Old Testament Reading: Exodus 34

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.’ So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, ‘If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.’ And he said, ‘Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods. You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed. Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. And the LORD said to Moses, Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.’ So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” (Exodus 34, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Romans 9

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: ‘About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.’ And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, ‘Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’’ ‘And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.’ And as Isaiah predicted, ‘If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.’ What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 9, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

There is a lot of repetition found in the book of Exodus in chapters 34 through 39. Next Sunday, Lord willing, I will tell you about the repetition found in Exodus 35 through 39 regarding the building of the tabernacle according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain. Today our focus is on chapter 34. Here the covenant that the LORD entered into with Israel is renewed. In fact, a better word would probably be reinstated. The covenant was so badly broken when Israel forgot the Lord and ran full speed into idolatry in the worshipping of that golden calf that Aaron had made, it was not restoration that was needed, but total reinstatement. The covenant was broken, as signified by the breaking of the stone tablets which contained the Ten Commandments. Here the covenant is reinstated, as signified by the making of new tablets. So as I have said, there is a great deal of repetition here as key elements from earlier in Exodus from the original making of the Old Mosaic Covenant are stated yet again. The repetition is crucial. It makes it very clear that this is not a new or different covenant, but a gracious reinstatement of the one that had just been made, which Isarel had broken through their corporate idolatry. Here also in this reinstatement of the covenant we see the mercy and grace of God put on display. And really, I think that is the main point of it all.I suppose the repetition in the text might tempt some to tune out, but that would be a great mistake, brothers and sisters. There is much for us to learn from this text. There is much application to be made. 

For the sake of clarity, I will present this text to you under three headings: One, The Covenant Reinstated. Two, The Name Of The LORD Further Revealed. And three, The Leadership Of Moses Reestablished. 

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The Covenant Reinstated

First, let us consider that the LORD graciously reinstated the covenant he had previously made with Israel through Moses at Sinai after the people had quickly obliterated it through their corporate idolatry.   

That the LORD graciously reinstated the very same covenant that he had not long before made with Israel is made abundantly clear in verse 1 of Exodus 34. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.’” (Exodus 34:1, ESV)

In this text, we learn that Moses was invited to come back up the mountain into the presence of God. He was there again for forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank, but the LORD sustained him. And while there, the LORD wrote on these tablets of stone with his own “finger” the very same words that were written upon the first set, which Moses threw to the ground and broke when he found the people in idolatry. 

So what exactly was written on these stone tablets? Verse 28 is very clear that it was the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words – the very same commandments that are recorded for us in Exodus 20:2-17. These ten moral laws written on stone functioned as the foundation for all of the other laws given to Israel. These ten moral laws written on stone stood for the whole of the covenant that God had made with Israel at Sinai. As you know, other laws were added to these. The Old Mosaic Covenant contained civil laws and ceremonial laws too. We call these civil and ceremonial laws positive laws, for they were added to the moral law, and they were uniquely binding on Old Covenant Israel. But these civil and ceremonial laws were not written on the stone tablets – only the Ten Commandments were. 

This is an important observation to make. It will help us to answer the question, which law has been written on the hearts of the New Covenant people of God in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah 31? Answer: not the civil or ceremonial, but the moral law only. Just as the LORD wrote the moral law on stone for Old Covenant Israel, so too has the LORD written the moral law on the hearts of the New Covenant people of God through the regenerating power of his Holy Spirit. 

One question we should ask concerning the stone tables is this: why two tablets, and not one? 

Were two tablets needed so that the LORD would have enough space to write the words which we have recorded for us in Exodus 20:2-17? I think not. The Ten Commandments do not take up more than half a page in my English translation of the Bible. Space was not the issue. Or was it so that the Ten Commandments could be divided into two sections, the first tablet containing commandments one through four, which pertain to the proper worship of God, and the second tablet containing commandments five through ten, which pertain to the proper treatment of our fellow man. That’s possible. After all, we see that the scriptures themselves do recognize this division. Christ himself summarized the whole law according to this division when he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV). This is why we use the phrase “the two tables of the law”. By this, we refer to this obvious division within the moral law, the first four commandments having to do with our love for God, and the last six commandments having to do with our love for man.

