15. The Covenant is Restored
March 2008
Topics:
Moses Second Intercession
Moses Third Intercession
The Covenant is Renewed
Which Covenant was Renewed?
The People Respond
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).
The Covenant Broken, Moses First Intercession
Moses and Joshua had been in the mount for forty days. They had received the ten commandments on tables of stone. They had received detailed instructions for the laws of Israel. Suddenly, “The LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7). “Thy people, ... thou broughtest ...” Moses was astounded that God would hold him responsible for the Exodus. But God was not through:
God offered to consume Israel and to make of Moses a great nation. In effect He offered Moses all the benefits of the covenant that He gave to Abraham. Moses immediately objected. He reminded God that Israel were “God’s people,” and the Egyptians were watching them. They would judge God by what happened to Israel. Also, Moses reminded God of the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses invoked the honor of God Himself in the welfare of the people.
God was testing Moses. Possibly could Moses have even an inkling of a thought that HE was the one bringing Israel out of Egypt? If Moses thought that, maybe he should just go ahead and finish the job. Did Moses love Israel? Did he love God? Or, did he just love himself?
Moses refused to accept responsibility for what only God could do. He reminded God that the Egyptians were watching all that was happening. Not fully appreciated is the fact that the honor and reputation of God is wrapped up in the lives of His people. The salvation and restoration of man is an important part of the Plan of Salvation. Of even greater importance is the honor and reputation of a loving God. This is shown as He demonstrates that He is a God of both justice and mercy.
This was Moses’ first intercession for Israel. He held back the judgment of God. God saw in the spirit and faith of Moses, a hope that Israel might yet be led to a covenant relation with Him, and they might yet fulfill the purpose He had for them. There is a heavy responsibility resting upon a leader. Many people are influenced for good or bad by what he does.
“Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
“And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
“Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
“And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people” Exodus 32:10-14.
God “repented” and allowed Israel to live. Does God “change His mind?” The purpose of God is to save from sin and from that He does NOT change His mind. His prophecies, promises, and punishments are often conditional. Which means that what God will do often depends upon the willingness of the people to repent.
Moses passed the test by making the purpose of God his own. There were still consequences. 3,000 were slain by the Levites (Ex. 32:26-28). Moses was still concerned. He knew that the people needed deep repentance and a change of heart. In the mountain Moses had seen the holiness of God which contrasted even more with the sinfulness of their rebellion.
The People Have Sinned, Moses Second Intercession
The next day Moses addressed the nation to bring conviction upon their minds: “Ye have sinned a great sin.” In great sorrow, he approached God a second time, begging for forgiveness for the people. He even offered to have his own name blotted out if Israel could not be saved.
“Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”
“Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee” Exodus 32:32,34:
God listened to Moses. Righteous as Moses was, he could not die for the people even when he offered to. God would blot from His book only those who had sinned (Exodus 32:33). A plague ran through the camp. God offered a modified covenant, to send His angel with them rather than go Himself. A wicked and sinful people are safer in the presence of an angel than in the presence of a God who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13):
“And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite;
“Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way” (Exodus 33:2,3).
The people repent, Moses Third Intercession
There was a temporary “old tabernacle” used as the center of worship. Moses took this tabernacle from the center of the camp and pitched it “afar off from the camp” (Exodus 33:7). The special sanctuary built at God’s direction had not yet been made. Moses and Joshua repaired to this tabernacle. The people recognized the crisis upon them: they mourned, they put off their ornaments, and they stood in their tent doors. In his third intercession, Moses prayed for himself, and again insisted that “this nation is thy people.”
“Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
“And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
“For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name” (Exodus 33:13-17).
Moses had held back judgment on the whole nation. God forgave them their sin, but the covenant of grace is, “I will be to them a God, and ye shall be to me a people.” Moses would be satisfied with nothing less. He continued to intercede, finally moving God to say, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Exodus 33:14). Moses invoked the very honor of God in what happened to His people. God is pleased when His people make great and insistent demands upon His mercy.
The sin at Sinai had been deep and serious. An easy confession was not enough. The people must have a deep and serious repentance. The sin of rebellion must be fully cleansed from the heart.
Moses’ Fourth Intercession, The Covenant is Renewed
There was one more step. Moses refused to be satisfied until Israel was fully restored to the favor of God. He brought the people into the court of the sanctuary where they recognized their sin. He brought them into the Holy Place where sin is forgiven. But they were not yet into the experience of the Most Holy place, the only place where sins were finally blotted out. The covenant was not fully renewed.
A fourth time, Moses came to God with a very unusual request, “I beseech thee, shew my thy glory” (Exodus 33:18). Moses had talked with God face to face as to a friend. Yet now he asks to see His glory? In this we see that even with Moses, the glory of God was veiled.
To ask to see God is an imposition and presumptuous for any human being. If there were sin in his life, Moses would have died. “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). Moses may have been meek but he also had a faith that was strong and desperate. The success of the entire project hung in the balance and Moses would not give up.
God granted his request and revealed to Moses that His glory is His character.
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).
“And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” Moses was acting for the people, and this was the covenant response of Abraham (Genesis 15:6; 17:3). He asked again for God’s presence among them and pardon for iniquity and sin. He made one final request: “and take us for thine inheritance” (Exodus 34:9). He called again for Israel to be the chosen people of God. He asked for the full restoration of the Covenant.
God was pleased with Moses. If Moses cared that much, he was a good leader. There was hope that Moses could lead the people to a living faith. He renewed His promise. The covenant was reinstituted. The people made no rash promises. They were willing to accept the grace of God. The Abrahamic covenant was re-instituted. The New covenant, to be ratified by Jesus Christ Himself, was again in force.
“And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee”
“Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite” (Exodus 34:10-11).
There is some confusion regarding the Sinai covenant. It is important to realize just which covenant was offered, which covenant was ratified, which covenant was broken, and which covenant was renewed. In this renewal of the covenant God “will do marvels” in the presence of all peoples. To refer to Exodus 19:5-6, He will make of them a “peculiar treasure,” a “kingdom of priests,” and an “holy nation.”
As God brought His blessings upon the nation of Israel, His name would be magnified in all the earth. It would be more than wonderful, more than spectacular. What He would do would be “terrible” or “fearful.” Men would be lead to fear (reverence) the Lord, and honor and praise His name. All nations would come to understand that the greatness of Israel was because God was with them (Deut 4:6-8).
In Exodus 34:11 God asks them to “observe thou that which I command thee this day.” He made reference to several of the ten commandments, and in verse forty He again “wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”
It was one hundred days (see “Step by Step at Sinai) since Israel had arrived at Sinai. The covenant was renewed and the promise of God was even stronger. The response of the people was a reverent awe of the light shining from Moses' face (Exodus 34:29-35). Shortly after this they enthusiastically responded by liberal offerings for the building of the tabernacle. There were no presumptuous promises.
The covenant offered in Exodus 19 and 34 was the everlasting covenant, the same covenant given to Abraham. God would be with them, God would do wonderful things for them, and He promised them land “for all the earth is mine.” This is the “new” covenant because it was ratified or confirmed (Daniel 9:27) by the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary.
The Old Covenant lay entirely in the presumptuous legalistic response of the people, “All that the Lord has said we will do.” When the old covenant was broken, the promises of the people were proven false. The people who broke the old covenant also rejected the everlasting covenant.
It was the everlasting covenant that was renewed in Exodus 34. God again showed Himself to be their God (vs 6,7). He would do wonderful things for His people (vs 10), and he would drive out the heathen inhabitants to make room for them in the land (vs 11). The new covenant was reinstituted and was the covenant under which God dealt with Israel from then on.
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