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The Glory of God (Exodus): After almost 30 weeks, our Journey to Freedom series on Exodus ends with a focus on the glory of God. From Moses’ radiant face to the glory cloud filling the Tabernacle, see how God’s beauty, grace, and goodness lead us to worship and reflect His light. Recorded on Mar 9, 2025, on Exodus 34-40 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

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Sermon Transcript

Well, it took us almost 30 weeks, but we did it. We’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom, and today, we’ll bring it to a close. After today, we’ll start a new sermon series for Lent. And this is always bittersweet for me. I’ve really enjoyed this series and am a little sad we couldn’t just keep going until the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land, but we’d have to work through four more whole books of the Bible (probably too much). But I do hope this series has been helpful to your faith and especially to your knowledge of who God is. But I’m also excited to start something new as we make our way toward the cross and empty tomb. So one last time, we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. It’s the defining story for the people of Israel and reveals so much of who God is, which is why it’s the most referenced story in the bible. We’ve also said that the Exodus story is a great picture of the gospel and the Christian life — a story of God rescuing a people by his grace, then teaching them to follow his word and Spirit through the wilderness of life as they make their way to the Promised Land. Today, as we wrap up this series, we’ll consider the great theme of the glory of God. This is maybe the great theme of the Bible. Last week we asked the question, what is God really like? You can’t answer this question without understanding the glory of God. So, we’re going to do a little tour, making several stops to see the story of the glory of God. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 34:29.

Exodus 34:29–35 (NIV), “29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.” On the first stop of our tour, we have a passage that follows our passage from last week, where Moses had asked to see God’s glory. Yahweh El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, said Moses couldn’t handle a full experience of his glory (he would be destroyed), but God would allow him to see/experience as much as he could bear. “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence,” (Ex 33:19). The next day, the Lord appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the famous statement, “Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished,” (Ex 34:6-7). I share this again because to understand the glory of God, first, you need to understand who God is, his character, and his nature. The glory of God is the goodness and radiant beauty of all his attributes combined. It’s the full revelation of all of who God is. It’s the incredible combination of his compassion and his grace; it’s his wisdom, love, faithfulness, and justice; it’s his transcendent, sovereign power as the King of the Cosmos, and his caring nearness. God is glorious. Second, God’s glorious character leads to glorious works. God’s work of creation only increases and reflects the glory of who he is. As David wrote in Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV), “1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” Even the most militant atheist senses the power and presence of something beyond this material universe, standing at the shores of the Atlantic or driving up above the clouds in Rocky Mountain National Park. Even someone who hates God can still marvel at the intricacy of the design of the human eye or hand. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Ro 1:20). However, though we can learn much about God from what he has made, we don’t get the full picture without seeing the glory of God in his work of salvation. We see God’s power in creation but not his goodness. We see his divine nature but not his grace. We need the story of the fall, the flood, the Exodus, and countless others found in the word of God. Only in the gospel do we see the ultimate goodness and grace of a God who loves and saves and forgives, even the worst of his enemies. Third, as we see in Ex 34, the glory of God is often represented by radiant light. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1Jn 1:5). The Lord had already appeared as a burning bush when he called Moses and as a pillar of fire when he led his people out of Egypt. He had appeared in what looked like fire at the top of Mount Sinai. One of the qualities of fire is that it radiates light. We don’t know exactly how/why Moses was radiant after speaking with God, but it seems as if God’s glory was almost contagious. Is that the fourth lesson so far? The glory of God brushed off on Moses just from being in God’s presence. At any rate, it made Aaron and the others afraid enough that Moses wore a veil after meeting with God so he wouldn’t freak people out. But after reforming the covenant between Yahweh and Israel in Ex 34, Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and gave them the Lord’s instructions for the Tabernacle, or the tent where God’s glorious presence would dwell among his people. Those who were skilled came forward to build it while those whose hearts were moved, generously gave the expensive materials needed to build it. Exodus chapters 35-39 then describe the work of building the Tabernacle, all the articles and furniture used in worship, the priestly garments, and more. Our next stop on the tour will pick up the story when the work was done.

Exodus 39:32–43 (NIV), “32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses…42 The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” The reason for our stopping here, besides showing the faithfulness of Israel to actually do what God told them to do, is to see the connection between the glory of God and the worship of his people. The glory of God is first about the goodness and beauty of who God is, second, about what he has done in creation and salvation, third, is often represented by radiant light, and fourth, seems to be somewhat contagious. Fifth, the glory of God is the focus of the worship of God’s people. We see this in the fact that the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple in Jerusalem) would serve as the central place of worship for Israel. At many points in the Exodus journey, we’ve been confronted by the question of whether it was possible for a holy God to dwell in the midst of a sinful people. It seems that that would only be possible by the grace and mercy of God, not on the faithfulness or moral perfection of his people. They were a mess. But God loved them, and that made all the difference. He would forgive them. He would go with them. He would be their God, and they would be his people. But if that was the case, is it any wonder that the last quarter of the book of Exodus focuses on worship? How else should the people respond to this God than with gratitude and praise, than with worship? When you see the glory of God who is and what he has done, and you realize those good works were done for you, how could you not give God the glory due his name? This is the heart of true worship. It’s seeing or hearing — for the first time or for the millionth time — about who God is and what he has done and responding with faith, love, joy, thanksgiving, praise, honor, service, obedience, generosity, singing, and more. Glory leads to worship. When the Lord passed in front of Moses on Mount Sinai and proclaimed his name and his character to him, “Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.” (Ex 34:8). Our next stop will be the end of the book of Exodus. Almost exactly a year after the first Passover in Egypt, the Tabernacle was built, the priests were ordained, and the work was finished.

