Exodus 33: 12–23
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Lord, may we hear your voice in the words spoken in your name. Amen.
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Something amazing is happening on top of Mount Sinai – something
so startling you can hardly believe it – except that it’s
written in the pages of Holy Scripture. Moses, the man who once
told God he couldn’t lead the Children of Israel because he was
a man poor in speech – tongue–tied, inarticulate, at a
loss for words — is now arguing with God, negotiating with
him on behalf of his people. More amazing still, his words are
actually moving God, persuading him to change His mind. So
what is so important, so crucial that Moses dares to speak up to Almighty
God?
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He has just come down from Mount Sinai, bringing with him the two
tablets of stone on which God has inscribed — with his own
finger — the Ten Commandments. Only to find that the
Israelites, in his absence, have made a golden idol and have begun
to worship it. Moses, aghast at the discovery, throws the tablets
down to the ground, smashing them to bits. For he understands
immediately that the covenant with God, the covenant God made with
them only days before, has now been broken by the sin of the
people. But that’s not all Moses does. He also melts
down the golden idol the people made and grinds that gold to a fine
powder. Then he calls on the Levites, the priests, to chastise
and clean out the people who had worshiped that golden calf.
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Finally, he climbs back up the mountain to confess the people’s
sin to God and beg for God’s mercy, saying, “Lord, please
forgive their great sin. Take my name out of the Book of Life
if you will but forgive their sin and restore them to
favor. Restore, if you will, your covenant with all of us, Lord.”
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At first, God is having none of it. He will forgive the people
who sinned – but he’s not about to come back in their midst and
lead them into the Land of Promise. “These people,” he
tells Moses, “ — your people — are such a
hard—headed lot, I think I’d destroy them if I were with
them for even a day. Instead, I’ll send an angel to lead
you to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I myself will
not go with you.”
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And this is where our reading this morning picks up Moses’ prayer,
Moses’ entreaty to the Lord.
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“Lord,” he pleads, “don’t just tell us
we’re forgiven. Show us by your actions. If I am
so special to you,” he says, “if I have found favor in your
sight, then show me your ways by forgiving this people – your
people, the ones you asked me to lead.” Then he continues,
“For if you will not go with us, there’s no point in us
going at all. All the people on the face of the earth will see
there’s no point in coming to know you, since it brings us no
closer to you.”
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What is going on here? Moses, humble man that he is and well
aware of his own limitations, is challenging the words of Almighty
God – and he’s prevailing. Is it chutzpah – or is it
something else?
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Some, I think, it’s a story of courage. Moses is standing
on the courage of his conviction that God is merciful, loving and
forgiving – and he’s willing to lose his own place in the
Book of Life if he’s wrong about that. Then again, it’s
a story of faith – of Moses’ faith that if he cries out
from the depths of his heart, God will hear him. And finally, of
course, it’s a story of love – Moses’ love for God
and his trust that God loves his children still, even in the face of
their bad behavior. Even when God says those two loves have
become irreconcilable, Moses trusts that God will find a way to
bridge the gap.
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His courage, his faith and his love pay off. God hears
Moses’ prayer and changes His mind. He agrees to lead this
people – His people – once again toward the Land of Promise.
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This morning I can’t help thinking that this gripping story from
the Old Testament is placed before us for a reason. For one thing,
you and I are just like Moses. We too feel inarticulate,
tongue–tied, inadequate when we begin to pray. A couple
of years ago, when we first began to do classes in this church,
everyone wanted to know more about prayer. And we still make a
point of praying – intentionally – for those we love,
those we care about. This very morning you have in your bulletins
a “Please Pray For” sheet – to take home and include
in your own daily prayers. So now we, just like Moses, talk to
God every day – face to face, even though we too still feel
inadequate when we pray.
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But just like Moses, we and everyone else in our world are standing
this morning at something of a crisis point. And prayer is the
only thing that will help. We have seen the appalling behavior
of Hamas – just as Moses saw the appalling behavior of the
Children of Israel, who had chosen to worship the golden calf the
moment he had left them alone. We have also seen the plight of
the Palestinians. And we see that the whole Muslim world is
tempted to get involved – in the worst military way. So,
we too are praying for God’s peace, trusting in his love,
asking for his mercy.
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Just like Moses, you see, in our prayers we are standing in the gap
for all involved. For Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians,
Christian hostages and all who hold them hostage. For we know we
are all loved by God, all part of his family. And we are all
called to pray for the peace of this world.
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One day, you see, we know we will all be together, part of the same
family. That’s the Promised Land God is leading us
to. In John’s Gospel Jesus, the Prince of Peace himself,
said it: ␄There will be one flock and one shepherd.”
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So maybe this morning we are all praying for the same things — love
where there is hatred, pardon where there is injury, faith where there
is doubt, hope where there is despair. And let it begin with me.
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Amen.
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