January 31, 2025 - Exodus 32-36

You know, the Bible tells us about physical and spiritual highs as well as physical and spiritual lows.  It tells us the stories of God’s people  during sweet times of obedience and favor and of God’s people lawless and enduring God’s wrath.  The story of the golden calf, of course, is one of those lows.  Speaking to Moses, God’s response to the building of this idol was,  “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (32:9-10).  Moses took pity on the people, and he prayed, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’  And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people” (32:13-14).   I suppose, if I was asked to sum up the message of the Bible in four words, it might be:  Man’s sinfulness, God’s mercy.”

God, we praise Thee for Thy mercy,

’Tis so great and so profound!

In our weakness and our failures;

With its greatness it abounds.

We adore Thee! we adore Thee!

With such mercy we’ve been crowned!

How we marvel at this mercy

So far-reaching and so vast!

It has reached us, e’en the sinners,

And will ever hold us fast.

From this mercy, from this mercy,

What can cause us to be cast?   --Witness Lee (20th century)