Exodus 40:34–38 (NIV), “34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.” This is God’s word. And this concludes the book of Exodus in the Bible. Of course, the Israelites haven’t yet arrived in the Promised Land. The journey of freedom wasn’t done. There would be more battles and tests in the wilderness, more opportunities for the people to learn to trust the Lord with all their hearts or to lean on their own understanding. In fact, it would be another 39 years before God’s people, led by Joshua, Moses’s successor, would finally enter the land of Canaan. But here, at the end of Exodus, we finally have our answer to the question of whether a holy God could dwell in the midst of a sinful, stiff-necked people. Yes. The answer here was yes, by the grace of God. The pillar of cloud, which protected the people from Yahweh’s full presence, covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Though God is everywhere all the time, he is omnipresent, a special manifestation/appearing/focus of the glory of God’s presence dwelled there at the center of the camp, at the heart of his people. He was Immanuel, meaning “God is with us.” And this leads to our sixth lesson, which is that the glory of God not only brought a response of worship from Israel, but it also brought a response of obedience. When the glory cloud stayed put, they would stay put. When the glory cloud moved, they would move. Israel was learning to be their own people, but a people who were rescued and ruled by God. And a people who were called above all else to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now, I wish I could say, “And they all lived happily ever after,” but I can’t. Generations of Israelites struggled even after entering the Promised Land. The book of Judges is an utter disaster. Then came the era of the kings, from which even the best kings like David and Solomon were deeply flawed and sometimes outright wicked, not to mention the bad kings. Things got so bad that eventually, God pronounced his covenant was broken, he sent his people into exile in Assyrian and then Babylon, and Ezekiel had a vision that the glory cloud of God’s presence left the temple. The Old Testament ends with the same question of the Exodus: Would the glory of a holy God ever be able to dwell with sinful people? Or were we hopelessly separated from God and doomed to destruction? 

Of course, the great answer of the New Testament is that once again, the answer would be yes — a holy God could dwell among his people, but only by the grace of God and because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Nowhere else in all of creation or salvation history is there more glory than in the idea that God himself would become a man so that he could not only lead us on a journey to freedom but would die on the cross in our place for our sins to secure our freedom. And to ensure his own glorious presence would dwell not just in a tent or temple near us, but within our own hearts by his Spirit. The promise of the Exodus is fulfilled in Christ. The disaster and the destruction of the Exile are healed and restored in Christ. So, today, as we wrap up our series in Exodus, what does this teaching about the glory of God mean for us today? How might we apply this ancient story to our lives? Well, I’d like you to consider two streams of application. First, just as Moses’ first response to the glory of God was to worship, so today, worship must be our first response. The more we see/know/experience who God is and what he has done, the more we believe the gospel, and the more we will love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. How do we respond to Exodus? Worship. How do we respond to God? Worship. The more we see his glory, the more we will respond with faith, love, joy, thanksgiving, praise, honor, service, obedience, generosity, singing, and more. Glory leads to worship. This is true no matter what our circumstance might be. Job blessed the name of the Lord even when he lost everything else. Paul and Silas sang hymns of praise even when they were beaten and thrown into prison. When God is seen as truly glorious, everything and everyone else becomes less compelling, less worthy of our time and attention, and less beautiful. How’s your heart of worship? Are you excited to come and sing and serve and pray and love and give? Are you compelled by the goodness and beauty of God? If not, maybe you haven’t encountered him at all. C.S. Lewis wrote, “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word “darkness” on the walls of his cell. But God wills our good, and our good is to love Him (with that responsive love proper to creatures) and to love Him we must know Him: and if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces.” (Lewis, C. S.. The Problem of Pain (p. 42). (Function). Kindle Edition.) This is absolutely right. Every time someone encounters God in the Bible, they fall on their face. Second, and finally, just as Moses came down from Mount Sinai reflecting the radiant light of the glory of God, the closer we are to God, the more we too will reflect God’s glory out into the world around us. This might be through a change in our appearance like Moses (or like Jesus experienced during his transfiguration), but usually is because the way of our life is a different way. Israel didn’t move unless God moved first. He led, and they went where he led them. This is true for us today in Christ. He goes first, and we follow him. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: to love him and learn to follow his ways. But when we follow the way of Jesus, whether people understand what they are experiencing or not, they are getting a sense of the glory of God. This changes us. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image [that is, into the image of his Son] with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2Co 3:18) But this also becomes an invitation to all. The more we reflect the glory of Jesus out into the world, as we share the good news in word and deed, the more the people of the world have the opportunity to see and experience the glory of God themselves. And respond in faithful worship and obedience, as well. Oh, may it be so! May we be people who are so focused on the glory of God that it radiates from us. But instead of wearing a veil and hiding the glory of God, may we be people who are very bold. Willing to lay down our lives if need be so that every man, woman, and child everywhere might hear of and experience the goodness and the beauty and the love of our great God. He is so faithful, he has done great things, and his love endures forever. Amen.