But I do not think this is the reason for the two tablets either. Instead, it is my view that both tablets had all Ten Commandments written on them. In other words, they were identical copies. One tablet was Israel’s “copy” of the covenant law, and the other tablet was YHWH’s “copy”. Indeed, in those days, this is how kings would enter into covenants or treaties with each other. When a great king entered into a covenant with a lesser king, the great king would establish the terms of the covenant. These terms would be agreed to before witnesses. The terms would be written down, and each party would receive a copy. In this way, the terms of the relationship would be clearly communicated and ratified through a formal covenant. That is what is happening here. YHWH, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is graciously entering into a covenant with Israel. The Ten Commandments written on stone by God summarize the terms of it. One tablet is Israel’s, and the other is the Lord’s. Both were to be kept in the ark of the covenant in the most holy place in the tabernacle, where the LORD would meet with his people, Isarel. 

So then, it is clear that YHWH is here reinstating the same covenant that he made with Israel earlier, which they had broken through their corporate idolatry. And this fact becomes even more clear when we see that in this text many other laws were restated too.  Earlier in Exodus, we learned that to the moral law summarized in the Ten Commandments, God added civil laws and ceremonial laws. We were told all about the giving of these civil and ceremonial laws in Exodus 21 through 31. These additional (positive) laws were not written by the finger of God on the stone tablets, but they were written down by Moses. This book (or scroll) that Moses wrote was a record of all of the laws which the LORD revealed to him for Isarel. In Exodus 24:7 this book is called “the book of the covenant.” In Deuteronomy 29:21 it is called the “book of the law”. And in that Deuteronomy text we learn that once this “Book of the Law” was completed, the Levites were “put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD” (see Deuteronomy 31:26–27, ESV). 

Here is the thing that we must notice: when the LORD reinstated the Old Covenant after Israel’s idolatry, he did not only provide them with a new set of stone tablets containing the moral law. He also restated some of the positive laws too. And this was to make it clear that everything that was said before was still in force. I will not take the time to show you this in detail, for that would be too tedious to accomplish in the time we have remaining. I think it will be sufficient for me to say that, according to this text, Israel was still to observe the feasts the Lord had commanded earlier. They were to worship as God had prescribed earlier. You will notice in this text that a very strong emphasis is placed on the laws governing worship. And very strong warnings are issued concerning the threat of idolatry. This makes perfect sense given Israel’s recent rebellion. This also makes sense given what Israel was about to do, namely, construct the tabernacle according to the pattern shown to Moses on the mountain. 

So here in Exodus 34 the covenant that God made with Israel at Sinai is restored or reinstated. This covenant was a covenant of works. This meant that its blessings had to be earned by the people through their obedience. It also meant that it could be broken, which would make the people liable to its curses.  In the Exodus story, we learn that the people broke it only almost as soon as it had been made. They deserved judgment. But for his namesake, and for the sake of the unconditional promises he previously made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning the possession of Canaan and the blessing of the nations through their offspring, the Messiah, the LORD showed mercy and grace. 

This really is the truth that is put on display in this episode in the history of redemption: the LORD was merciful and gracious to Israel. Though they deserved his judgment because they broke his covenant, he was patient with them. He passed over their transgressions so that he might fulfill the promises he made to Abraham concerning the Messiah. Brothers and sisters, it should be clear to you that for God to relate to man at all after Adam’s fall into sin requires mercy and grace from God. 

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The Name Of The LORD Further Revealed

This brings us to the second heading of the sermon: The Name Of The LORD Further Revealed. 

Do not forget the request that Moses made when he previously interceded for Israel as recorded in chapter Exodus 33. In verse 13 Moses we hear Moses speak to the Lord, saying, “Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight” (Exodus 33:13, ESV). In 33:18 he says, “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18, ESV). Indeed, the LORD did at that time show Moses his glory and reveal his name and ways to him. And what did the LORD reveal concerning his ways? In 33:19 the LORD proclaimed his name, YHWH, saying, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19, ESV). In this statement, the LORD revealed something to Moses concerning his ways. He is a gracious and merciful God. And he has the right to show mercy and grace to whomever he wills. The Apostle Pual interprets this passage this way when he quotes it in Romans 9 and then says in verse 16, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16, ESV). And a little later he says, “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills” (Romans 9:18, ESV).

You will notice that here in Exodus 34 the LORD further reveals his name to Moses as he reinstitutes the covenant. In 34:6 we read, “The LORD passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped” (Exodus 34:6–8, ESV).

Notice that the LORD cited five attributes that characterize him. First, he is “merciful”. This Hebrew word can also be translated as compassionate. Secondly, he is “gracious”, meaning that he does things for people that they do not deserve. Thirdly, he is “slow to anger”, or patient with those who sin against him. Fourthly, he is “abounding in steadfast love”. This means that God is overflowing with covenant loyalty. And fifthly, he is abounding in faithfulness. This means that God is true. He keeps his word. 

