April 23, 2015

 

Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:

 

Sometimes people can be difficult . . . really difficult. Just ask Moses who was commissioned by God to lead the Hebrew people out of bondage and slavery in Egypt on a journey to the Promised Land. Let's remember that the conditions in Egypt were nothing short of horrific. Though the children of Abraham once had been honored guests to the Pharaoh back when Joseph ascended to second in command over that mighty nation, those days were long gone. As the Hebrew people multiplied across generations, later Pharaohs responded with genocide--the slaughter of infant boys born to Hebrew women. The survivors lived in poverty as those conscripted for Egypt's great building projects. Life was cheap and short.

 

But then God raised up Moses--himself once a prince of Egypt--to deliver God's people through mighty signs and wonders, capped off with a miraculous escape through the Yam Suph or Red Sea. We certainly would expect nothing less than gratefulness from the Hebrew people. Quite to the contrary, almost immediately they refused to trust God by going directly to claim the Promised Land as recommended by Caleb and Joshua. It wasn't long before this stiff-necked people began whining and groaning, lamenting that they ever left Egyptian borders. Though God sent them both manna and quail, they continued to grouse. Griping was the common theme that Moses daily encountered as their leader.

 

In Exodus 32, however, griping turned to something much more severe, dangerous, and heinous. When God summoned Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Hebrew people immediately turned to evil. They presented their gold and jewels to Moses' older brother Aaron, who fashioned them into a golden calf. "Here is your god who delivered you from Egypt," he pronounced. And the people sang; the people danced; the people bowed down to worship this ridiculous idol. Moaning and groaning to God turned into rank betrayal of God, even while God was giving Moses the precious gift of His holy Law.

 

When Moses descended from the mountain, he himself was outraged at their speedy descent into pagan ways. As their leader, he was shocked by their swift abandonment of the God who had delivered them. But the next day, Moses did something amazing (verse 30 and following). Moses said, "And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sins." So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "This people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if You will, forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written" (v. 32).

 

What an astounding display of realism, courage and compassion is found in Moses! Moses is totally transparent about the sin of the people--"They have sinned a great sin." He does not attempt to minimize or shift blame whatsoever. Moses further is courageous as he continues to stand with this sinful people, even risking his own life in solidarity with them. Perhaps most strikingly, Moses is motivated by compassion. Though God was willing to wipe out the Hebrew people and begin anew with Moses alone (see Exodus 32:10), Moses never ceased to intercede and advocate for this stiff-necked people. He loved this rag-tag bunch so much that he appealed to the Lord on their behalf again and again. And the Lord loved Moses for his compassionate heart for broken and sinful people. I think it is a major reason why Moses was so special to God. It's the same compassion that anticipated the heart of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 9:34-36. "When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

 

We today are equally loved with the compassion of Jesus who takes us to Himself--our Good Shepherd who mercifully stands before the Lord on our behalf to atone for our sins. And we, like Moses, are called to live with compassion toward one another, even when stiff-necked and sinful.

 

This is the quality of compassion.

 

Pastor Tim

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