aaron make them an idol to replace God.
Last week’s blog was about how God and Moses responded to this blatant, rebellious act of idolatry. https://www.cosdavis.com/moses-intercedes-for-israel/ sets the stage for yet another insight into Moses’ great heart for the people he was called to lead. What you will read about next is a rare personal quality, so often missing in those in places of leadership.
Today, we continue the drama about Israel’s idolatry and what Moses did after receiving the ” tablets of testimony” from God and coming down the mountain. Exodus 32:15-35 tells what happened.
Verses 15-17 tell us that after God changed His mind (v.14), Moses took the tablets God had inscribed and, on the way down, got an alarming report from Joshua about sounds coming from the camp below. As they got closer to the camp, Moses’ anger was ignited by the sight of the people dancing and singing before the golden calf. Verse 19 says, “Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.”
Verses 20-24 detail what Moses did with the golden calf and his confrontation with Aaron about his role in the nation’s idolatry. Here’s the next thing Moses did after smashing the tablets: “And he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it.” v.20.
What do you think Aaron was feeling when he saw Moses do this? I imagine Moses’ voice with Aaron was spiced with outrage and disbelief. “What did these people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them? “ v.21.
Aaron’s defense is ridiculous. Here’s my take on how he tries to absolve himself of his guilt. “Don’t be so angry with me, you know how prone to evil these people are. ” v.22. “You were gone so long that they thought you weren’t coming back, so they wanted a god to lead them. So, I told them to give me the gold they had, I threw it into the fire, and the calf came out.” v.22-24.
We are not told how Moses responded to Aaron’s magical version of what happened, but I would think my response would have been something like this: ” Aaron, this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You need to take responsibility for what you have done.” We don’t know how this issue between them was resolved, but in verses 25-28, we are told of the severe consequences for some of the leaders of the rebellion against God.
Apparently, Moses understood that the majority of the Israelites had been misled by a group of disgruntled leaders and decided to put an end to their evildoing. He ” stood in the gate of the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ v.26. About 3,000 rebellious men were executed that day. v. 28.
We have already witnessed Moses’ heart for his kinsmen through an intercession that caused God to spare them. As this chapter nears a close, we see another remarkable thing Moses did that shows the “great heart” he had for his people. In Exodus 32:29-30, he tells his people to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to resolve problems with each other so the Lord can bless them. He then tells them, ” I am going up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” v.30.
Moses’ goal in returning to God was to try to persuade God to forgive Israel for their idolatry. At Moses’ earlier intercession, God spared their lives, but Moses now desired something more: that God would forgive them. What sacrifice, what did Moses offer to atone for their sin? Think about what he was willing to do for his people: “But now, if you will forgive their sin-and if not, please blot me out from thy book which thou hast written.” v.32. What a great heart Moses had for his people.
What a great heart! Who do you know that would do that for their country, their families, and their Lord?
What did God do with Moses’s offer? Why do you think Moses’ offer was not accepted?
God is looking for folks with a great heart for His work. Will you be one of them?