These unchanging perfections of God are what produce his gracious actions toward us as described in verse 7: “…keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” The phrase, “keeping steadfast love” could be translated as keeping covenant loyalty or faithfulness. That is the meaning. And the phrase, “for thousands” could be translated, to the thousandth generation. I believe that is the meaning. But then we have this word of clarification: The LORD “will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7, ESV).

Let us now put it all together. 

Here the LORD further revealed his name to Moses. This means that he further revealed his character or his attributes. YHWH is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” This is YHWH’s character. This is who he is. These are his attributes.

And what are his ways? What is he doing amongst the children Adam who have fallen into sin and rebellion? What is he doing, in partaicular, with the Hebrews? He is keeping covenant faithfulness to the thousandth generation. He is “forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” But do not forget about his justice, brothers and sisters! He “will by no means clear the guilty” of the sins they commit in every generation.  

I think it is important to recognize that this revelation of the divine name and of the attributes of God, along with the revelation of the ways of the LORD, agree perfectly with what God has done to bring about our redemption in Christ Jesus? Stated differently, what the LORD has done to bring about our redemption in Christ Jesus in history agrees perfectly with his character. He did not judge Adam fully and finally when he broke the Covenant of Works that God had made with him, but showed mercy. He gave Adam a promise concerning salvation through the Covenant of Grace. That promise was intrusted to Abraham and to Israel. But in order to bring the Christ into the world through Isarel in fulfulmment to the promises preveiouly made, it was necessary for the LORD to merciful. He would have to be patient with sinners and pass over their sin for a time. He would have to withhold his wrath lest the children of Adam and Abraham be consumed by him. Indeed, this is what the LORD has done. He has, to use the language of Paul in Romans 9,  “has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”   

Here in Exodus 34 the LORD further reveales himself to Moses, and through him to Israel and to the world, saying , ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped” (Exodus 34:6–8, ESV). May our response be the same as his. When we consider the LORD’s mercy, and his sovereign right to show mercy to whomever he wills, may we bow our heads toward the earth and worship. How sad it is to see that many who claim to be followers of Christ and worshippers of YHWH in our day and age do the opposite when they hear of the LORD’s sovereign right to show mercy to whomever he wills. Instead of worshipping him they rage against the LORD and complain, saying, this is not fair! They error in that they do not comprehend what our sins deserve. God would be right and fair and just to cut us all off and to without his blessed presence from us for all eternity! He would do no wrong to judge us all for our sins. That he is patient with rebel sinners, and that he has determined to save some by the merits of Christ imputed to us and received by faith, is astonishing. His grace is amazing. And if you do not agree, I wonder if you know YHWH, for he has revealed himself as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.” He has revealed himself as the LORD, saying, “And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19, ESV). 

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The Leadership Of Moses Reestablished

So then, in our passage we see that the covenant that God made with Israel at Sinai was reinstated after the Israelites had broken it. We have also considered further revelation of the Divine name. Thirdly, let us consider that Moses’ leadership over Israel was in this episode firmly reestablished.

Here is what I mean. Moses was again on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. What happened the last time he was away? The people dismissed Moses as their leader and sought to control Aaron, saying, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1, ESV). The question is this: what will happen when Moses comes down the mountain this second time with new tablets? Will the people have rebelled? Will they be engaged in idolatry once more? No, in this instance Moses returns to a people who have been humbled.  They maintained their reverence for the LORD in his absence, and they even possed greater respect for the man Moses. 

In verses 29 and following we learn that the LORD did something for Moses to assist with this. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.” (Exodus 34:29–30, ESV)

This radiance that was set upon Moses by the LORD functioned as a sign that he had indeed communed with the LORD. This was a sign that Moses was indeed the servant of the LORD and was sent by him to function as the mediator of the Old Covenant. And so in this way the leadership of Moses was reestablished. 

But do not miss this very significant point. The radiant glory that was placed upon Moses did quickly fade. And this was to signify that though Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house, he was not the Messiah, the LORD of glory come in the flesh. And though the Old Covenant which he mediated was good so far as it fulfilled the purposes that God had for it, it was not meant to be permanent, but would in the fulness of time fade away in the face of Christ and the New Covenant ratified in his blood. 

Do you remember that episode recorded for us in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke wherein Jesus went up onto the mountain with Peter, James, and John? He “led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them” (Mark 9:2–3, ESV). And who else appeared there on the mountain except for Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, and the great prophet Elijah? At this moment God was signifying that he had set his favor upon Jesus to be the mediator of the New Covenant and that Moses and Elijah were happy to see his day, to give way to him, and to fade in the background. Indeed, they would have agreed with John the Baptist, who was the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets, who spoke of Jesus, saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV).