New Stone Tablets (Exodus): Have you ever wondered what God is really like? When God remade his covenant with Israel, Moses asked to see his glory. The Lord allowed Moses to experience as much as he could bear, revealing multiple aspects of his good character. Yahweh is the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love, and so much more. God is great. God is good. Recorded on Mar 2, 2025, on Exodus 33-34 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

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Sermon Transcript

We’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom, which is almost done! After today, we only have one more week before starting a new series for Lent. But we’ve said that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. It’s the defining story for the people of Israel and reveals so much of who God is (character and nature), which is probably why it’s the most referenced story in the whole bible. But also, we’ve seen that the Exodus is a great picture of the gospel and the Christian life — a story of God rescuing a people by his grace, then teaching them to follow his word and Spirit through the wilderness of life as they make their way to the Promised Land. This is our story in Christ, too. Today, we’ll consider a story that reveals who God is. Have you ever wondered what God is like? I guarantee your friends and neighbors and coworkers have wondered this at some point. A.W. Tozer wrote in The Knowledge of the Holy, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us,” (Tozer, A. W.. The Knowledge of the Holy (p. 9). (Function). Kindle Edition.). But we don’t have to wonder what God is like because God has told us in his word. But few passages in the whole Bible match ours for today in terms of what we learn about God. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 33:18.

Exodus 33:18–34:3 (NIV), “18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.” This passage starts in the middle of a conversation between Yahweh God and Moses, his prophet and the one God chose to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt. Just a reminder, the people of Israel had been camped at Mount Sinai for several months, as the Lord gave Moses the Law, instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, and so on. However, while Moses was meeting with the Lord, the people rebelled against God by making a golden calf to worship and go before them. This broke God’s covenant relationship he had just made with them, which Moses vividly portrayed by breaking the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. Israel only survived because Moses interceded for them. But the question remained: Could sinful people live with a holy God in their midst? Last week, we saw that God gave his people some space, but Moses interceded again, and God recommitted to going with his people as they made their way to the Promised Land. When Moses asked God to go with them, the Lord replied in v. 17, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” This must’ve been such an incredible thing to hear God say. I’m sure it was this affirmation of God’s care and commitment to Moses that emboldened him to ask to see God’s glory in v. 18. We’ll talk more about the glory of God next week, but for now, the glory of God is the radiant beauty of all the attributes of God combined. It’s the full revelation of all of who God is. Moses had already asked God to teach him his ways. Now Moses was asking to know God himself. The Lord replied that Moses couldn’t see the fullness of his glory and live. Even a faithful man like Moses would be destroyed in the full presence of the glory of God. However, God came up with a plan to allow Moses to have a greater experience of his glory. The Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Basically, I’ll give you as much as you can handle. This would not only be a special experience for Moses but would confirm the covenant that Israel had broken. This is why he was to bring new stone tablets to replace the ones Moses had broken. This wasn’t just a renewal of the covenant; this was a whole new covenant. This wasn’t a vow renewal; this was getting remarried after a divorce. The Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.” He told him, “Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.” Do you think Moses got any sleep that night? Probably not! Well, what would happen the next day?

