“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke …’”
“Then the Lord said: ‘I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. Obey what I command you today.’” (Exodus 34:1, 10-11, NIV )
Well … It didn’t take long. In the lead-up to Chapter 34, God’s people had only been out of Egypt for a short time and while Moses was away, they strayed from God and began to worship small “g” gods. This prompted Moses to break the tablets upon which were written the Ten Commandments, God’s laws to guide His people in their new life of freedom. Remember, they had not lived on their own without oppression for centuries, so the Commandments were gifted to them to guide their path. And they strayed. And Moses was worried that he had lost God’s favor and that his leadership would be in question.
In Chapter 34 God restores the tablets and Moses’ leadership. God also declares that he is going to once again demonstrate to the people how much he loves them by doing “awesome things.” This becomes a theme throughout Scripture. God redeems, we mess up again, God restores. God restores, we mess up, God redeems. It appears God’s grace knows no bounds!
We too, like God’s people in Exodus, are prone to wander away from God’s preferred pathways. And when we do so, it would be easy to think, like Moses did, that God would be done with us! That is human. BUT what we need to take away from the wilderness wanderings is that God never strays from us and is ALWAYS ready to redeem His people. No matter how far we might wander, God is never far from us. Not only that, God will continue to do “awesome things” in and through us and maybe even in spite of us. That is grace undeserved!
Prayer
Lord, I am a sinner and in need of Your grace and mercy. Give me Your love when I fail and Your strength to again follow Your paths. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