The radiant glory that fell upon Moses signified his favor and close communion with the LORD, but it faded. It faded, not because of something that Moses had done, but because he, and the covenant of which he served as mediator, was designed to fade. The Old Covenant was glorious, but it was designed to give way to the far surpassing and never-fading glory of the New, with Christ as mediator. If you wish to have a text in support of this, you may go to 2 Corinthians 3 some other time. 

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Conclusion

Let me now conclude with three brief suggestions for further contemplation. 

One, let us contemplate God, his names, and his ways as revealed to us in Jesus Christ and in Holy Scripture. Remember the words of Christ in his high priestly prayer: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3, ESV). If you wish to know God and Christ truly and to have eternal life in him, then you must submit to God’s word. You must “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, ESV). Many people claim to know God and Christ and to love them, but they will not surrender to divine revelation. Instead, they make a god and savior for themselves after their image and according to their desires and reason. If we wish to know God and to contemplate him truly, then we must surrender to his word. He is LORD. And he has said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:19, ESV). 

Two, let us contemplate the mercy and patience of God. Here I am not referring to the mercy he has shown to us in Christ Jesus to save us from our sins, but the mercy that he shows to all men living in all times and places. It is incredible to consider the patience of the LORD. He has for millennia restrained the outpouring of his wrath. He even gives good gifts to men – even to those who hate him. Have you ever looked out upon the city and thought to yourself, our God is so very patient? Indeed, he is merciful. He does not immediately give men what they deserve. He is patient. And this is to leave room for the full accomplishment and application of salvation to all of his elect. We must give praise to God for his mercy.

Three, let us contemplate and give thanks to God for the way of salvation he has provided for the world, that is to say, for people from every tongue tribe, and nation. As we continue in our study of Exodus we must not lose sight of the fact that he entered into a covenant with Israel, was patient with them for many hundreds of years, and was faithful to preserve them so that he might bring the Messiah into the world through them, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” 

Praise be to YHWH for his abundant mercy and grace. 

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 32

“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.’ But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, ‘O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’’ And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, ‘There is a noise of war in the camp.’ But he said, ‘It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.’ And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?’ And Aaron said, ‘Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.’ And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, ‘Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.’ And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’’ And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, ‘Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.’ The next day Moses said to the people, ‘You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’ So Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.’ But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.’ Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.” (Exodus 32, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Romans 8:1–11

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:1–11, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

This story in Exodus 32 regarding Israel’s worship of the golden calf and the consequences that fell upon them as a result of their rebellion is very important. 

The story is rather shocking, isn’t it? It’s almost unbelievable to think that Israel, having been redeemed from Egypt, led and fed in the wilderness, and spoken to by God at Sinai, would so quickly break the terms of the covenant they had just entered into! Think of all that the LORD had done for Israel. Consider the mighty works he had performed to deliver them from the Egyptians. Think of the way in which the LORD led Israel in the wilderness and provided for all of their need. Consider the law that he spoke to them. Consider the terms of the covenant that he made with them – the promise of blessing for obedience and the threat of curse for disobedience. And do not forget the response of the people when the covenant was confirmed. After Moses read the Book of the Covenant and in the hearing of the people, they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Exodus 24:7, ESV). As I have said, it is rather shocking to consider all that the LORD had done for this people and to see that within 40 days of that covenant being confirmed, the people of Israel, or at least many within Israel, entered into full rebellion against God. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this story is that Aaron, the brother of Moses, and high priest of Isarel, was pressured to comply with their idolatrous cravings. 

The story is truly shocking, but it is also a very important part of the story of redemption that is being told here in the book of Exodus. I view this episode as a kind of wake-up call or reality check. Consider again the marvelous things the LORD did for the Hebrews to redeem them. And consider especially the very glorious things that happened at Mt. Sinai when the LORD entered into covenant with Israel. The people saw God’s glory manifest. They heard his voice. They were confronted with his law. The seventy were even given a glimpse into heaven. A covenant was cut. And Moses was invited up into the presence of God to receive further instructions. These were very unusual and exceedingly marvelous events. But these events that followed – these events surrounding the idolatrous worship of the golden calf (or bull) – clarify some things. In this story, we learn a great deal about the sinfulness of man, the grace of God, and the nature of the covenant that God entered into with Israel in the days of Moses. In fact, I would like to consider this story with you today under these three headings: One, the sinfulness of man revealed. Two, the grace of God revealed. And three, the nature of the covenant that God entered into with Israel in the days of Moses. 