Exodus 34:4-7 (NIV), “4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” So Moses carried out the plan God made to allow him to see something of his glory, or to see his goodness and hear the proclamation of his name. Ancient people believed there was spiritual power in knowing someone or something’s true name. Maybe there’s something to that because there is real power in considering what God said when he appeared to Moses in the cleft of the rock. Yahweh, Yahweh (“The Lord, the Lord”). This is God’s true name for his covenant people, Israel. This wasn’t a general God; this was a very specific divine being. This is the name God revealed to Moses from the burning bush. This is the God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the God who rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. And what is Yahweh like? First, he is the compassionate God. What if he wasn’t compassionate? What if Yahweh had no regard for the weak and the lowly? What if Yahweh only paid attention to the strong? He wouldn’t have even noticed Israel, right? But he is compassionate. He cares for the lost and the least of these. He “opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (Pro 3:34; 1Pe 5:5). His heart is moved to help. But Yahweh doesn’t provide just the bare minimum. Second, he is the gracious God. Yahweh gives gifts people don’t deserve. He blesses beyond measure. “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45). But he is especially gracious to his covenant people. He doesn’t believe in karma. He saves people by his grace, not because they have earned it. Third, he is slow to anger. Is there any greater news about who your creator is? Yahweh doesn’t have a hair trigger. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around him. He is not quick to anger. If anything, he is quick to forgive. He is the God of second chances. We’ve seen that repeatedly in the Exodus story. Fourth, he is abounding in love and faithfulness. The Hebrew word translated as love here is hesed, the great theme of the book of Ruth, as we saw last summer. Hesed is translated as loyalty, kindness, covenant faithfulness, or some combination of those concepts. God is abounding in steadfast-loving-kindness and faithfulness. He will not easily give up on you. He will be faithful to his word. You can rely on him. You can trust your life to him. Because of these attributes, is it any surprise that he maintains “love to thousands, and [forgives] wickedness, rebellion and sin?” This is just Yahweh being Yahweh. This is what God is like. If someone knew God and heard about what he did for Israel, or later, what Jesus did through his death on the cross to save sinful people, they would say, “That sounds like something Yahweh would do.” But fifth, he is not unjust. Yahweh is patient and kind, abounding in love and faithfulness: “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Yahweh is holy and is the perfect judge. He is willing to forgive but will not ultimately turn a blind eye to those who hard-heartedly reject him or hate him. This phrase doesn’t mean God punishes people because of the sins of their parents, although children and grandchildren are often negatively affected by the sins of their parents or grandparents. Other passages in the Bible make that clear. Instead, this means that God will be equally just in every generation. He won’t punish one generation and then sweep another generation’s sins under the rug. Back in Exodus 20, when God spoke the Ten Commandments, he said, “…I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” As just as Yahweh is, his love far outweighs his justice (to a thousand generations!). Of course, these are not the only attributes of God. This is not all of who God is. This is just what Moses was able to experience there on Sinai that incredible day. We know from the rest of God’s word that he is infinite in wisdom and power; he is transcendent, outside of time and space; he is uncreated and perfectly self-sufficient; he is three, and he is one; and more. But think about how you would describe yourself. If you met someone at a party and they asked you to tell them about your personality, what would you want them to know about who you are? Would you try to make yourself seem smart or tough or kind or funny? Well, this is what God wanted us to know about himself. But these attributes make perfect sense of how God acts in the Exodus story. Have we seen God’s compassion, his grace, his slowness to anger, and his loving faithfulness? Have we seen his forgiveness and his justice? Yes and yes and yes. We could infer all these aspects of Yahweh’s character from his mighty deeds, but God wanted to make it clear. He wants us to know him just as he knows us. But imagine if you were Moses. How would you respond to this revelation? To this theophany, this experience of the glory of God?

Exodus 34:8-10 (NIV), “8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.” 10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.” This is God’s word. So, Moses’ immediate response was to bow down to the ground, a physical posture of humility and honor, and worship the Lord. To give God the glory, gratitude, and praise due his name. But how could he not praise God for this revelation of the glory and goodness of his character? This is the only right response to a personal encounter with Yahweh God. But from this posture of worship and praise, Moses looked for reassurance that the deal was still on — that the Lord would forgive them, go with them, and that they would still be his people, his inheritance, just as he had promised. And look at how God responds. He affirms he is indeed making a covenant with them once again. That’s what the new stone tablets were for. To remake the covenant Israel had broken. “I am making a covenant with you.” But then, in this relationship with God, they would see some crazy stuff. “Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.” In other words, “What I will do for you will blow your minds.” (How cool is that?) But how true it would be. The story of what God would do for his covenant people would be so incredible that “Even angels long to look into these things” (1Pe 1:12). Why? Eventually, God’s people would again need a new covenant. They would again break this covenant and would be sent into exile, a disaster far greater than the golden calf. But despite this tragedy, Yahweh was the same. He doesn’t change. His character was the same as he revealed to Moses on that day. So because of who God is, because he is compassionate and gracious, because he is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast-loving-kindness, God would again faithfully save his people. But this time, instead of sending a prophet like Moses, he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. And instead of punishing the people for their sin, Jesus himself bore the wrath of God against sin when he suffered and died on the cross. But on the third day, he rose again from the dead, victorious over Satan, sin, death, and hell. So today, anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be forgiven, have a real relationship with God, and live forever in his kingdom. Anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. This is the good news of the gospel. It starts with understanding who God is and what he has done through his Son and Spirit. Now, you can get a bit of this through the general revelation of creation. You can tell that God is great from the world he has made, but you can’t see his goodness unless you listen to the special revelation of his word and see what he has done for his covenant people. The gospel confronts us by addressing our sin and weakness and need. But it offers hope and love and peace by faith in Jesus’ name. Why does this matter for us today? Well, because I agree with Tozer that what you think about God is the most important thing about you. It shapes everything in life for good or bad. Most modern people believe that God exists, that something or someone must be behind it all. We just can’t believe all this is just an accident. But far fewer people know who God is or what he is like. Well, this is what God is like: he’s willing to be patient and merciful with people who are an utter mess. He’s willing to enter into a real relationship with people. He’s willing to forgive them and go with them and rescue them when they need it once again. We see that God is great, and he is good. How could we do anything in response to this revelation, to this good news, but respond in worship like Moses? So today, may the whole of our lives be an offering of worship, of praise and thanksgiving to God. May we hold nothing back but trust it all to him. He will go with you. And you will only get to know him more and more as you learn to walk with him. And what could be better than that? Let us pray. Our glorious God and Father in heaven, and the Lord Jesus Christ, would you give us your Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know you better? I pray that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which you have called us, the riches of your glorious inheritance in your holy people, and your incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph 1:17-19). Thank you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for Jesus. We love you and give you all the glory, honor, and praise. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

