Exodus 32:7-14

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Verse 7-14, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: {8} They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. {9} And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: {10} Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. {11} And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? {12} Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. {13} Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. {14} And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

I.    God's options.

A.  He could have kept them from sinning at all.

1.   His grace is sufficient.

2.   The people must be willing to accept this grace.

3.   The angels have no choice.

4.      Rev. 4:8 - The living creatures have no choice.

B.   He could have kept them from sinning as much as they did.

1.   His grace is sufficient.

2.   The people must willingly accept this grace.

C.   He could have destroyed them after they sinned (without consulting Moses).

1.   God intends to teach us to be spiritual.

2.   He gives us the example of Moses.

3.   Ps. 103:7 - Israel saw His acts, Moses saw His ways.  God wants us to learn why He does what He does!

4.      Moses takes God's place and pleads with God to spare sinners like we ought to plead with God to save sinners.

II.   The great question -- "Can men change God's mind by praying?"  (For a fuller discussion of this subject see the file \workprog\winword\god\realpray.doc.)

A.  Election and Whosoever will - Can we believe both?

1.      Eph. 1:4-6 - Total election.

2.   I Peter 1:2 - Elect according to foreknowledge.

3.      John 3:16 - Whosoever believeth.

4.      Rev. 22:17 - The last invitation.

5.   We can believe election and whosoever will without diminishing the power of God.

B.   God already knows everything about everything.

1.   But we see in this place an exhibit of the grace of God to sinful man.

2.      This is like the grace of God to fallen man.

C.   Verse 12 and 14 - The word "repent".

1.      Does not mean "be sorry for".

2.      Means "breathe strongly" or "sigh".

3.   In the New Testament - "To have another mind".

4.   God is not regretting or being sorry for any wrong, for He can do no wrong.  He is changing His actions because of Israel's sins and will now treat them differently.  (verse 35).

5.   God did this in spite of the fact that Moses really didn't know the extent of Israel's sin (verse 19).  (This shows that many times we know what is good and right, but our emotions get in the way of us properly praying about that particular sin.)

D.  When God really gets ready to pour out His wrath, nobody will stop him.

1.      Ezekiel 14:12-14 - Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job would speak to persuade me.

2.      Jeremiah 15:1 - Though Moses and Samuel stand before me, I wouldn't change my mind.