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The Sinfulness Of Man Revealed

Let us, first of all, consider what this passage reveals concerning the sinfulness of fallen man. Above all, I want you to notice our propensity towards idolatry. 

What is the first of the Ten Commandments?  “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3, ESV). This means, we are to have no other God at all. Only the LORD God is to be honored as God. And what is the second of the Ten Commandments? “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them…” (Exodus 20:4–5, ESV). Israel was not unaware of these commandments, for the LORD has spoken these words to them at Sinai. And the prohibition against idolatry was also reiterated to them through Moses. Exodus 20:22-24 says, “And the LORD said to Moses, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you” (Exodus 20:22–24, ESV). Israel knew all of this, and they replied,  “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Exodus 24:7, ESV). But here, not more than 40 days after the covenant was confirmed, they are found rebelling against God in a most radical way, by violating the first and second commandments of God’s moral law. 

How did it happen? 32:1 tells us. “When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’” (Exodus 32:1, ESV) Notice a few things about this opening verse. 

One, it was the people of Israel who decided they wanted idols. We should not take this to mean that it was all of the people. Later we will learn that there were some who were guilty and some who were innocent in the matter. But I think it is right for us to imagine a very large number of people –  certainly, it was a mass of people large enough to pressure Aaron to comply. 

And this is the second thing that I want you to notice: Aaron, the high priest of Israel was complicit in the idolatrous rebellion. He did not lead the way but was pressured to make the idols. When the text says, “the people gathered themselves together to Aaron”, I think it is right for us to imagine them putting great pressure on him so that he probably feared for his life. “Up, make us gods who shall go before us”, they demanded, and Aaron complied. He instructed them to take the gold earrings from their wives, sons and daughters. He had the gold melted down and crafted a golden image – a calf (it was likely in the form of a young bull). After Aaron did the dastardly deed, the leaders from among the people said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

The third thing that I notice is the motivation behind the rebellion, namely, the desire for something visible, tangible, and controllable to represent God. 

The demand, “make us gods who shall go before us”, must be interpreted in light of what we learned earlier about Israel being led out of Egypt by the LORD as a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. Israel had been without that pilar while encamped at Sinai. There they saw the glory of God manifest on the top of Mt. Sinai. There they heard his voice, and they trembled. They requested that no further word be spoken to them, but that Moses would intercede between them and God from now on. Moses then was called up on the mountain. There the LORD spoke to him and gave him instructions for the building of the tabernacle, among other things. He was gone 40 days and 40 nights. The people grew impatient. 

We should remember that these people – most of them Hebrews – were born and raised in Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped many gods, and they crafted idols to represent them. Here we see how affected the Hebrews were by the religious practices of the Egyptians. At this moment, many of them reverted back to what was comfortable for them. YHWH made them uncomfortable. The mediation of Moses brought them some comfort, but he was missing – “As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And so they pressured Aaron, the priest, to make a little idol for them – something visible, tangible, and controllable. They could not control YHWH. He was a consuming fire to them. He led the people of Israel according to his will. Moses, the priests, and the people were unable to influence him to go this way or that. What could they do except humbly follow his lead? But that golden calf was different. That “god” could be contained and controlled. 

Think of the difference between YHWH and the golden calf. YHWH appeared to Moses in the bush that was burning yet not consumed and revealed himself as the great I AM, the Self Existent One, the Creator of all things seen and unseen, the Redeemer of Israel. Moses was made by YHWH. Moses was called to serve YHWH and speak and do all that YHWH told him to speak and do. And it was YHWH who made Israel. He made them in the sense that he created them and sustained their lives. And made them in that he redeemed them. They were slaves, and YHWH made a nation of them through redemption. They were bound, therefore, to worship and serve him, and to obey his voice.

Think now about the golden calf. That golden calf was not self-existent. No Aaron made it, and he made it out of preexisting material – gold. He formed and fashioned it for the people. And so that means that he, as a priest, could also control it on behalf of the people. “Aaron, Moses is gone. We do not know what happened to him. And we are finished with YHWH, his God. You are our priest now. And we would prefer it if you would make gods for us. Where shall we go next, Aaron? Where does the God which you have made say we should go next? Where will he lead us?” 

Do you see the difference, brothers and sisters, between YHWH and this golden calf, and between Moses, the humble and faithful servant in God’s house, and Aaron (in this moment)? I trust that you are also able to see why idols are so very appealing to sinful men and women. Idols can be manipulated and controlled; idols are not threatening, for they are not the self-existent Creator, but the creation of sinful man.   