The Tent of Meeting (Exodus): After the disaster of the golden calf, God put some distance between himself and his people. But Moses continued to meet with God and speak to him face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Moses asked God to go with them, and God agreed. Moses’ friendship with God is a picture of the type of relationship that is possible with God in Christ. Recorded on Feb 23, 2025, on Exodus 33 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

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Sermon Transcript

Since September, we’ve been working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. After today, we only have two more weeks before starting a new series for Lent called Values of the Cross. So, for just a few more weeks, we’ll remind you that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. It’s the most referenced story in the whole bible. I believe one of the reasons is that, in the Exodus story, we learn so much about who God is. Who is this God who freed Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them through the wilderness as they made their way to the Promised Land? Exodus reveals God’s character as a rescuer/redeemer — as the savior — more than (almost) anywhere else in the Scriptures. Well, today, we’ll consider a question that has come up again and again in this series: How can a holy God live in the midst of sinful people? Was that even possible? Last week, in the disaster of the golden calf, we saw that the people fell back into idolatry while Moses was with the Lord on Mount Sinai. Not only did Aaron, Israel’s first high priest, not stop this wickedness, he made the golden calf himself! Yahweh was ready to destroy the people, but Moses interceded for them, and the Lord punished the people but didn’t destroy them completely. There were consequences for their sin, but God would continue this Exodus project and not abandon them there at Mount Sinai. This was very good news, and Moses showed incredible character throughout this tragic story, but the question remained (and maybe seemed even more doubtful): could a holy God live in their midst? Well, today, in the story of the tent of meeting, we’ll see the kind of relationship with God that was possible for Moses. But this same kind of relationship with God is possible for all today in Christ. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 33:1.

Exodus 33:1–6 (NIV), “1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” 4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.” So, the Exodus would continue, but Yahweh would put a layer of protection between them. He wouldn’t lead them but would have an angel lead them on. But why? Why an angel, a created spiritual being, and not the holy Presence of God himself? Because the golden calf showed that they were a stiff-necked people, people who had a hard time repenting and turning from their way to follow God’s way, people who all-too-quickly fell back into the pagan worship they were used to in Egypt. Commentator Douglas Stuart says this statement was “a kind of rhetorical proposal to limit the presence of God with his people” (Exodus, TNAC, p. 690). This doesn’t appear to be a punishment but rather a merciful accommodation since God said, “If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you.” God was looking out for Israel here. How did Israel respond? They removed their…jewelry? It says they stripped off their ornaments there at Mount Sinai and began to mourn. What’s going on here? Well, as we’ve said there was this open question as to whether God could dwell in the midst of his people. And we saw that (at least theoretically) it would take the whole sacrificial system, the Law, the priesthood, and the Tabernacle to make that work. But the disaster of the golden calf threw all that into question once again. Sinful people might be better off without a holy God in their midst. Even with all these boundaries, rules, and a system to atone for sin, they still might bring the just wrath of God down on their own heads. But could that be right? How could it be better for there to be more space/separation between human beings and God? Wasn’t that the fundamental problem God was working to solve? Isn’t God the only source of life, light, love, truth, justice, and beauty in the whole of creation? How could it be better to be farther away from all that? No wonder the people were distressed! No wonder they were mourning! But imagine if God said that to you. “Take off your ornaments,” meaning, “Take off anything that represents your strength, sufficiency, beauty, wealth, and glory — and mourn. Mourn for your sin. Mourn for your disordered desires. Mourn for the destruction you bring down on your own heads. And I will decide what to do with you.” We see a similar response of mourning many years later when Jonah brings his message of judgment from God to the city of Nineveh. In Jonah chapter 3, it says, “When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” (Jon 3:6). He stripped off his ornaments. The king commanded a state of mourning and repentance for his whole kingdom for their evil ways and their violence. They cried out to the Lord, appealing to his mercy and grace, and God relented. Shockingly, he did not treat them how their sins deserved. Now, Israel doesn’t know that story yet, so they may not have been sure how God would respond to them. Would God extend the same mercy and grace to his people here at Sinai that he later would to the people of Nineveh? We’ll see.

