With incredible power, God delivered Abraham's descendants through Isaac from Egyptian slavery. God fashioned His deliverance in a manner that should have imprinted those Israelites' minds for the rest of their lives. When those Israelite slaves heard Moses' first report concerning God's intentions, they were thrilled (Exodus 4:29-31)! They believed Moses' report. They were impressed with Moses' miracles. The fact that God was concerned about their struggles touched them. [People are always elated if they think God will take care of my "right now" problems immediately!]
When Pharaoh received Moses' first request for him to release the Israelites so they could travel to the wilderness and worship God, he reacted with hostility (Exodus 5:1-9). Since he considered himself a god with enormous power, he was offended. The God of the Hebrews speaking to Moses did not impress him! Giving these slaves time off was out of the question! The "real" explanation motivating the request was this: the slaves did not have enough to do! Thus Pharaoh made their work extremely demanding and quite difficult.
The Israelite foremen of the slaves pleaded with Pharaoh to be reasonable in his work demands (Exodus 5:15-19). Pharaoh's response: "You are lazy! That is the reason you asked to go sacrifice to your God!" The Israelite foremen left Pharaoh's court knowing the slaves were in serious trouble.
As the Israelite foremen left Pharaoh's court, they met Moses and Aaron (Exodus 5:20,21). The foremen were extremely unhappy with the turn of events. They anticipated freedom and they received impossible work conditions! Paraphrased, they said to Moses and Aaron, "You made us stink in Pharaoh's sight! What you did will result in our deaths! May God judge you for our suffering!"
A discouraged Moses talked to God (Exodus 5:22, 23). "Why did you bring harm to these Israelites? Why did you send me? Since my arrival and request to Pharaoh, the situation is worse! And You did not deliver these slaves!" Both Moses and Israel expected Moses would make a request and Israel would leave--simple, easy, uncomplicated! After all, they thought it was about them and their desires instead of being about God.
God wanted Israel to understand through unforgettable events His incredible power (Exodus 6:1). Israel would not be released because it was a simple, easy matter! Nor would it be because Pharaoh was understanding and agreeable! Nor would it be because Israel was powerful! Nor would it be because Moses was persuasive and convincing! Israel would be released for one reason: God willed their release, and He is incredibly powerful!
God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (the Mighty God). They now would know Him as YHWH [Yahweh or Jehovah or The Self-Existent One] (Exodus 6:3). No human, not even Pharaoh, is Self Existent. Deliverance from Egyptian slavery should prove God could sustain them in any circumstance. Never would there be reason to doubt His ability to sustain!
With mighty acts God released Israel from Egyptian slavery; protected them from the Egyptian army; separated them from Egypt permanently; preserved them in the wilderness; and spoke His law to them at Mount Sinai.
After the Sinai experience, Moses went up to receive instructions from God. Moses was on the mount for days. The Israelites grew restless. Finally, they approached Aaron, Moses' brother and spokesman. "We do not know what happened to Moses. Make us a god who will lead us (Exodus 32:1).
Aaron fashioned an idol of gold [a calf] and presented it to the Israelites. "They" declared, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 32:4). What a cruel insult to God! After all God did to demonstrate that He, the Self-Existent One, could sustain them, they credited a human-made object fashioned from their possessions with their salvation!
Their actions and motives angered God beyond our comprehension! He was deeply offended! God said to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!' I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation" (Exodus 32:7-10).
Moses appealed to God not to destroy the Israelites, but he did not appeal to Israel's virtues. He appealed to God's nature: "O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever' " (Exodus 32:11-13).
Would it have been just for God to destroy Israel? Yes! A deserved punishment for an incredible insult? Yes! A "right thing" to do? Yes! Would destroying Israel destroy God's holiness? No!
God's final response was based on an appeal to God's nature, not Israel's virtue. Not even God's enemies should have reason to misunderstand God! While Israel's destruction was just and deserved, it could confuse God's enemy. In seeing God's rightful wrath, God's enemy might not see God as a covenant keeper filled with compassion and mercy.
Consider two realizations. (1) Israel insulted God because they were ungrateful for all God did for them. They thought deliverance was about them instead of about God. (2) To plead with God to abandon a rightful anger, Moses cited God's nature, not Israel's worthiness.
Thought Questions:
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 3