The people were very wicked to rebel against God in this way, but the sin of Aarron is particularly disturbing. Now granted, the idol was not Aarons’s idea. But he was pressured by the people to compromise. I’m sure that he feared the people, and so he gave them what they wanted. 

Verse 5 is very interesting. I think it reveals something about Aaron’s intentions.  “When Aaron saw this”, that is when he saw the people take the idol he made and run headlong into polytheism, even claiming that these were the gods who brought them up out of Egypt , “he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD’” (Exodus 32:5, ESV). It seems to me that Aaron’s intention was to give people an image to serve as a representation of YHWH.  Perhaps he reasoned thus: “The people want an image. It wouldn’t be so bad for me to give them an image so long as they worship YHWH through the use of that image.” But did the people do with the image? They ran headlong into polytheistic idolatry, and even gave credit to these “gods” for their redemption from Egypt. In verse 5 we see  Aaron scrambling to minimize the damage: “he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD’”.

So then, I have these two observations to make concerning the sinfulness of man.

One, fallen men and women are prone to idolatry. That there is a God who is to be worshipped and served is plain to all who have reason.  Yes, some have so degenerated into sin and folly that they deny the existence of God altogether, but in the history o the world, this is rare. The vast majority of people can plainly see that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped. But instead of worshiping the one true God,   “they [exchange] the truth about God for a lie and [worship] and [serve] the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Romans 1:25, ESV). Psalm 106:19-23 reflects on this episode in Israel’s history, saying, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them” (Psalm 106:19–23, ESV). Sinful men and women are prone to idolatry. They know they are to worship God, but they would much prefer to worship a god that they have crafted – one that they can control – rather than submit themselves to the one true God who has made them. He is not a God to be controlled, but the one who controls all things, to whom we must bow the knee. Christian, I ask you, by way of application, is there any form of idolatry in your heart? Have you, in any way, rebelled against God’s revelation of himself in history, in Christ, and in the scriptures, to make an image of God for yourself – one that you are comfortable with, and one that you can control? Or have you indeed “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and [received] with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, ESV). I pray that you are humble before the Lord, and have received his most holy word.  

My second observation concerning the sinfulness of man is this: religious leaders must be especially careful to not allow idolatry to slip into their own hearts, nor into the midst of God’s people. Aaron compromised out of fear. Or perhaps he compromised thinking that he could better control Israel through the idol he made. Whatever the motive, the results were devastating for the people.  And though Aaron tried to preserve himself by playing this game of compromise, he’ looked very foolish in the end. When Moses came down the mountain he confronted Aaron, saying, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?’ And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf” (Exodus 32:21–24, ESV). This exchange between Moses, the man of God, and Aaron, the priest of Israel, should sound familiar to you? Is it not an echo of God’s questioning of Adam, the priest of God, and his wife Eve, after they fell into sin? They, like Aaron the priest after them, shifted the blame and made pitiful excuses before the Lord. Aaron’s excuses were particularly pitiful. “ I threw [the gold] into the fire, and out came this calf”, he said. I see this as a warning to those who minister the Word in God’s temple today. We cannot toy with idolatry. We cannot bend our teaching concerning God and his word to us to please the itching ears of the world, or even of God’s people. We cannot compromise the truth of God’s word for the sake of self-preservation. The results will be disastrous both for the member and minister in the end.

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The Grace Of God Revealed

More could certainly be said regarding what this passage reveals concerning the sinfulness of man and our propensity towards idolatry. But for the sake of time, let us now turn our attention to the grace of God, for this passage does certainly reveal a great deal concerning God’s grace. 

It was the LORD who made the announcement to Moses that the people had fallen into idolatry. The LORD had finished giving instructions to Moses up on the mountain when he said, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.’” (Exodus 32:7–10, ESV)

Notice a few things about this portion of the story:

One, the LORD referred to Isarel as “your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt”, when he spoke to Moses. The LORD is here implying that he would be right to disown Israel for their sin. 

Two, the LORD noted how quickly Israel had turned out of the way that he had commanded them. In other words, they had already broken the terms of the covenant he had made with them. It would have been right, therefore, for the curses of the covenant to befall them. The LORD said this to Isarel from the outset: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’” (Exodus 19:4–6, ESV). It is here implied that “if” Israel does not obey and keep the covenant, the LORD would be right to cut them off. 

