He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”” (Exodus 34:9 NAS95)
I don’t know how much time passed or the fullness of what Moses went through surrounding the people’s frolic with the golden calf. He’d seen God move in phenomenal ways with the deliverance from Egypt, but that too had taken its emotional toll. I can’t imagine the state of his heart after declaring judgment for the incident of golden calf and watching the tribe of Levi eliminate three thousand of their number. He loved these people. I would be an emotional wreck wandering and wondering how did I get here? Yet Moses turns to the only Person in whom any hope lies and enters an extended conversation with God. Personally, I don’t know how he did it. I would have been depleted to the end. I wouldn’t have uttered a word.
Renewal happened. I don’t know how many days the whole conversation lasted prior to spending the forty on Sinai. Yes, Moses let his frustration out on God — I would have done it too. Moses’ real plea concerned God’s character. What he thought he knew had become the darkness of confusion. God understood Moses’ pain of heart, and met him at his point of need. God invited him up and then clarified His character for Moses. The confusion left, clarity of sight returned, and God’s phenomenal love threw Moses on his face. He made haste to worship. He knows all rests in this fantastic love, and the request just rolls of His tongue — take us as your possession! God does just that. It is who He is. Can you believe it? Moses did.
For Reflection:
“Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of Your lovingkindness.” (Psalms 6:4 NAS95)
- When feeling deep emotional pain, what happens with your prayer?
- When have you experienced a sustained conversation with God over days where despair transformed into joy? How long did it take? What did you learn?
