God's Great Promises
Exodus 34:1, 4-10
SS Lesson for 09/26/2010
Devotional Scripture: 2 Peter 1:2-11
The outline of the lesson came from Bible Expositor and Illuminator. This week's lesson reviews God's Great Promises. The study's aim is to demonstrate that God is merciful and gracious to all those who are willing to start afresh with Him. The study's application is to turn to God in repentance and hold on to His promises to restore us.
Our Father in Heaven
A man once drove a nice-looking sports car through a poorer neighborhood of his city. He stopped at a gas station to make a phone call. While on the phone, he noticed another man about his age who approached the car and looked it over closely, obviously quite fascinated by it. When the man got off the phone, the other man asked him, “Where did you get a car like this?” The man replied, “Well, actually my dad gave it to me.” He waited a moment, thinking the other fellow might say something like, “I wish I had a dad like that.” Instead, the man’s response was, “I wish I could be a dad like that.” We live in a time when fathers are often that only in a biological sense. Many men have abandoned the daily responsibilities of being true fathers. As a result, they leave behind youngsters who desperately need the love, support, and stability that faithful fathers supply to a home. When the Lord sent Moses to Egypt, he told him to tell Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). God wanted the children of Israel to know that their heavenly Father still cared deeply for them and had come to deliver them from their bondage. This is the same God who sent his Son to this world to let all humanity know that their heavenly Father cares deeply for them and wants to deliver them from the spiritual bondage caused by sin. That is why Jesus gave his life for us and took our punishment at the cross. What a Father we have!
Lesson Background
Last week’s printed text concluded with the Lord’s declaration of his intention to destroy the Israelites as a result of their worship of the golden calf. Moses, however, interceded for the people and became (again) an instrument of their deliverance. Such was his passion for them that he even requested that the Lord blot his (Moses’) name out of the Lord’s book if that would result in the Israelites being spared punishment (Exodus 32:31, 32; compare Romans 9:3, 4). The Lord did not destroy the people. But he did tell Moses that those who had participated in the sin against him would not escape punishment (Exodus 32:33). The beginning of Exodus 33 records the Lord’s instructions to Moses to proceed toward the promised land. The Lord’s angel would go before the people to lead the way and drive out the land’s inhabitants (vv. 1, 2). The Lord himself, however, would not go lest he determine at some point to destroy the people for being “stiff-necked” (v. 3). Once again Moses demonstrated his intercessory spirit. He expressed to the Lord his personal desire to know the Lord more fully, but added his concern for the people’s welfare (Exodus 33:12, 13). The Lord indicated that he would accompany Moses to the promised land (v. 14), but Moses was not satisfied with that response. He desired the presence of the Lord on behalf of all the people—not just Moses. The Lord answered, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name” (v. 17). It was then that Moses voiced perhaps his boldest request of the Lord: “Now show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). The Lord promised that he would “proclaim my name, the Lord” before Moses (v. 19) and allow him to see a portion of his glory (vv. 20–23). The printed text for today records how the Lord granted Moses this very sacred encounter. Moses had come a long way from the fear he showed when the Lord first appeared to him (Exodus 3:6). He had reached the same level of desiring God as expressed by the psalmist: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
Numbers 12:3 says, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." We feel certain that though Moses was the author of Numbers, he wrote this statement under the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit, for a meek man would not boast about it. In spite of the reality of Moses' meekness, there was one area of his life where he never seemed to gain complete control. Moses had a temper that often revealed itself in harsh words or rash actions. One time when this was manifested occurred when he returned from the mountain and saw the golden calf that Aaron had built. We read about this incident in Exodus 32:19-20: "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it." The "tables" were the two stone tablets upon which God had written the Ten Commandments. For the last three weeks we have been looking at how our God reveals Himself to His people. This week we look specifically at how our God shows Himself through His promises, particularly the one given through Moses about being gracious and merciful to His erring people. The promises of God given to us in His Word are what keep us going as His children. When we have nothing else to hold on to, we still have the assurance and stability of His Word to comfort us. This week we get a little insight into His caring and long-suffering nature through the promise given to Moses for His people. Who among us does not want a second chance to begin again and do things over, especially something we failed at miserably? God shows us that He is willing to give us that much needed chance. He is willing to put aside His anger over our sin and help us get back on track with Him. He does this very willingly because that is His nature. In our lesson we see God proclaiming His nature to Moses. Our lesson gives us the hope we need to begin again.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 And the Lord said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.
4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. 10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.
3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
14 For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: "He is good; His love endures forever." Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud,
12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!"
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
9 Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance."
10 And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call."
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
44 But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. 46 He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
59 "'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
The four lessons that have been covered thus far are part of a quarter of studies under the topic The Inescapable God. It is instructive to consider today’s lesson in particular in light of that theme. That God is “inescapable” can be either comforting or frightening, because as today’s study has noted he is a God of both mercy and judgment. David took great encouragement from knowing that the Lord had hemmed him in “behind and before; [he has] laid [his] hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:5, 6). Jonah found out that it is a good thing that God is inescapable! Though the reluctant prophet was tossed into the sea, the Lord knew exactly where he was. On the other hand, the thought of standing in judgment before God should fill us with a sense of foreboding. Revelation 6:15–17 describes the anguish of those who are filled with terror at the wrath of the Lamb, “For the great day of … wrath has come, and who can stand?” Thank God that in Jesus we see the mercy and the judgment of God displayed in a way that only God himself could have arranged! Paul summarizes the combination as follows: “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s mercy toward sinners is made available because Jesus took humanity’s judgment upon himself at the cross. The cross is inescapable evidence of God’s passion to demonstrate grace. If we ignore that evidence, judgment is inescapable.
