He Chose Glory - but not his own.
In Exodus chapter 32, we come to another very well-known passage. Moses is delayed coming down from the mountain, the nation slips into idolatry, and God reveals to Moses that His wrath and judgment will fall on the people. Then Moses intercedes on their behalf, and God relents.
Yet if that’s all we read, especially without the broader context of Scripture, it’s easy to see why some roll their eyes and dismiss passages like this as just another angry god with a temper, not unlike the gods of that age or Greek and Roman mythology.
But two things struck me this time.
First, fast forward to verse 32.
We see Moses begging God for forgiveness so deeply that he says if God will not forgive their sin, then blot him out of His book.
In essence:
leave me unsaved.
Cast me aside.
That’s how much I love this nation, Your people, LORD.
It echoes Paul, when he says he would even be accursed if it meant his fellow Israelites would be saved.
That alone is striking.
(Even though to be clear, Moses never has the capacity to save, he too is flawed. Unlike the perfect and righteous son of God, that is Jesus Christ.)
But I want to circle back to this so-called “angry” moment.
We know that a sovereign, omniscient God is not moving back and forth on His promises. When we look at the wider thread of Scripture, it’s clear that nothing has changed from Genesis to Revelation.
So what is going on here?
I think we are seeing something deeper.
There is even a shadow here of Christ being tempted in the wilderness, offered glory and kingdoms.
The purpose is testing.
Why?
Look at the verse preceding Moses’ prayer of intercession, verse 10.
God says His wrath will consume the nation, but then adds, don’t worry, Moses.
I will make you into a great nation.
Sound familiar?
Moses doesn’t even blink.
He doesn’t entertain it for a second.
What is his first concern, even before his own people?
What will the Egyptians think?
What will the outsiders think?
His concern is God’s glory.
Beautiful. Amazing.
Jesus resists a similar temptation in the wilderness. Solomon asks not for riches or power, but for wisdom to lead God’s people honorably.
May we too learn to make our decisions not based on what is good for us, and even more than what is good for others, but on what brings glory to God and good to His bride.
I’m just going to leave it there for now, and sit with that.
Be well church.
His,
Matt
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