Three, the LORD identified idolatry as the sin, and also spoke to the condition of the hearts of the Israelites, saying,  “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.” Stiff-necked means stubborn and rebellious. 

Four, the LORD threatened to annihilate Israel and to start fresh with Moses. “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

All of this is to be viewed as a kind of test for Moses, and also as an invitation for him to intercede. And as we will see, it would be through this threat of righteous judgment and the faithful intercession of Moses, that the marvelous grace of God would be shown forth. 

 What do I mean when I say that this was a test for Moses? Well, consider again the words of the LORD. “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (Exodus 32:10, ESV). If you have been paying attention the story of Genesis and Exodus, you will immediately recognize that this is out of sync with what the LORD had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised to make a great nation out of Abraham, to give his descendants the land of Canaan, and bless the nations of the earth through them, through the Messiah that would immerge from them. Those promises were not yet fulfilled. We can see that as we read the narrative. Of course, the LORD knew that. But what would Moses say? Would he go along with it and say, “you know, these people are really difficult to deal with… And you know, maybe the LORD should start fresh with me… After all…” What would Moses say? We will soon find out.  

And what do I mean when I say that this was an invitation for Moses to intercede? Well, here I am observing that in the scriptures, whenever the LORD reveals his “intentions” to pour out judgment on some people to his prophets or to some other servant of his, it is an invitation to that person to intercede on behalf of that people. In this way, Amos was invited to intercede on behalf of Israel asking the Lord to relent from his righteous judgments (Amos 7:1-6). In this way, Abraham was invited to intercede on behalf of Sodom (Genesis 18:22ff.). Isn’t that interesting? Abraham was invited by God to intercede on behalf of the nations, and Moses was invited by God to intercede on behalf of Israel. In a moment we will see that Moses, like Abraham before him, did very well. 

Verse 11: “Moses implored the LORD his God and said, ‘O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’’ And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people” (Exodus 32:11–14, ESV). 

The LORD does not really relent or repent. With him “there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). Moses himself says so in Numbers 23:19: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” What we have here is the appearance of change… from Moses’ perspective. God threatened to judge but relented from pouring out his judgment because of Moses’ intercession. There is in this the appearance of repentance from the human perspective. But from the divine perspective all of this – the threat, the intercession, and the relenting – were the eternal and unchanging decree of God. Do our prayers change the eternal decree of God? Do our prayers change God’s mind? Certainly not! But through prayer, we are changed. And more than this, God had determined to accomplish his decree through our prayer, just as he did with Moses in the text under consideration. 

Let us now briefly consider Moses’ prayer, for it is truly marvelous. 

One, notice that Moses “implored” the LORD. That is a strong word. Moses made a strong and heartfelt plea to the LORD on behalf of Israel. Brothers and sisters, you and I are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace in Jesus name, to bring our desires before him, and to persistently entreated him on behalf of ourselves and others, as we submit ourselves to his sovereign will. Let us not squander this gift.  

Two, Moses reminded the LORD (or better yet, acknowledged) that it was the LORD who brought Israel out of Egypt. It was not the work of Moses alone. Certainly, it was not the work of that bumb, deaf, and impotent idol that Aaron made. It was the LORD who did it, as Moses said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?”

Three, Moses expressed concern for the glory or reputation of the LORD amongst the nations “Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’?” All of our intercessions should have as this as their leading concern, that God’s name be hallowed, that is to say, revered and honored, in all the earth. 

Four – and I think this is so very importinat – Moses appealed for mercy, not on the basis of the covenant that the LORD had just entered into with Israel, but on the basis of the promises that were made in the covenant that God transacted with Abraham long before. Verse 12: “Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Truth be told, Moses had no grounds to appeal to God for mercy and grace according to the terms of the covenant that the LORD had made with Israel at Sinai, for that covenant was a covenant of works, and the people of Israel had broken that covenant already. They forfeited the blessings, therefore. And the curses of the covenant were owed to them. The LORD would have done no wrong to cast them off forever according to the terms of that covenant. 

In fact, this truth is signified breaking of the tablets of the testimony at the base of the mountain. “And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19, ESV). I suppose we might think that this was an accident – that Moses lost it and recklessly threw the tablets to the side in a furry. No! He threw them down intentionally. And I believe that he threw them down in a specific place, namely, right where the covenant had been confirmed with the people 40 days earlier. He did this to signify the breaking of the covenant before the people, and to remind them of the vows they had taken, and of the blood that had been splattered on them, to signify the penalty that was owed to them for their sin, namely death. The tablets were thrown down by Moses intentionally in that place to communicate to all that the covenant was broken, and they deserved God’s wrath. 