Our God is good. And He is good all the time. That is a great promise of God that we can bank on. This week's text makes it clear that this is true. After the incident with the golden calf, God told Moses to go back up Mount Sinai. God was going to write the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets again. At that time, God also passed before Moses. That must have been an incredible sight. The God of the universe, the One who created the heavens and earth, was going to reveal Himself to a man. In today's vernacular, we might say that it was awesome. But this incident was not just awesome. It was accompanied with the Lord revealing His character. God proclaimed several things about Himself in this encounter. First, God said He is "merciful and gracious." We often think of these things as going together, probably because the Apostle Paul used them so much. Actually, Paul got them from the Lord! Mercy and grace are often contrasted. Mercy, it is said, is not getting what we deserve. When a criminal is given mercy by the judge, he is given freedom even though he does not deserve it. Grace, on the other hand, is getting what we do not deserve. It is like a bonus. Yet there is some overlap in these terms too. God also said He is "longsuffering." This can also be translated "slow to anger." Could anyone deny that God is slow to anger? He wants us to be that way too. James said, "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (Jas. 1:19). Many of us find that difficult if not impossible. Yet that is because we are trying to do it on our own. Being long-suffering is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). That means God accomplishes it in our lives. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit. Finally, God revealed that He is "abundant in goodness and truth." "Goodness" can also be translated "unfailing love." The Hebrew word is used 248 times in the Old Testament. Most of the time it is translated "mercy." It appears often in Psalms that way. But "unfailing love" really captures the essence of this word. God loves His people, and His love never fails. "Truth" is really a rare commodity today. It is not that people never talk about it. The problem is that many people never believe that truth is relative; it means whatever you want it to mean. The problem with that view is that it simply does not hold water. To be true, ultimate truths must remain the same for all people in all generations all the time. Nothing else makes sense. That is why it is really absurd for otherwise rational people to pretend that they have their truth and you can have yours too. Jesus told His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). God manifests His abundance in truth in the Person of Jesus. And that is God's great promise.
1. There is always a remedy for sins, for God is always willing to forgive (Exod. 34:1,4)
2. We should be more concerned with God's character than with His appearance (vs. 5-6)
3. We must acknowledge God's justice and wrath even as we take comfort in His mercy (vs. 7)
4. The very attributes of God demand our worship (vs. 8)
5. Remembering that our relationship with God is based solely on His grace will keep us humble before Him (vs. 9)
6. God's work in us will be evident to others, even if we ourselves fail to see it (vs. 10)
God had agreed to show Moses His glory (Exod. 33:18-19). In doing so, He also revealed what actions we may expect to see flowing from His character and purposes.
In an angry response to the people's sin, Moses had broken the stone tablets engraved with the law of God. Now God commanded Moses to cut out two more tablets of stone on which He would again engrave His law. The plan of God for Moses was still the same. Moses was to teach the people God's character and the way He expected them to live. Moses did his part. He prepared the stone tablets and went up the mountain early in the morning, just as God had said he was to do. You must always do your part. Salvation is by grace through faith, and a true living faith will manifest itself in works of love. Believing and receiving are to continue throughout every aspect of your life. Decide to do God's will before you know what it is, and prepare yourself to follow through. If you wait and decide later, you may go wrong and get selfish.
There would be little point in God revealing Himself just as an awe-inspiring, mysterious, terrifying, blinding light. He wants you to understand His great heart and how all His wonderful, characteristic actions flow from it. He acts out of His nature, just as you do out of yours. He will be merciful to you and forgive your sin as you trust in Him. He will deal patiently and truthfully with you. You can count on His blessing as you walk by faith and obedience.
You and I may be frustrated with sin and the wrong that goes unchecked and uncorrected all around us. God is very patient, allowing time for men to repent. He can save the guilty, but when there is no repentance sin can result in consequences for generations. No one has to stay in the guilty category! God's mercy and forgiveness are always available. No believer should ever feel guilty beyond a few seconds. Immediately confess your sin to the God of mercy and forgiveness, and you will leave the guilty group and be part of the pardoned. You may need to follow through with some apologies and make some things right on the human level. That is your part. You can count on God to do His part.
God mentioned His covenant with Moses and the people of Israel and the miracles He would perform on their behalf. Today God does not often let people know what will transpire in their future, but He does have a plan for you. As you walk in obedience to Him, it will unfold. You do not need to know, nor could you wisely use the knowledge of what is to happen tomorrow. Your daily walk with God in fellowship with His people may not seem spectacular, but it can be a marvel of God's grace. The most fulfilling and rewarding life of which you are capable is part of His plan for you. Making decisions to go in other directions would be foolish and frustrating. Moses' experience is recorded for our enlightenment and instruction. He became aware of how glorious the Lord is and wanted to know Him more fully. It is wisdom to seek the same things and hope to be rewarded on whatever level the Lord chooses for us.