The Greatest Heart

“Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” (Ex 32:32 AV)

Every time I read this verse, it moves me.  Specially considering the context.  Moses was on the mount for forty days.  He had been with God.  He received the law written on two tables of stone.  When the time came for him to return, the LORD told Moses what to expect.  The LORD further suggested He destroy the entire nation for their idolatry and restart with Moses and his family.  Moses pled for Israel and God changed His mind.  This is all before Moses had the opportunity to actually see how bad it was.  When he descended the mount, he and Joshua approach a sight for which they were not prepared.  Before them lay the entire nation of Israel, half-naked and dancing before a golden calf.  The explanation given my Aaron was not even respectful of the situation.  Moses was completely irate.  Anger boiled up in his heart.  He destroyed the idol, ground it to powder, and made the people drink it.  He then had the Levites kill approximately 3,000 guilty worshippers.  He was hot.  When Moses returned to the mount to seek God’s face, instead of taking God up on His offer, he pled for mercy on the people.  Not only that, he was willing to barter his own salvation for the salvation of the guilty parties.  This is compassion!

For a leader to love his people enough to wish he could suffer the punishment they deserve is a love that is extremely rare.  The Old Testament is filled with types.  What better type of the intercessory offering of Jesus Christ is there than this account of Moses and his people?  The LORD could not accept the offer of Moses.  Moses was flawed in his own way.  But there was one offer of like nature that the LORD did accept.  Peter states it this way. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1Pet 3:18 KJV)  There was One who saw that we all were worthy of the blotting out and decided to take our sin upon Himself.  Jesus Christ determined before the foundation of the world that He would come in human flesh, suffer as we do, deny temptation, and go to a cross.  It was on that cross that Christ incurred the wrath of His Father for sins He did not commit.  He suffered the wrath of His Father that we deserve.  Although His name was not blotted out (There was not need), He still suffered as we should have suffered that we might gain eternal life.  The blessings of salvation should never escape the mind and heart of the true believer.

The essence of Christlikeness is loving people more then one loves himself.  This is the challenge for us all.  It really doesn’t matter if we are a Moses, a Joshua, an Aaron, or simply one in a million fellow pilgrims.  It really doesn’t matter.  Paul said the same thing that Moses did.  “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:” (Ro 9:3 AV)  We know this is not possible.  But I am not going to bring into question Paul and Moses’ sincerity.  The point is, if we are to help others and reach others, we have to be willing to allow our emotions to bring us to the point we are willing to do anything for the love of God to come to them.  It means interceding in a way that brings results.  It means going the extra mile.  It means opening oneself up to ridicule, persecution, and abuse.  It means standing in the gap for others when they will neither recognize nor appreciate your sacrifice.  It means putting self last.  Being a Moses or Paul means being brought to the lowest pit for the sake of seeing others restored to the LORD.