Exodus 32:1-34:35

While Moses is receiving instructions from the Lord, the Israelites become restless.  Fearing that Moses has deserted them they ask Aaron to make a god for them to worship.  When Aaron makes the idol, God threatens to destroy the Israelites.  Moses argues with God and God agrees not to destroy the people.  When Moses comes down from the mountain he destroys the tablets God had written, destroys the calf and made the people consume the destroyed idol.  Then Moses asks all the Israelites faithful to God to purge Israel of the unfaithful; the Levites are faithful and are promised a blessing.

Moses requests to see God; God agrees but will only allow Moses to see his back.  From this point on Moses face glows with a radiance because he has seen God.  God then instructs Moses to create two new tablets to replace the ones he destroyed.  God then gives Moses some additional instruction.

Moses argues with God and it appears that Moses wins…does this mean that God’s mind is changeable?  I think that God’s intention in this passage was to rid Israel of those who were not faithful to Him.  Moses accomplished this in a different way than God had stated.  It seems to me that God’s will remained the same, but God allowed Moses purge Israel rather than purge Israel himself.

I think Moses messed up when he destroyed the tablets that God had written, it appears to me that he did this out of anger.  However, he then had to redo what God had already done.  As I look at my life there have been many times when my actions or emotions have destroyed something that God had already done; then God gives us instructions on how to fix it.  If we had not destroyed the situation in the first place we would not have to fix it. Do not let your emotions destroy what God has done.

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