Exodus 33:7-11 (NIV), “7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” This passage seems to go in two different directions. The relationship between Israel and Yahweh seems to be getting worse in some ways and better in some ways. First, instead of building the Tabernacle and placing it in the center of the camp, as God would instruct his people later, Moses pitched a tent some distance outside the camp where he would meet with God. If we look at a map of the layout of the camp from Numbers chapter 2, we can see that the Tabernacle, the ornate tent where God’s glorious and holy Presence would dwell and where he would meet with his people, was meant to be in the heart of the camp, not outside the camp. And it was meant to be guarded and maintained by the priests and the Levites, not by Joshua, Moses’ younger assistant. Again, God seems to be moving away from Israel, creating layers of separation between them. God wouldn’t lead them directly; an angel would. And even when God met with Moses, his prophet, he wouldn’t meet with him in the camp; they would meet outside the camp. And the Levites were not yet allowed to fulfill their calling. Now, just a side note: one thing that might be a little confusing is that later, the Tabernacle is also referred to as the Tent of Meeting. The reason the NIV translates “tent of meeting” in quotation marks here is to indicate this is not the Tabernacle. Everyone lived in tents during the Exodus through the wilderness, and this “tent of meeting” was just a basic tent where Moses would meet with the Lord, not the tent God provided instructions to build with the altar, the ark of the covenant, and all of that. This might seem to indicate Israel’s relationship with Yahweh was getting worse, not better. And yet, now that the Lord met with Moses at the “tent of meeting” instead of at the top of Mount Sinai, cloaked in dark clouds, the people could see the “pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent.” They could see Moses entering the “tent of meeting” when they couldn’t on Mount Sinai. They could inquire of the Lord, and Moses would speak with God and reveal God’s will to them, which they couldn’t do when Moses was on Mount Sinai. Remember what led to the disaster of the golden calf? The people couldn’t see God or Moses, so they lost faith in both and almost immediately turned to idolatry. The “tent of meeting” seems to be another accommodation of God. He was giving them more space, but he was still speaking to them and leading them as they made their way to the Promised Land. And the people responded much better. They honored Moses and respected him as their leader. “Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents.” They watched, and they worshiped the Lord, each at the entrance to their tent. There is self-control and authentic worship, not the wild revelry of the golden calf. Maybe things were getting better. But then there is this wonderful statement in v. 11, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Can you imagine that? Having a face-to-face conversation with the one who spoke the universe into existence. Being friends with the one who easily defeated the gods and the army of the most powerful kingdom on the planet? The fact that God would allow this should be shocking. But the fact that God wanted this kind of relationship is even more surprising! Is this what God is like? Not only a rescuer or redeeming savior but a friend? But what did Moses do with this friendship with God? It would be like a million times better than being friends with someone rich and famous or with someone who was a king or president. I don’t know about you, but I’d be tempted to leverage that friendship for my benefit. Hey, Yahweh, now that we’re friends, how about some better living quarters? How about increasing my net worth? How about some more variety of food for us instead of this manna every day? But, thankfully, Moses didn’t give in to this kind of temptation.

Exodus 33:11-17 (NIV), “12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” This is God’s word. This is such an incredible conversation. Moses doesn’t use his friendship with God for himself. He uses his friendship with God as the basis for his request that God would go with them once again. No offense to any angels, but having the Spirit, the holy Presence of God, with them to lead and guide them would be far better. Just as Moses interceded for the people during the Golden Calf incident by appealing to God’s reputation and the faithfulness of his promise (which was such a good approach), so here, he takes another great approach to the problem of the growing separation between Israel and Yahweh. He appeals to God’s care for himself, for God’s commitment to his people, and to his reputation among the peoples of the earth. “[Lord,] you have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” And then, “[Lord,] remember that this nation is your people.” You chose them. You rescued them. They are yours. And finally, “[Lord,] how will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Again, your glory/reputation is on the line. What a great prayer! But Moses goes even further, saying, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” In other words, “I’d rather live here in the wilderness with snakes and scorpions, with the harsh weather, lack of food, and open to attack from enemies, rather than try to enter the Promised Land on our own.” It might seem like Moses is giving God an ultimatum (which doesn’t seem like it would be a good idea), but look how God responds! “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest…I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Isn’t that incredible? This is what it’s like to have a personal relationship with God. This is what it’s like to be friends with God. Moses knew that God had revealed himself to him in a unique and personal way. He knew that God knew him by name. He knew he had found favor with God, that God was pleased with him. And he knew his calling, to lead Israel from slavery to freedom. All these threads came together into a beautiful tapestry of God’s relationship with his people. Could a holy God live in the midst of a sinful people? We’re still not entirely sure; we’re still not in the Promised Land yet. But one thing we can’t miss is God’s heart for a real relationship (a friendship!) with his people. Now, maybe you’re thinking, “Well, that might’ve been true for Moses. Moses was God’s chosen prophet. Maybe God wanted a friendship with Moses, but did he really care that much for the rest of Israel?” You might wonder, how do I know that this is the kind of relationship God wants with his people today? Like with me, for example. Does God know me by name? Have I found favor with him, or is this kind of thing only reserved for the super-faithful person like Moses? Well, some 3,300 years ago, the Israelites in the camp might’ve wondered the same thing. But we don’t have to wonder today. Because when Jesus Christ came into the world to make a way for us to have our own Exodus from slavery to sin and death, he was clear what kind of relationship he wanted with his followers. We see this in passages like John 15:12–15 (NIV), “12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” When you put your faith in Christ and trust him for salvation, he, too, knows you by name. He, too, has found favor with you and is pleased with you. He, too, calls you into his service to be salt and light in this broken world, reflecting his glory and doing the good works he has prepared in advance for you to do. Can we live with God in our midst? Yes, because of Jesus Christ. He died to pay the price for our sin. He rose in glory as a guarantee of what God has promised for his people, for his friends. This is the kind of relationship God always wanted with his people. And this is the kind of relationship with God that is possible today in Christ. Trust in Christ. Get to know the one who knows everything about you and loves you unconditionally. Follow him, learn his ways, and you will continue to find favor with him. You will continue to discover a life of love, joy, and peace. You will continue to enjoy friendship with God. This is life. This is peace. This is rest. Praise the Lord. Let us pray.

