Chapter 32 is an alarming and amazing chapter. With Moses up on the mountain with God for so long, the people grow anxious and seemingly lose all short-term memory! They know that Moses is meeting with God because they have heard his voice and have seen the cloud of fire covering the mountaintop! They know that God led them out of Egypt and not Moses. They know God caused the plagues and divided the Sea and goes before them in pillars of cloud and fire. They know all of this, and yet their craving to worship “something” and to give “something” credit overrides their senses! Their demand is so forceful and words so persuasive that even Aaron complies with their outlandish request, and hence, the golden calf! They are barely out of Egypt and have already broken the first and second commandments! Intolerable!
So the Lord tells Moses that the people have stirred up his wrath and he is going to remove them from the face of the earth. At this point, Moses prays, and it is the prayer of Moses that saves the lives of most of the Israelites. Therefore, we would do well to take careful note of his prayer.
There are two elements that stand out. First, Moses pleads for the people on behalf of God’s glory, fame, and name. He says, “God if you destroy them, what will the Egyptians say about YOU?” Second, Moses pleads for the people based on God’s word, God’s promises. He says, “Remember your promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” Now don’t misapply prayer here and think that Moses tells God what to do! That’s not the function of prayer! No, what is happening is that Moses is praying according to the will of God. God’s will is to be glorified and to keep his promises. Let us learn to pray accordingly, especially in critical times!
Exodus 32: sad, sad, sad. When I look at the Israelites with their quick promises and their incredible willingness to forget, that's about all I know to say. But I can't despise them though. The story strikes too close to home. Reminds me of the plant without roots in Mark 4! Oh Father, grow these roots down deep and teach me to "walk worthy" of the high privilege of being called "Christian."
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