It was at this point that Moses courageously confronted Aaron and the people. “He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it” (Exodus 32:20, ESV). In this way, that idol would be ingested by the people and excreted by them, which was a very fitting end to that detestable thing. Moses did also command that the priests put to death with the sword all who participated in this rebellion and would not repent. Indeed, the priests had this responsibility under the Old Covenant. Like Adam, they were to keep the temple of God, and preserve the true worship of God. Pastors and elders have the same responsibility today. They do not wield the physical sword, but the word of God. Along with the members of the church, they wield the keys of the kingdom and have the authority welcome in and shut out of God’s kingdom and temple. 

Back to Moses’ intercession. Moses appealed for mercy, not on the basis of the covenant that was made at Sinai. There were no grounds for mercy or grace to be found there, for that covenant was a covenant of works. Instead, Moses appealed to God for mercy and grace on the basis of the unconditional promises that were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” If you wish, we may state the matter in these terms: Moses appealed, not to the law, but to the gospel for mercy and grace. “And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.” 

After going down the mountain to deal with Aaron and Israel, he went back up. Verse 30: “The next day Moses said to the people, ‘You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin” (Exodus 32:30, ESV). That word, “atonement” is significant.  

Verse 31: “So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written” (Exodus 32:31–32, ESV). Many commentators equate this “book” that Moses refers to with the “Lambs book of life” – that which contains the names of God’s elect. They then surmise that names can be blotted out of that book, that is, the Lambs book of life. I don’t think I agree. I’m open to being persuaded otherwise, but in my opinion, this book that Moses refers to is the book of the living. It is the book that contains a record of all who live on earth, and in this particular instance, all who were alive on earth in the kingdom of Israel. Kings keep books of those living in their kingdom. And here Moses refers to God’s book.  When Moses said, but if you will not forgive their sin, “please blot me out of your book that you have written” (Exodus 32:31–32, ESV), he was offering his life up as a substitute for theirs. This was his attempt to make atonement. 

The LORD rejected Moses’ proposal in part, saying, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” (Exodus 32:33–34, ESV). That this “book” was a record of life on earth, and not eternal life in heaven (as the Lamb’s book of life is), is supported by the fact that the LORD said he would blot those who were guilty of the idolatry out of this book, and this he did by sending a plague (verse 35). But the LORD was merciful in that he did not cast off Israel. No, he punished the unrepentant idolaters with precision. 

In this way, the mercy and grace of God were put on display. Did Israel deserve to die? Yes, according to the terms of the covenant that God made with them at Sinai, they deserved to be cut off. But God was merciful to them so that he might keep the promises he made to Abraham. 

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The True Nature Of The Mosaic Covenant Revealed

Lastly, and very briefly, I will make a few observations about the nature of the Old Mosaic Covenant. 

One, while it revealed God’s law it did not renew the hearts and minds of the members to make them willing and able to obey. But all who are partakers of the New Covenant have God’s law within them, written not on stone, but on their hearts.”(Jeremiah 31:33, ESV)

Two, while the Old Mosaic Covenant revealed God’s law, it could not provide for the forgiveness of sins before God. This is why Moses had to appeal to the promises previously made to Abraham for mercy. God was gracious to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant, not because of the terms of that covenant, but for the sake of the covenant of grace which was promised to Adam and Abraham long before. 

Three, under the Old Mosaic Covenant, and through the law that was given to Israel in those days, sin would be magnified, and the need for Savior would be made much more apparent. Moses was not that Savior. Aaron was not that Savior. No, that Savior was still yet to come. Christ Jesus is his name. And he would be the one who would lay down his life to make atonement for the sins of his people. 

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Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, we are members of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood, if we have faith in him. And as partakers of this New Covenant, we have new minds and new hearts. Through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, the moral law of God, which was written on stone in the days of Moses, is written upon our hearts to make us willing and able to do what God has commanded of us. This is why Christ has said, “you will know them by their fruits.” Those who belong to Christ under this New Covenant will bear fruit in keeping with repentance because of the regenerating work of the Spirit.  Nevertheless, we confess that corruptions remain in us. The flesh wars against the Spirit. We are often tempted by the world, the Devil, and even these corruptions that remain in the flesh. 

By God’s grace, let us be sure to keep our hearts pure. Let us flee from evil and cling to what is good. Let “Put to death… what is earthly in [us]: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these [we] too once walked, when [we] were living in them. But now [we] must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from [our] mouth[s]. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator… “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:5–17, ESV).