The Golden Calf (Exodus): The idolatry of the Golden Calf nearly destroyed Israel, showing why God cannot simply ignore our sins and how their consequences are worse than we might think. However, it also foreshadows the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ. Recorded on Feb 16, 2025, on Exodus 32 by Pastor David Parks.

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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.

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Sermon Transcript

We’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. And we’re starting to make our descent as we approach the end of the journey. After today, we only have three more weeks before starting a new series for Lent called Values of the Cross. So, for a few more weeks, we’ll remind you that Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. And we’ve said that Exodus is the defining story for the people of Israel. It’s the most referenced story in the whole bible. But the Exodus story is also a wonderful picture of the gospel and the Christian life — of when God saved a people by his grace, freed them from captivity, and led them by his word and holy Presence in relationship to him through the wilderness of this broken world as they made their way to the Promised Land. The Exodus is our story in Christ. Today, we’ll return to expository preaching as we jump back into the story of the tragic golden calf incident. So far, we’ve seen the Israelites struggle and grumble and quarrel with God as they faced tests and battles in the desert wilderness. But we’ve seen nothing like the outright rebellion that took place with the golden calf. Have you ever done something you knew was really wrong? Some of us have more of a past than others. Some are lucky to be alive because of the foolishness we’ve participated in. But all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, from the biggest rebel to the quietest church mouse. So, every one of us should be able to think of a time when you thought/said/did something you shouldn’t have. But is that really that much of a problem? Can’t God just overlook those flaws in his great love for us? Our passage today reveals why God can’t just sweep our sin under the rug, how the consequences for our sin is far worse than we might think, but also the good news about the forgiveness of God offered because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 32:1.

Exodus 32:1–6 (NIV), “1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” 2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” These first few verses of chapter 32 record a major disaster in the Exodus story. As we’ve spent the last number of weeks considering the commands and instructions of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai, commands about the Law, Tabernacle, Priesthood, Sabbath, and more, Moses’ time on Mount Sinai stretched from days to weeks to over a month. At least some of the people started to doubt he would ever return. (“we don’t know what has happened to him.”) So they gathered around Aaron, the one Moses put in charge in his absence and Moses’ own brother, and started pressuring him to make an image or idol who would represent God and would go before them. It’s easier to follow a god you can see than one you have to follow in faith. Aaron should’ve shut this down immediately, but not only did he fail to stop this, but he was the one who made the golden calf! Even if Aaron didn’t have all the instructions for the priesthood yet, he and all the people had heard the Ten Commandments straight from the mouth of God. And the second commandment says, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:4-6) But even though Aaron said the idol he made represented Yahweh, the one who brought them up out of Egypt, what the people wanted and what he had done was expressly forbidden by God. Now, you might wonder, why a golden calf and not a different animal or object? Since Yahweh had led them to Mount Sinai in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, forming a golden pillar would’ve made more sense to me, although it would still have been directly disobedient to the second commandment. The answer is that a calf (young bull) was a common representation of the gods in Egypt. The people were drifting back to the land of their slavery. God had freed them from Egypt and, through the plagues, had demonstrated his absolute supremacy over their gods, who were no gods at all — but their sinful hearts longed to go back to what they were used to. They had solemnly agreed (twice!) to do everything God commanded as they cut their covenant with him. How would God respond?

Exodus 32:7-14 (NIV), “7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” 11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ” 14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” This wasn’t the first time in Scripture that God shared his intent to punish evildoers only to relent when a righteous person interceded on their behalf. But here, the Lord was willing to destroy Israel for their unfaithfulness. As the psalmist writes in Ps 106, “They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.” In their theological forgetfulness, they immediately fell into gross sin. Yahweh knew exactly what they had done and the condition of their hearts that led to that tragic set of decisions. They were stiff-necked people who stubbornly refused to turn back to God in repentance. Interestingly, Moses had the opportunity to replace Abraham and be the father of a new people. (“Then I will make you into a great nation.”) Instead of cashing in on their failure, Moses interceded for Israel, saving them from total destruction. Moses appealed to Yahweh’s own glory, saying God’s reputation was on the line. Something like, “If you destroy the people you rescued, Egypt will get the wrong idea about who you are. They’ll think you’re evil and not good and faithful.” He also appeals to God’s repeated promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “You promised, Lord, and you’re faithful to keep your word.” Nothing in all creation is more valuable than the glory and reputation of its creator. It was a good approach! This is why God couldn’t merely overlook their sin, minimize, or justify what they had done. If God didn’t treat sin as the destructive cancer of his good and perfect world, God would fail to be just. But in this appeal from Moses, the Lord heard him and relented from the disaster he had threatened. Amazingly, God’s plan sometimes includes responding to the faithful prayers of his people. However, even in God’s mercy, it doesn’t mean this grave sin wouldn’t have consequences. How would Moses deal with the people?

