Exodus 32:30-35 Because God is righteous, He does not allow one to bear the sins of another

Exodus 32:30-35 Because God is righteous, He does not allow one to bear the sins of another

On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

BACKGROUND

The Israelites, despite experiencing God’s mighty deliverance turn their backs to return to Egypt. When God intended on destroying the people, Moses interceded for them. Subsequently, God changed His mind, but His covenant with the Israelites remained broken. Moses offered to blot his name from God’s book in exchange for the people’s forgiveness. But God rejected the idea because under no circumstances should one bear the sins of another. Subsequently, God relented and offered to send an angel to accompany them. Moses’s intercession has bought them some time to repent and restore their covenantal relationship with God. That said, there remains a day of judgment when God will judge the hearts and deeds of the people. Today’s devotion teaches us: Because God is righteous, He does not allow one to bear the sins of another.

OBSERVATION

On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

To atone (kapar in Hebrew) is to reconcile the sinner to God. If the sinner is repentant, he will be gradually cleansed of his sinful instincts. In the process, he is reconciled with God and spared from judgment. Atonement is traditionally understood as an act of appeasement which is not the most appropriate. Because God, by nature, is not unforgiving and whose anger needs appeasing. He is in fact gracious and compassionate. He will only destroy when people become intransigent and irreparably hardened. The psalmist says,

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. – Psalms 103:8-10

That said, why was there a need for atonement when God had earlier changed His mind about harming the people (see Exodus 32:14)? On closer observation, Moses was hoping to normalise the people’s relationship with God. Not harming the people does not equal reconciliation and restoration of the covenant that was broken.

But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

Moses mooted the idea of blotting his name from God’s book in exchange for the people’s forgiveness. The book contains the names of those who are marked to enter the promised land. However, God rejected Moses’s idea for no one is permitted to pay for the sins of another. Because God is righteous in His judgment, each person must bear the consequences for his own actions.

Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.

Nevertheless, God agreed to send His angel to accompany the people to the promised land. For He is gracious to give the people time to reflect and turn back to Him. However, there will still be a day of reckoning where God will judge and deal with the people according to their deeds (in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.)

Most certainly, God’s intention is to transform and reconcile the sinner to Himself. Hence, for those who are willing to be transformed, He disciplines. But for those who are irreparably hardened, He puts them in their place.

TRUTH

Because God is righteous, He does not allow one to bear the sins of another.

God explained to Moses why He cannot blot out his name in exchange for the people’s forgiveness. Because God is righteous, each must bear the consequences of his own actions. Paul said concerning the judgment of God…

who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. – Romans 2:6-8

Indeed, God will reward or punish each person according to his deeds. Another may momentarily bear the brunt of one’s wrongdoing. But ultimately, unless he repents, he cannot escape the consequences due him. Again in Galatians, Paul wrote,

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. – Galatians 6:7

Jesus died not to bear the punishment of sinners but to obtain the mandate to give grace for repentance.

That being the case, what did Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross accomplish? Did Jesus by His death bear the eternal consequence of man’s sins? Technically, the answer is No. Jesus may have suffered momentarily. But He died not to bear the eternal punishment of sinners; but to obtain the mandate to destroy the devil’s power and give grace to humanity. In the process, man may be regenerated and reconciled to God.

In the beginning, Adam was given the mandate to rule. But in the same token, God gave Adam the Law: “… for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (see Genesis 2:17). Should Adam sin, the Law of death would come into effect. When Adam chose the path of sin, he lost the mandate to the devil. And because of God’s righteous judgment, the Law came into effect and man has to live out his days as slaves of the devil. When Jesus offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice, God stripped the devil of his mandate and gave it to Jesus. From henceforth, humanity is no longer enslaved to the devil. Consequently, Jesus nullified the Law of death and secured for humanity the grace to live to God. Thus, all who repent is freed from sin and death.

Because God is gracious, He gives us time to repent and grow in His likeness.

Because Jesus was given the mandate, He interceded for humanity by giving us the grace to repent and live to God. Indeed, Jesus’s blood sacrifice effectively bought us time to repent and the grace to regenerate ourselves. For He has been given the mandate to pardon repentant sinners from eternal destruction. That said, if man does not redeem the time by repenting, he will still face the wrath of God on the day of judgment.

Because God is righteous, we must never take justice into our own hands.

God is righteous, He will never let evil go unpunished. Proverbs warn against taking revenge,

Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” – Proverbs 24:29

If we take matters into our own hands by causing harm to another, we find ourselves committing the unpardonable sin. Jesus said,

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. – Matthew 6:14-15

If others sin against us, we must forgive them as God has forgiven us. At the same time, we must hope for their repentance when they face the consequences of their actions. Jesus did not hate, but implored the Father to forgive the ones who nailed Him to the cross (see Luke 23:34). Therefore, let us not grow weary in exercising mercy when others repay our goodwill with evil. For in due time we will reap the rewards of our perseverance.

APPLICATION

Make the most of our time on earth by understanding God’s will and walking in it. Be single-minded in seeking the face of God. We must cherish every day, for each day is bought by the blood of Jesus. Do not be drunk with fleshly pleasures, but be filled with the Spirit (see Ephesians 5:15-18).

Work out our salvation with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12). Jesus’s blood has bought us a second chance at life. Do not insult the Spirit of grace and trample Jesus’s blood by living recklessly. The book of Hebrews warns those who having tasted God’s grace continue to live a self-centred life:

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. – Hebrews 10:26-27.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your righteous and gracious nature. I thank you for giving me the grace and time to turn back from sin and be reconciled to you. For the rest of my days, help me to love you with all my heart and to serve the community. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.


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