But Moses begged the Lord His God … Exodus 32:11
Moses had just been dismissed by YHWH with the tablets of stone when he was informed about the scene below in the valley. The covenant was broken even as YHWH was revealing to Moses the details of the Tabernacle. The people were apostate, “corrupted” (32:7, Hebrew šāḥat cf. Genesis. 6:11 describing the evil in Noah’s day), no longer able to exist before their Holy Creator. YHWH informs Moses of what is going on. What is noteworthy is his spontaneous response to this shocking news. Rather than anger or condemnation, he advocates for the people with what will be his first intercession on the Mountain (Exodus 32:7-14). Moses then descends into the valley, destroys the golden calf and instigates the Levitical purging of the primary perpetrators (Exodus 32:15-29). Then Moses intercedes a second time for the people who were nevertheless liable because they stood by and failed to oppose the mob. In this post we will focus on the two intercessions of Moses.
Right off the bat we see that YHWH had disinherited the people by referring them to Moses as “your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt.” Before this YHWH referred to them as His people as part of the covenantal formula. This change of pronouns indicates the seriousness of the people’s predicament; they are no longer in covenant with YHWH. The people are referred to as “stiff necked,” a common description of a people obstinate in their sins and unwilling and/or unable to turn their heads back toward YHWH in repentance. YHWH tells Moses to “let me alone” so He can destroy them in His wrath. This means Moses no longer has the responsibility as mediator of a covenant no longer valid. Moreover, YHWH intends to start all over with Moses himself with the patriarchal promise of making him a great nation.
Moses hits the ball back into YHWH’s court by referring to the people as “your” people, asking Him why his wrath burns against them when He was the one who created them a nation in the first place by delivering them out of Egypt. Implicitly, Moses is suggesting to YHWH that He has some responsibility as Creator. This is a critical idea, and we find it a driving theme in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. He then brings up the related notion of YHWH’s reputation: what will the Egyptians say about this God of the Hebrews who saved them only to destroy them. Will YHWH, the Creator of time, be condemned as a failure by history? However, the most powerful argument has to do with YHWH’s promise to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. YHWH bound Himself to the people unconditionally, especially to Abraham through the ′aqēdâ, the binding of Isaac, in Genesis 22. Moses’ three-fold argument is powerful; YHWH “repented,” that is, He “changed His mind,” from His dark intentions toward “His” people. The pronoun switch indicates the possibility of a re-establishment of covenant.
After Moses descends into the valley and deals with the golden calf and the apostates, which we will discuss in the next post, he intercedes again. Having saved them from utter destruction in his first intercession, he now is looking for an “atonement” (a “covering,” Heb. cāpar, same root for the “mercy seat” cappōret) for their “great sin” of breaking covenant. Moses again uses the term “great sin” when speaking to YHWH, which reinforces the precarious and potentially deadly situation in which the people now find themselves. Again, we assume the Levitical purging was leveled against the main instigators and those who participate in the pagan rites. But the people as a whole now stand guilty before YHWH because of the nature of sin within a community. Sin is like a disease in the body infecting the whole; no one is completely free of it.
YHWH exonerates Moses because he was not part of any of this since he was on the mountain when it all transpired, and warned the people earlier about what would happen if they insisted on standing afar off from the mountain. This is behind YHWH’s desire to wipe the people out and start all over with Moses. Moses now requests that YHWH forgive the people’s sin, and if not, for his name to be erased from YHWH’s “book.” This can be understood it two ways: 1) Moses is willing to sacrifice his salvation so the people may live, or 2) Moses so identifies himself with his people that he desires to suffer the same fate as they do (so Cassuto). Either way, Moses is placing his life on the line for this rebellious crowd, and this becomes the golden standard for intercession (So St. Paul in Romans 9:1-5, who embraces the first of the two of the above options).
A word must be said here about the mysterious book mentioned above. The motif of a celestial book in which the names of all the chosen are inscribed is now introduced for the first time, but mentioned here by Moses as if it were common knowledge. We find it in Isaiah (4:3), and looms large in apocalyptic literature (Daniel 12:1), and the opening of the Scrolls in Revelation. Behind this is the lofty thought that YHWH stands above space and time, and all is pre-determined. Moses himself cannot alter it with his request. This reality must be deeply digested to feel the full impact of it. However, this is contrasted with the fact that YHWH does “change His mind” within space and time, as He does here at the intercession of Moses. We must embrace both “extremes” of this paradox and push both to the limits at the same time to attain theological maturity (Merton).
The conversation ends with the question of who shall go up before the people to the Promised Land. On the surface, YHWH agrees here what He promised in Exodus 23:20 that “my angel shall go before you,” confirming He will continue His plan for Israel to inherit the Promised Land according to the original design. However, as we shall see in the next chapter, Moses is looking for something more than a mere “angel.” Finally, this part of the drama ends with an ominous introduction of what is called the “Day of the Lord” motif, where YHWH will “visit” the people with judgement for this sin. Indeed, at some point He sent a plague on them. Much more of this will be discussed when we get to the Prophets.
Takeaway: It is Moses and his intercession that saves Israel from total destruction. Intercessory prayer is powerful with God.
Questions:
- How does Moses intercede with God? What principles can we learn?
- What has been your experience with intercessory prayer?
Resources Used:
Cassuto, U. A Commentary on the Book of Exodus.
Merton, Thomas.