Exodus 32:15-24 (NIV), “15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” 18 Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.” 19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. 21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” 22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Aaron had the opportunity to come clean — to confess what he had done, repent, and cast himself upon the mercy of God. Instead, he took the coward’s way out. He started shifting the blame and lying to cover up his sin. He immediately threw the people under the bus. “You know how prone these people are to evil.” It was their plan! That’s a lie. I had nothing to do with it! Another lie. I threw the gold into the fire and out popped this calf! Another lie. Idols like the golden calf were usually wood structures covered with gold or silver plating. They took days or weeks to craft. But beyond the calf, did the altar in front of it spring out of the ground by itself? Did the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings appear out of thin air? And what about the wild, drunken feasting, singing and dancing, and whatever other debauchery that happened under Aaron’s watch? This wasn’t a great start to Aaron being the first high priest of Israel. When Moses and Joshua returned, Joshua thought the camp was under attack; that was how out of control things had gotten. Now, aside from God’s glory and reputation, probably the second most valuable thing in the world would have been the tablets of the covenant written by God himself. What else would even come close? But when Moses saw this wild, pagan idolatry, he smashed the tablets as a deliberate and vivid picture of how Israel had broken their covenant with the Lord God Almighty.

Exodus 32:25-29 (NIV), “25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. 27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.” Not everyone in the camp had participated in this wickedness. But no one stopped it either. It was time to come to terms with what they had done or allowed. Those who were still faithful to Yahweh rallied to Moses at the entrance to the camp. This was an opportunity for all people (including Aaron) to demonstrate true repentance. The camp’s entrance represented the dividing line between being in God’s camp and being outside. The Levites especially rallied to Moses. Now, the Levites weren’t randomly/indiscriminately killing people. They went back and forth through the camp; this was a systematic investigation to see who would turn back from this wicked idolatry and who wasn’t willing. The hard-hearted idolaters faced the death penalty. On that day, about three thousand people died because of their covenant unfaithfulness, and the Levites proved their allegiance to the Lord over everything/everyone else. This must’ve been heartbreaking, but this was a direct command from the Lord. But was this enough? Or would God change his mind about this whole Exodus project?

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.” This is God’s word. Now, this is a sobering passage. We can mourn with Moses and the Israelites for the tragic destruction of life as a result of people turning away from God in disobedience. But we can also rejoice because the Lord didn’t finally abandon his people or totally destroy them despite their great sin. Moses again interceded for the people, praying for forgiveness for their great sin. He didn’t blame shift or lie about it. In fact, he even said he was willing to die with them if that was God’s will. God responded with a saying that is most severe. “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.” Meaning, I will remove them from the record of those who deserve life. For the wages of sin is death, as the Apostle wrote many years later. But then, surprisingly, in the very next verse, Yahweh says the Exodus project will continue. He will forgive the people. Moses didn’t have to die with them. He still needed to lead the people to the Promised Land. The angel of the Lord would continue to go before them (which, ironically, is what they said they wanted in the golden calf). But there would be a punishment for their sin. They were forgiven, but as is often the case, there would still be consequences for their sin. Punishment given by a loving parent can help turn a child from a path of destruction. 

Now, it might seem insane that the people would fall so quickly into what seems like an obvious rebellion against God. And while we probably wouldn’t be tempted to make a golden idol to worship today, it’s often the case that Christians today sometimes fall back into the very sin they were saved from. Even when we’ve experienced God’s grace and goodness, even when we’ve personally seen God do things that only God could do in our lives, even when we have been set free from captivity to sin, even when we are moved to tears singing songs of praise on a Sunday, we might still be tempted on Monday to look back with fondness or even desire in the rearview mirror. We might be tempted to turn back from the way of righteousness, the path that leads to life, to follow the path that only ever leads to destruction and death. What a mess! Are we’re all in the same sinking ship. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In this passage, we’ve seen why God can’t just sweep our sin under the rug. His reputation is on the line, and he would be guilty himself of injustice. We’ve seen how the consequences for our sin is far worse than we might think. “For the wages of sin is death, but [and here is the good news of the gospel] the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Moses offered to die with his people. But to secure the forgiveness of sins, Jesus Christ died for his people; he died for us. So now, in Christ, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1Jn 1:9) Modern people are often confused about why the world is how it is today. They think it’s an economic/education/political problem. But the Bible says the main reason why the world is how it is today is because of sin. This ought to crush us when we realize we are all guilty. But the gospel reminds us of our own Exodus, our own journey to freedom from sin and death, made possible because of Jesus Christ. May we never look back, may we only ever take one step of faith at a time as we learn the freedom and joy and life in follow him. And may we be a church that never forgets this message of amazing grace until Jesus returns and finally puts an end to the problem of sin. Come quickly, Lord. Let us pray.