“Moses Intercedes Again” (Exodus 32:30–35)

“Moses Intercedes Again” (Exodus 32:30–35)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, March 3, 2019

Exodus 32:30–35 (NIV)

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. ³² But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

³³ The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. ³⁴ Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

1. Sin is more serious in the eyes of God than we can imagine.

2. The grace and mercy of God should not be presumed, as if they were owed to us.

3. God's condemnation is just and is given on the basis of what people have done.

4. No ordinary human being can atone for our sin, but Moses's intercession for the people pictures our need of a sufficient mediator who can stand between us and God.

5. Even in judgment, God is longsuffering and merciful. The entire nation deserved to be wiped out, but God judged a portion and showed generous mercy to the rest.